Wow, has it really been almost 3 months since my last post? Sorry, fellas. As we say here when expressing sympathy but can’t really think of anything specific to say, “Osh ya.”
I’m not even sure where to begin with describing my life over the past three months. Every day warrents a “wtf” blog post, but I often can’t find the time, electricity, or money- a trifecta for any attempt at internet connection.
Time is the least of those concerns. In America, time is money, but here, time is an abstract concept with no definitive system of measurement. On a quantum or relativisitic level, Sierra Leoneans probably are closer to having the right of it, but saying that you’ll show up at my house at 5:30pm does not suggest to me that you will actually show up at 8:45 the following morning with nary an explanation or apology.
Electricity can be a problem sometimes. My school has solar power, but for the last 3 months it’s been out. Apparently lightning struck the school at the end of the rainy season in October. This blew out the inverter on the solar battery… The replacement, of course, had to be sent from the States, so it just arrived around xmas. It’s nice to be able to charge things again. I’m trying to get electricity in the Science Lab soon. It should cost very much. I think it’ll just be the cost of splitting the wire that runs along the ceiling and branching it down the wall into an outlet. My principal is under the impression that we need to get the people who installed the solar power system to do it, but I think any electrician should be able to do that.
Money actually isn’t that much of a problem. I have plenty when I’m in Kamakwie. It’s only when I go to big towns and eat a lot of western food that I start running low on funds. Thanks to mama, papa, brother, and grandmother for wiring money to my account for xmas. I’m pigging out in freetown currently.
If I were to write a conclusion, then this paragraph, along with the preceding four, would qualify as a well-organized TAKS essay. So I don’t want to hear anyone talk bad about standardized testing. Everything I know, I learned from quality TAKS-driven lesson planning in one of Texas’s many fine public schools. And I can talk pretty good.
Anyway, I’m done with excuses for not posting more.
In the last few months, I’ve started the school’s first Science Club. So far, I’ve had two successful meetings with JSS1 (think 6th graders, but a much lower level. Also, some are between 16 and 19) and 3 successful meetings with JSS2. I haven’t had any with JSS3 yet, but I’ll start with them this term. In JSS 1, we did a lab where students matched like-items that were labeled with ions of various elements. This was to show that atoms could combine to form compounds and molecules. For example, among many things, I’d have two fruits on a table, one marked with sodium (Na+) and one marked with Chlorine (Cl-). They’d combine them and we’d talk about how when atoms combine they make new things. A few of the brighter kids took to it, but I’m afraid that some of the less academically-inclined students now believe that Orange + Banana = Salt. This lab is a work-in-progress.
I also did a lab with them on types of energy, which simply involved putting items that used respective energies on each table and helped them figure out which one’s used which energies and transformations. I also did a similar lab with solids, liquids, and gases (which they have a remarkably difficult time with). I’ll do a repeat of the latter this coming week.
In JSS two, we did an experiment to test if oxygen was needed for combustion. This just involved putting a jar over a lit candle, but I was pleased with this experiment for couple of reasons. I had them write their hypotheses, observations, and conclusions at their appropriate stages of experimentation, so the students really got a good idea of part of the scientific method. They also had some interesting ideas about what would happen. Most of them thought that the jar would get very hot and crack or possibly violently explode… so it was really fun to watch them kind of duck behind a desk as the candle slowly died out. When I do this again next year, I’m going to alter it a little. If the candle can be made to float on water, it will rise about a fifth of the height inside the bottle (because oxygen is approximately 20% of air on Earth).
