So much to say...

I haven't had much of a chance to write in a while. Computer battery life has been hard to come by, but alas, now I have some. Hooray.

Ok, maybe to be honest, I've been procrastinating writing a bit. I found myself thinking, I don't have that much to say, things have been pretty steady these past few weeks. But as soon as I started to write, I realized I have an overwhelming amount to talk about.

Things like... how to manage a class of 97 students in a room that should only have 30, when you have no resources but a chalkboard and chalk, and the kids are conditioned only to respond to being beaten, and I refuse to beat. Things like, why I regularly see students eating entire sheets of paper (and not just the weird kids, the normal ones), and how I can't leave chalk behind after I teach because it disappears instantly (probably gets eaten too). Like, how infuriating corporal punishment is, both from an ethical standpoint, and from the standpoint that it is destructive to the learning process. Like, how, as a new school, we accept any kids we can get to build up our student body, so we end up with a ton of other schools' rejects. This might help to explain why we found 5 kids fighting with switchblades in the grass two weeks ago, how only 35% of the class completed the first homework, and how 81/85 students got <50% on my first math test.

But that's only the bad stuff. And really, I joined Peace Corps for the challenge, and that's exactly what these things are. So from this distorted, semi-perverse perspective, these problems are kind of... good. They keep life interesting, to say the least.

I actually really enjoy my students. Many of them are going to fail, there's no question. A lot are repeating Form A already. Many are orphans, or have been abandoned. Some walk two hours each way to/from school. A good portion of my class is visibly beaten down by school and by life, and despite their actions a lot of the time, I think they all really want to do succeed. I'm starting to get the sense that in many cases, their self esteem sucks, and they are starved for guidance, encouragement, and positive reinforcement.

I had two PC staff come to watch a class on Wednesday, and the class responded by behaving flawlessly, not making a peep, answering questions with enthusiasm. I was stunned. Later in the day, as they sat in the room goofing around with no teacher present (this happens regularly), I walked in. Without saying anything, I wrote on the board "Thank you for being perfect students today in science class. You made me look good." Before I was done writing, they had broken into a screaming, joyous applause like I've never heard before. I hurried to finish writing, because I coudn't help but to laugh and applaud with them for a minute. In the grand scheme, it was a small accomplishment, but they were really proud of themselves. It was a poignant moment, definitely the highlight of teaching in these first 3 weeks.

Another short, funny story. I've become kinda tight with the guy who runs the shop next to my house, Bokang. I usually walk in on the way home from school to say hello, and to pick up anything I need that day. One day last week, I went in to say hi, and out of nowhere, he told me I should get behind the counter and start selling, because he could use some help. I had nothing better to do, so I did as he said. It was pretty fun, and it has evolved to where I now work there for 30 minutes or an hour every day or two. It's a good way to pass the time, to hang out with Bokang, to meet the people from the neighborhood, to practice Sesotho, to play with his dog who is always in the shop, and to clear my debt for keeping food in his fridge.

There's plenty else to talk about, but for now, I'll end it here. Tomorrow I'm going to a Basotho wedding! I hope they slaughter a cow, I would love a steak.