There has been no power in Tala for a couple of days. I’m writing this from the good Cybercafe in Nairoibi in the Norwich Union Building.
Last night I started preparing a lessn for this morning, reading from the on-line Cisco material for the first time since wendesday because either I had been busy or the power was off. Then the power went off! I didnt fred, I just had an early night and read The Confusion.
But this morning …
When I woke it was still dark. Although the day length doesn’t change much here, the days seem to creep back and forward. At the morning we have dark mornings and light evenings (hey it stays light until almost 7pm). So it was dark when I awoke.
And the power was still off. So I went back to bed. And dreamed of strange sword fights, don’t ask!
When I finally rose I was afraid that the class would fall behind because I was not ready to teach them chapter 6. And the power was still off. Of course the students didn’t turn up for class because the power was off! I even sent for one of them in the hostel and told her to tell the others I was waiting to teach the without the power. She told me that both stage III and stage IV students had tests after the break and were “reading for them”. (the whole idea that these, so called “Continuous Assessment Tests” cause so much disruption to the teaching schedule really annoys me so much i have been setting open book CATs so that they can’t read for them because the questions require them to think). But I just can’t understand why the stage IV students, who are to leave the college in March, weren’t banging on my door at 8am demanding to be taugt so that they can progress and get their certificates before the end of term. **sigh**:rolleyes:
The class after that was better. Nobody cried. Nobody swore. I made a stupid mistake on the blackboard, and one student was puzzled by it. She struggled with it, and she saw that something didn’t add up. She asked me to explain and I did (totally unaware of my silly mistake). She didn’t give up, and asked me why it said such-and-such on the board. I slapped my head and told them their teacher is Wazimu.
Following a lesson is one thing. Following well enough to spot mistakes is another. It is perhaps sad that this is the biggest teaching success I have to report this term (I think this is a bigger success than my students passing those comedy exams we have been getting from the University) but it’s beenm making me happy and I wanted to share with you. (and, of course, i know some of my students read this from time to time so maybe word will get back to the class and they’ll believe me when I say how happy I am at the way this morning’s class went.) 😀
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