Going through 10 weeks of PST (Pre Service Training) can be long and grueling. We are counting down the days to when we get sworn in as official PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers)......four more weeks to go. We, PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees), are getting restless.
Some afternoons I just want to rip my eyeballs out after a long day of lectures. The group activities were fun at first, but now there is a sea of eye rolling and groaning whenever we do another activity.......someone shoot me already! I totally get that Peace Corps has to stick to protocol but I am entitled to my feelings of boredom every now and then.
Today, we started summer school session at Amadiyya JSS/SSS in Bo Town. For the next three weeks, we will spend the first half of the day teaching and the second half back at the training compound. After Amadiyya, the day was already halfway done. I feel rejuvinated!
It felt great to get in a real classroom setting. We still dealt with the standard problems here in Africa like: no electricity, shitty chalkboards, sound insulation, etc, etc (reference my 06/29 entry). It was even pouring rain this morning so the kids showed up at 9:30 instead of 8:00.......this is common in Sierra Leone, people just don't wake up when it rains. This time I was more prepared for both my lesson plans and what situation I would be walking into (students & facilities). I was fine with it all, I was in control of my classroom. For summer school, I will be teaching Math for JSS2 & JSS3 (7th & 8th grade).
As mind numbing as PST can get sometimes, I do have to admit that Peace Corps does a great job in preparing you to teach. When I first signed up to become a teacher in Sierra Leone, I was so scared about my abilities in the classroom. Today, I felt confident and it was fuckin' awesome! I am so ready......bring it!
I've decided to keep my topics small but in depth. The kids here love to memorize so the last thing I want to do is breeze through a bunch of concepts and have them memorize but not actually comprehend.
For example, in JSS2 I will be teaching the area of a rectangle, square, and triangle. Week 1 will be spent entirely just on shapes. Yes, it is like that here! I blame it on the poor academic foundation, under qualified teachers, and political pressure to pass students in the primary school setting. If I give the definition of a triangle and draw a triangle and call it a triangle then draw an upside down triangle next to it, they will not be able to identify it as a triangle. So like we say in Salone, "smol smol", essentially meaning "baby steps". How can they calculate area if they don't know their shapes or if they've never used or even seen a ruler before. Yes, I have an 16yr old in my JSS2 class that doesn't know what a centimeter is.
"Smol smol" it is......I'm ready.
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