The Perspective I've Been Waiting For

I write today from a perspective I've been wondering about for so long: the weekend after my first week of classes. Preparing for my time in Liberia, there were so many details to think about: what clothes do I pack; how many over the counter meds might we need; what shots do I need to get. Perhaps most pressing was this question: what does it take to teach junior high in Liberia, what will I be teaching, and can I really do this? Really? This question seemed to be the one I couldn't just answer and check off a list, figure out and pack in my suitcase. So I've been wondering for months how I would be feeling after my first week of classes.

It's still difficult to summarize an answer to this question, but right now, I'd say I'm feeling pretty good. It was a trying week, for sure. There have been a number of challenges, some expected and some a total surprise: lots of students in class (between 26 and 32 in each), short classes (40 min), teachers changing classes instead of students (with no time between classes), having to review things I assumed the students would know (odd vs. even numbers, adding subtracting, multiplying, dividing large numbers), the language barrier (we all speak English, but with very different accents), learning about 170 names (some of which I clearly pronounce wrong despite repeatedly asking, "is that how I say your name?"), and struggling to keep students' attention (stop talking!). I imagine many of these are struggles that any first-time teacher would experience. Although the list is long, it is not an impossible list - not at all.

There are moments I feel discouraged, moments where I wonder how I'm going to teach as much this year as I hope to. But I keep reminding myself that, 1) I've only been with my students 1 week - I have 31 more with them! and 2) if I teach them something, even if we don't accomplish everything I think we can, that is still something. I guess that comes back to the theme of this blog. I can't re-teach everything the students haven't learned in math and teach them every single thing they are supposed to learn in 7th/8th grade, but I can teach them something. And that's why I'm here - to do the something that I can. To show them that they are brilliant and can succeed in school if they use the resources presented to them and commit themselves to learning. Ricks is a place of opportunity, and I just want my students to see that and grab hold of all the possibilities around them.

Bible class is a different story. My 9th graders... love them. Bible is much more discussion based, and not at all what you'd expect. I'll leave some suspense to exactly what I get to do in Bible... I feel it deserves its own separate posting :)

After our week of school ended, we have been mostly relaxing, preparing lesson plans, and I've been working on my personal statement and other related application stuff for PhD programs for 2010 (more about that later as well!).

A few other highlights from the week: we learned how to do laundry with a bucket/line, we were brought some delicious corn-bread-esque bread from the cafeteria (they're starting to bring us some food each day so we can try lots of Liberian dishes!), and we went up to the school Saturday night for movie night (Night at the Museum)! Again, so many things I'd love to elaborate on, but all in time my friends :) I'm sure I'll start losing y'all if I keep rambling like this. I hope you are all well - drop me a note and update me on your lives sometime!

PS - A few more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman/LifeInLiberiaPart102