We also did an activity where the students used textbooks (that I found in the school library) to research the planets. I could only find 9 that were acceptable textbooks. There were about 30 books that were Creationist pseudo-science. I apologize to my creationist friends and family, but a creationist “science” textbook is, in my opinion, worse than having no textbook at all… Using colored pencils that were sent from some good people back stateside, they drew pictures of the planets that they had memorized, but never seen. They also looked up and wrote 3 facts about their planet. I punched holes in the top and strung them up along the wall (don’t have a bulletin board). It was great to see how proud the students were of their work, and they would bring their friends to the Science Lab during lunch to show off their drawings. One kid spent about an hour drawing this beautiful close-up picture of Saturn’s rings. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had actually labeled his paper “Uranus,” so it’s hanging up on the wall and looking fantastically incorrect. I figure that it’s probably ok if he can’t tell the difference between Saturn and Uranus. If he ever gets lost in that neighborhood, he may look back and curse me for allowing his ignorance, but he’ll be really far away by then.
In class, we did a balloon rocket lab for JSS2. It was really just a filler lesson for the 10 kids who came to school the first week, but they learned that air has mass, dammit.
For JSS3, I’m going to do a competition for building simple machines. Once they’re ready for complex machines, I really want to have them build a trebuchet. Our school is on top of a hill, and our rival school (where the other Volunteer in my town teaches) is on the hill across the valley. We could probably build a trebuchet powerful enough to send some things their way. I discussed this with the other volunteer, and he is in favor of building trebuchets at both schools. We agreed that a Pumpkin Toss could also double as a nutrition project. I assume pumpkins are good for you.
So that’s what’s been going on with the Science Lab. I painted a huge periodic table and also painted another area with white, high-gloss paint. I’m hoping that this will serve as a dry-erase board. Now I just need some dry-erase markers… *hint hint* :)
I also put a long board along the back wall and nailed some of those paper clamps to it so I could hang posters. I actually got students to put it up, because I wasn’t strong enough to do it. Those kids are beasts. They were hammering these steel nails into the wall so hard that sparks were literally flying with every blow. “Wow, thanks guys… That was terrifying. You all get As.” I also found these floor mats (also used as blinds) that are made out of this spongy wood from palm trees. They’re pretty much perfect for an Africa corkboard. That’s on the to-do list when I get back.
Before we adjourned for the holidays, two volunteers from Britain arrived to teach at my school. The Baxtons (or Buxtons, I’m not sure), Patrick and Kat. Patrick is a retired math teacher from a private school- in Cornwall, I believe. Kat is new to teaching English, but she got her University degree in English literature. They’re both great people and are very passionate. They’re here for six months, so they’re not afraid to make waves and confront faculty on issues that I’ve been forced to tolerate. It’s refreshing to have some really driven people to partner with. Hopefully faculty will rise to meet the challenges ahead of them.
In December the Peace Corps demanded out presence in Bo for In-Service Training (IST). We had some language classes, some conferences on practices and issues, and then had meeting with local counterparts that we selected from our schools. I did learn some useful things, but I won’t lie- I really hate training. Haha. Something about being treated like a naughty child when I’m sacrificing two years of my life to help people feels a little… no, not a little, but *quite* insulting. But the good news is that the only training I have left is Mid-Service Training (MST), and that only lasts 2 days.
So, I’m still here. Some days I’m productive, and some days I just try to get by. It’s really hard, but it’s worth it. Since Pre-Service Training (that’s PST, 10 weeks of agony) we’ve had four people go home. One was due to medical, and the others were for various personal reasons. Unfortunately, they were all four people that I really liked, and I was sad to see them go. I totally understand, however. Sometimes this can feel like a fruitless endeavor, and grad school or a well-paying job are certainly not alternatives to be looked-down upon. I’ll miss them, and if any of you read my blog for some reason, I wish you guys the best, and I still intend to crash at your houses when I do my hobo travels across America. You’re not getting out of it that easy!
Well, that, in a nutshell, is my life. Crazy things happen every day. I should probably just carry a notebook around and write them as they happen. I’ll try to update more frequently… but I wouldn’t hold my breath, if I were you. :)
Love you guys, and I hope everything is fantastic in your lives.
Peace and carrots.
Sam
