LAST DAY OF CLASSES:

This past week has been filled with ups and downs, sadness and happiness. We finished teaching and administered our final exams to track the progress of the students in each of the subjects that we taught: biology, physics, and mathematics. The biology and physics exams went well, and the students improved an average of 6% on physics and 10% on biology, which was a huge success. Nearly all of them will be able to pass the October COSC exams in these subjects if they continue to study, review their notes, and practice problems.

Mathematics, however, was a slightly different story. I left the room to go purchase one more notebook for the students, and Beth also left the room for about three minutes to make a copy. Before we departed, however, we specifically told the students to please not cheat and that we were only using these scores to assess how well OUR performance was; their teachers would never see the results, so they only had to try their best. When Beth returned, however, the students were all gathered around one desk, sharing answers and talking. To say the least, they were cheating.

Cheating has been an issue with them all along; when we provided the diagnostic exams the students cheated heavily in mathematics; while grading the diagnostic exams, I noticed that the students who sat next to one another all had the same score, or their scores fell within a two-point range. They were sharing pencils, erasers, calculators, and rulers, so I assumed that was common. Instead, when they passed an instrument they also shared answers. Because of the amount of cheating on both the diagnostic and final exams, it’s hard to truly assess the results. The students ended not increasing their performance at all, a result that was very distressing to me. They began with a 50% average and ended with a 50% average, and I was inclined to believe that my teaching was ineffectual in mathematics. However, due to the decreased cheating (they only had three minutes to share their very first answers rather than the entire time to share every single answer), I believe that overall the performance of the students did increase. Because of the extent of their cheating on the first exam, however, I will not ever know.

On the last day we gave our students a gift. We gave them two notebooks, folder, pencil, pen, eraser, lollipop, and a lip gloss (all of the boys and girls absolutely loved them, and would share them during class. We decided to get each their own to minimize the spread of germs, plus they loved them!). They couldn’t have been happier. Beth then gave a speech about her enjoyment of her time here, and it was my turn to address the students. Embarrassingly, I started crying immediately. I told them that while I came to Lesotho with the intention of instilling my knowledge in their minds, of teaching them, they ended up teaching me valuable lessons as well. They all were emotionally and mentally incredibly strong individuals, coping through death after death, and managing their losses with dignity and mettle. I was in awe of their determination to succeed in life, as evidenced by their excellent attendance at our review course, which was occurring during their winter holiday. I thanked the students for the lessons that they taught me, and admitted that they had truly changed my life. I am a different, better person for coming to Lesotho, and so fortunate to have met them.

I was very close to one student in particular, Thakane. She is the young woman who invited us to her home for the traditional Basotho lunch. We ended up having quite a long conversation, and I told her some pieces of advice that I thought she needed to hear one more time. I told her that she was beautiful, both inside and out, that she could make a difference in Lesotho. Thakane ended up scoring the highest in the class in biology and also significantly increased her scores in both physics and mathematics. I pointed out how smart she is, and how she can achieve her dream of becoming a nurse if she continues to work hard and study. I told her how incredible of an individual she is, and how much I had come to know and care for her. I told Thakane that was not simply a student to me, but someone whom I now consider a friend. Thakane had written me a letter, one of the most beautiful ones I have ever received. One line in the letter stated, “Your parents are so rich, not because of money, but because they have you as a daughter.” This statement struck me as important, for I have never heard someone here speak of richness and wealth in terms other than money. Thakane truly understands the value of hard work and dedication to one’s beliefs, and she sees that happiness and fortune can be measured in currencies other than cash or coins. Thakane is truly remarkable, and I will never forget her.

FINAL DINNER WITH REBECCA THE NURSE

We invited Rebecca, her husband Pastor Aaron, and children Petra and Goodrich to dinner at the Mmelesi lodge for one last time together. Petra and Goodrich had made us cards and origami-like gifts, things that had kept them up late into the night to finish. They were adorable and quite thoughtful.

