The end of last week was very eventful for our class. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to teach our class how to apply the PSM to the pervasive problem of HIV/AIDS. We started our discussion talking about how HIV/AIDS has affected the large population as a whole, and slowly compartmentalized the problem so that they could find a small part they could personally help solve. The students thoroughly understood how HIV/AIDS has seeped into almost every area of their life, and they expressed in their journals how HIV/AIDS has directly affected their personal life. However, many of the students had never learned the physiology of the disease and were intrigued to finally understand why people with HIV/AIDS were more likely to die from other diseases such as TB and pneumonia. At the end of class, we also asked our students whether or not they wanted to get tested for HIV. We strongly believe knowing their status is the crucial first step to get treatment, if need be. We will be taking 6 girls this Monday to the Red Cross clinic.
On Thursday, we gave our students a COSC comprehensive test along with a powers quiz. After grading the exams, our students scored a range of 37%-77%, with an average of 47% (slightly inflated due to the power quiz). Although >40% is considered passing, we know that these students have the potential to score much higher. These scores demonstrate the need for more COSC practice, so we will be spending every day going over one or two COSC topics. On Friday, we applied the PSM to the problem of university and scholarships. We brought in a guest speaker named Joanne, a graduate of Letsie High School and who currently attends the National University of Lesotho. She spoke to both Form D and Form E students about how to pass the COSC (work hard, work hard, work hard!), how to apply to college, and how to obtain scholarships. We were very grateful that she was able to speak to our classes and address their questions.
Today, the girls and I went to Mahlealea Lodge to go horseback riding! It was a 4-hour trek, crossing over rivers, climbing (very rocky and very steep) mountains, and trotting through open valleys. During our lunch break, we were able to walk down and see a stunning waterfall. On the way back to the lodge, Beth and I were able to gallop through the open valleys- it was amazing to ride these amazing horses at such a fast pace. We all had a wonderful time!
Beverly