This week I have begun teaching about the nervous system. I
always enjoyed learning about it so teaching it is also quite fun. My students
have never heard of it so the information I am teaching them is completely new.
I plan to test them on this unit in the middle of November (two weeks from
now). This may seem like a quick turn around, but with the end-of-term exams
fast approaching I don’t have much of a choice. The 11th graders
will be taking their exams on December 3rd which is now less than a
month away. So, my plan is to teach them about the nervous system, test them
and then review the entire term’s material the last week of November. This
should prepare them for their end-of-term exams.
Mr. Nakondle, the head science teacher, has approached me
and asked me to prepare the end-of-term biology exam. I am happy to have been
given this assignment. It feels strange to be preparing the final exam when it
felt so far off when starting to teach at the beginning of September. I think I
will create a 30 question exam that is made up of two sections. The first
section consisting of multiple choice questions to test whether or not they can
identify the correct answer and the second section being a fill-in-the-blank
format. I am thinking 20 multiple choice questions and 10 short
answer/fill-in-the-blank questions. In the second section I will be looking for
explanations and descriptions to see if they truly know what happens within the
body.
On occasion, while teaching I go over my allotted time.
Another teacher is supposed to come in after me to teach the students a new
subject, but this doesn’t always happen. My class is then left without a
teacher for the next 40-80 minutes which is a large amount of time they could
be learning something. So, I have begun to push my time a bit each day just to
see whether or not I will be followed by another teacher. If not, I just
continue to teach and reviewing the lesson for that day. This gives the
students more time to comprehend the material and I think they would prefer to
have something to do rather than just sitting around.
Two male students of mine came to me after class one day and
were asking if I could help them get some food. They told me that they weren’t
able to go home for a few days and they had already spent all of their money.
So, I walked with them to the market and asked them what they would like. I
find this is better to do than just giving money. You never know what it will
be spent on so to ensure they actually get food I go with them. It seemed as if they truly just wanted food
because we walked to a shop that was selling little baggies of small fish which
I believed to be sardines. I, too, have eaten these with the monks, but I am
not a big fan. Anyways, sardines are a popular food around here so I bought
them two bags. They seemed very thankful and then were on their way.
When working in the clinic the other day I had a man come in
who was extremely drunk. It is always difficult communicating with a very
intoxicated person and it is even harder when that person speaks a different
language. I was also all alone because Violet had to take her baby, Grace, back
to her house. I told the man as best I could to come back when he was sober.
After fifteen minutes I finally succeeded in getting him out of the clinic.
It’s never easy to send someone away, but it was best considering his current
state.
When out in the village the other day a kid who I would say
was 20 years old asked me to help him in biology. He told me that he had
finished 12th grade, but hadn’t passed the certification exam. The
certification exam to them is a diploma to us. So instead of saying “I have my
high school diploma,” they say “I am certified.” I told him that I would tutor
with him on Tuesdays at 11. So far, it seems to be helping him learn the
material.
Now that I have been here for several months many of the
locals have taken note of me. They know I work in the clinic, teach biology,
and enjoy exercising. However, that last part has been difficult to explain. On
a daily basis I am asked at least ten times why or where I am walking. I
continually explain that I am exercising and that exercise is very good for the
body. I also explained this to my class during the health unit which has seemed
to help because when I pass one of them they usually ask “Joseph, you
exercising?” or “I see you improving your body” ha. So, at least they are
beginning to grasp the reasons behind my long walks and runs. Exercising is
uncommon here. They would never walk to a certain point just to turn around and
walk back. Also, the looks I get while running are interesting. Many people
laugh, try to run alongside me or question where I am going in such a hurry or
if I am running from something. I just respond with “exercise” which I think is
beginning to make sense to most of the villagers.
Even though I know they do not understand or have any sense
of why I do what I do it still is tough to be constantly laughed and stared at.
I call this the ‘misapprehension effect’ because all of these things are caused
by misunderstanding or misinterpreting the reasons for what I am doing.
This has led me to learn another life lesson; the one of
humility. To them I am like the Grand Canyon – a sight that never gets old. I
would have thought after being here for some time the novelty would have worn
off. However, when a white man with long red hair walks by in shorts and a
t-shirt with a hat that has a neck flap attached many people just can’t get
over it. It raises many questions, stares and laughs.
Still, I must take into consideration these people and what
they know and where they come from. They have never seen anything like me and
all the things I am wearing are foreign to them. Adults aren’t supposed to wear
shorts, they don’t have long hair and the small amount of hair they do have is
black, they don’t wear hats and don’t understand the purpose of having a neck
flap, they don’t know what a raincoat is and most have never seen white skin.
Also, I have grown a beard which most people cannot do here and I have an
accent. So, I am a magnificent monster – both fascinating and terrifying. Ha!
Now, being laughed and stared at sucks in any situation.
However, I could let this ruin my time and prevent me from doing what I want
and love or I could embrace and learn from it. I am learning that it is better
to be humble and modest rather than arrogant and proud. This lesson is a tough
one, though. It interferes with what many of us have grown accustom to – our
thick-skin. This doesn’t mean being thick skinned and standing up for yourself
is bad because it’s not. However, the lesson of humility teaches us when it is
best to stand up for ourselves and when to step off our soap boxes and be the
reasonable one.
What I mean is that I could react in a selfish and superior
manner and talk down to the ones who are staring and laughing and, quite
frankly, I feel like doing so sometimes. Yet, being insensitive and cold only
would hurt me and the ones around me. Rather, I take into consideration what
they know and then act in a way that will help them better understand why I do
what I do. So, I aim to explain myself and what exercise is. Additionally, I
hand out crackers to anyone on the road throughout the village. Hopefully this
shows that I am giving person and not just thinking about myself.
For we all have a sense of who we are and because of this we
contain power and influence. Though, we must be careful because this power can
breed arrogance. The stares and laughs of their misunderstandings can make me
resent them and build anger, but that would do no good. Additionally, many fear
humility because they feel it will cause them to be meek and submissive. It’s
not so much a lesson of becoming fearful and gentle but rather one of not
becoming arrogant.
(Hopefully that wasn’t too hard to follow…)
Anyways…
To wrap things up, my students recently taught me a Bemba
proverb.
“The bearded man tells no lie.”
I laughed. I guess it’s good that I have been growing out my
beard. I suppose this is a good proverb for a teacher. I hope they know that what
I am teaching them is not a lie.
Thanks for reading!
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