Pastor Aaron then proceeded to ask us some political/controversial questions about our beliefs and values. He asked Beth how she felt about legalizing gay marriage, which she answered quite well I thought. Her views differed from theirs, and she definitely heard about it. He then asked me what I thought. I expressed my views of equality for all, to which he made a sour face and told me that he did not believe the same way. He proceeded to quote bible verses and tried to show me that my reasons were faulty, to which I simply nodded politely and said “I can see where we differ and what your reasons are. I understand what you are saying.” I knew that no amount of debate would change either of our drastically different opinions, and I opted to enjoy our last meal together rather than discuss politics and religion. Despite those twenty minutes, it was a very pleasurable occasion.

I had packed clothes to wear here in Africa that I would give to Goodwill or donate anyways, so I chose to give them to Rebecca and her family. They were extremely appreciative of my donation and I instructed them to either use the clothes for their children or give them out to those in their congregation who could use them the most. The next morning I was walking to purchase that last notebook and I ran into Petra and Goodrich. Petra was wearing my brown shirt, blue jeans, and flats. It was very rewarding to see my clothes go to good use, and to be worn by someone proudly and happily. The children told me that they loved me and would miss me dearly, and certainly would never forget me. I felt the same way about them.

TUTORING AT SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

We tutored eight Form C students at SOS in their arts and crafts room (their extensive library was locked). I was blown away at the room and the knowledge of the students. First, there was artwork everywhere, and it was all educational artwork too. They had paintings of the countries in Africa, Egyptian masks, and other historical and cultural pieces. They also made ties, picture frames, and fun crafts as well. I saw no crafts or arts or fun diversions in Thaba Bosiu, and I again was reminded of how fortunate the orphans at SOS were to have the establishment and truly remarkable care. It is hard to judge which was better: having a true family but living in the depressing and impoverished village of Thaba Bosiu, or having a pseudo-family at SOS and living in relative wealth and far better conditions (the students even get a 500 rand monthly allowance to spend on movies, restaurants, trinkets, and junk food).

The knowledge of the Form C students surpassed that of most of the Form E students that we taught at Letsie. The education at SOS is far superior to that at Letsie, and it is the rule, rather than the exception, that students attend University and lead successful lives.

It was somewhat hard to tutor at SOS, simply because I am getting very homesick and we taught whatever concepts the students wanted help with. One happened to be chemistry and balancing equations. We had no chemistry lessons or books from which to teach, so we had to create equations by ourselves and just try to teach from memory. Some equations we chose were actually not balanceable, and it was sort of embarrassing to admit that we were wrong after attempting to show how to solve it for the better part of half an hour. But it was a good lesson for the students, seeing us err, admit our faults, and move on. This is something that I feel the Basothos struggle with in general, and us demonstrating it first-hand is definitely the most effective means of relaying the message that it is okay to fail, as long as you learn from it!

We are currently staying in a hut (or rondavel as they call it) in Lesotho Durham Link, located on the outskirts of Maseru. It is quite nice, except there is no heat whatsoever. We attempted to light a fire, but the wood and coal burned out and we didn’t appreciate much heat from it. We also have a kitchen, but since we are staying here for such a short time we wanted to finish all of the non-perishable and no-cooking-or-refrigeration-needed foods that we had from the Mmelesi lodge left over. So we haven’t really made a whole ton of use with it, but there were a few times we did cook. The property is situated overlooking a lake here in Maseru, which gives the city a whole different feel. Rather than it being busy, congested, and dirty, the feel is now serene, woodsy, and natural. It is quite a nice change, but I would have appreciated some heaters! The nights and mornings are freezing, and I usually wait until I’m about to burst to use the restroom, for it takes all my courage to get out of my warm blankets and run to the bathroom. It’s quite a funny sight I’m sure.

Overall I’m feeling ready to leave Lesotho. This past week has had a lot of down time (I finished revising my lessons very early on), which leaves me missing home and America. However, the experience has truly changed my life, perception of poverty, and I have a newfound appreciation for teachers! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have learned so much.

*I have tried to relay my thoughts here as best as possible in this blog, but it is quite hard to put every feeling into words. Often there were not phrases or sentences that could adequately capture what I was thinking, but I hope that I was able to relay my experiences effectually enough so that you, the reader, could appreciate some of what I saw, did, and felt. Please do not hesitate to contact me at btrentadue@gmail.com if you have questions or comments about anything!*