7/12/10: “Pas de bourre, Pirouette!”

I taught mathematics today and it seems that the students are starting to get slightly bored and anxious in class. A new student, Hero, came to class today for the first time, giving me an unexpected attitude when I asked “Where have you been?!?” with a smile and a laugh. “Um, not here, obviously” he retorted. The other students seemed to really like him, but his cheeky comment angered me. I left the room to copy some worksheets for him, and was even more upset when I returned.

I had instructed the students to work on the “independent practice” worksheets while I made the copies for Hero, and the noise emanating from the room as I approached the door indicated that they were not as diligently working as I had expected. They were throwing papers, making friendship bracelets (which I had shown them the previous week), copying exercises from their neighbors, and gossiping. I almost lost my temper at this point. I explained, in an obviously exasperated tone, that the whole reason I was here at Letsie this summer was for their use. I was doing my best to teach them new ways of solving problems and giving them review sheets, but they needed to work hard and concentrate. Copying answers was only hurting them, and I had gone to so much hard work to create the lessons and worksheets specifically for their benefit.

I then told them that we had only two weeks left together, and then we were leaving Lesotho for good; they would not be able to use us as resources and tutors after that point. They seemed to understand that our time was coming to a quick close and concentrated diligently for the remainder of the day. I feel a bit guilty that I felt frustrated and angry at the students, but they had started to not pay attention, pass notes during class, and speak out of turn for a while; I had simply let it go “unnoticed” until this time. In retrospect, it would have been best for me to remind the students of my expectations right when I started to see them behave badly, before getting upset with them. I have never taught students my own age (and some older than me) and it has definitely been a learning experience for me as well.

7/14/10: Homesick

It’s midway through our sixth week in Lesotho, and I am starting to feel pangs of homesickness hit. I woke up this morning thinking that I was in my bed at home, in Wisconsin, expecting to groggily thump downstairs to my bowl of fresh strawberries that my father always prepares in anticipation of my awakening. It was a rude shock to throw off my wool blanket to below-freezing temperatures in the hut and the absence of electricity. Oh, not to mention that I was actually nearly half-way around the world. The lodge promised to call an electrician to fix the electricity problem, but that has not yet happened today. I am starting to miss America, from the food to my friends, and although I will be desolate to leave Thaba Bosiu soon, I am missing the familiarities of home.

Another new feeling arose in me today, one that was not the best to have. I started to realize the limitations of our course and how much aid we really can provide in six weeks to a group of students who have had subpar teaching for the past six years. I feel that the thing holding them back the most on the COSC exams is actually their comprehension of the English language, not their understanding of the material itself (although their understanding in general is quite low, just not as low as the comprehension). If they could truly understand what the questions were asking them to do, I feel that they could get better scores, for they could use some problem solving skills and rule out some answers just based on simple reading comprehension.

Many of their courses are taught completely in Sesotho or partially in the native language, and they should all be taught completely in English. Being fluent in the language is one thing that separates the Basothos in the job market and economic status; those who can communicate in English have many more opportunities available to themselves, while those who cannot speak English as well are much more limited in finding careers and professions. While it may be easier for teachers to communicate abstract ideas in physics and mathematics in a language that is easier for the students to comprehend, they are doing a long-term disservice to the students. Rather, different examples should be used, they should provide several alternate means of explanation of the concepts, and pictures/diagrams/flow charts would communicate the idea effectively. This way the students are able to transfer that knowledge to the questions asked in English on the exam.