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| Posing with the Kabney and the Two Dorjis |
The term is nearly
over, the exams are looming, the papers are all written, printed and
hand-bound ready for the students. Today was my last day of teaching.
This is a significant milestone in my life here, so I'll mark it with a big blog entry and some random pictures.
Terms in the UK run for
about 13 weeks, there's 3 of them, and they're split in the middle by
half-term holidays. As a result we're never in the classroom for
longer than 8 weeks at a time. The two week holiday that starts at
the beginning of July here is the one and only break of the year –
2 terms, no half-terms!
Before I came I thought this would challenge
me, that I'd be driven into the ground by the seemingly endless weeks
of work, but it's not been the case. On the one hand, there's been
plenty of occasions for unexpected days off-timetable (visits of
ministers, Pujas etc), and in some ways these bonus days off have a
greater impact on general well-being than a shceduled break (like the joyful bonus snow-days in
blighty). But in truth, you just don't get as tired here. Why? The
students. I understand now what all the BCF teachers
of bygone years talked about when they waxed lyrical about the kids.
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| School Trip to Gedu Sports Meet |
To put this lack of exhaustion in context, consider the difference
in my workload between home and here... in terms of periods... 31
periods per week here (55 mins)... 21 periods at home (1hr). And every teacher knows that extra periods multiply work load instead of adding – planning, marking, data management – everything
goes up, so 1 extra period probably translates a few hours. Then
there's the Head of Science duties, the timetabling responsibilities
and all the rest of it. As a speedy typer with decent IT skills, I'm
called upon to deploy these skills to a variety of ends – school
brochures, Powerpoint presentations etc. I don't mind doing any of
this – it's a genuine pleasure to find myself so useful in such a
good place.
It's perhaps much easier or one to quantify these efforts and
skills than to quantify what I have gained in this exchange.
I've learnt something about different ways to be in this
world. Coming from a culture that has to some extent lost its way in
terms of the civil society, it is heartening to exist in a place that
is broadly civic-minded in its outlook, with people who genuinely
espouse ideals that are redolent of the more positive aspects of
socialism and generally live by the creed, especially in the way they treat each other.
*** DIGRESSION ALERT...
I'm sure nobody cares where I camp out on the liberal-socialist axis, but it has
given me much cause for thought since being here, this place being
very much a socialist state, and my home being more liberal and less socialist. I've realised (somewhat disappointingly late in life) that you
can't have the cake and eat it on this issue – it's either one or
the other or a fundamentally tenuous and hopefully idealistic balance of both. ***
Back to the kids. The
fact is that if it wasn't for the difference in the classroom, I
simply wouldn't be able to do all these things and do them well. In
Blighty, I'd be exhausted. Here, I am not. I've tried to put my
finger on it a few times but without satisfaction. There's a few
simple generalisations I can make:
- nobody is badly behaved in class. Some may chatter and be distracted, but at the worst they do it quietly and unobtrusively without disturbing others. Or they fall asleep.
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| Outdoor Assembly - My Favourite |
- The high achievers have an incredibly mature approach and its a pleasure to spend extra time with them. I tend to spend the early evening sitting out on my porch, reading and waiting for students to come to me with doubts, which they do. I like it – keeps my mind whirring, especially when they bring A-level chemistry problems to me and I have to either go digging into the past or work it out all over again.
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| Students Attentive to a Guest Speaker |
- The strugglers don't get frustrated and become disruptive. This means you have to work a little harder to root them out and get them up to speed, which is always difficult with such large class-sizes and with the language difficulties. There's definitely a correlation between language issues and academic development.
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| IX C - Just After a Rendition of Choe Ton Say... |
Interesting point –
the class sizes no longer seem at all daunting. 38 or 39 in Class IX
(Year 10). Perhaps this has more to do with the attitude of student I've outlined above. Research from Blighty that I've been digging into indicates that
the class is the biggest indicator of good results – but its not the size, its not the school, its and not the demographics of the students in the classes... all of these barriers to learning can be surmounted by the teacher, the most important and generally under-rated factor in both education and in the wider context of society.
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| My Friend and VP Gembo at the Sports Meet in Gedu |
The Minister of
Education here told us that teaching [might be] the only job in the
world where the principle aim of everything you do is to make the
world a better place, and you achieve this aim with every passing
moment of authentic work with the children (who are the present
manifestation of the future). Of course he's correct. And students are canny. They
observe everything. They learn without you teaching – they learn
what you do not intend to teach. They learn you! That's a
responsibility. So...
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| Why am I the only one clapping? |
...big up teachers
everywhere for making the world a better place...
...and shame on you all
the naysayers who give us a hard time and the slackers and losers amongst us who
give our profession a bad name! And while we're at it boo and hiss to
all those who turn a blind eye to the outcome of their professional
lives, their gaze fixed on the filthy lucre. I think I've digressed
again. It's hard to stay on track.
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| Yaks - for no reason |
So why are the kids so
well-behaved? They value their education. Not just for what it can do
for them, (as the old wartime slogan goes) but for what it can do for
their country. This is the socialism coming in again – there's an
ever-present emphasis on the value of being a good citizen and
contributing to the future of the country, alongside the fundamental
assumption that as social creatures we are happiest in close-knit and
supportive communities. The students also respect the teachers that
are trying to help them, for which we can probably thank the
religious culture of Buddhism that places such importance on the
value of a good teacher. And of course they are diligent and work hard (HAH! Well, some of them
do, but teenagers are teenagers and it would be foolish to get too
carried away with this praise – a few select students provide me
with frequent falling asleep comedy moments).
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| A Cow - for no reason |
So, as the lovely cow to my left was just reminding me, exams will happen
next week. I've given them every iota of advice I can give about exam
technique - if any of them answer 6 questions instead of 4 in section
B or leave the hall before the bell rings I'll be seriously
disappointed. I've tried to share some revision techniques too, but I
realise this will take a little more time and practice. Reorganising
information is not their forte.
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| Black-necked Cranes |
After the exams
there'll be a great big pile of marking that I will stare down like a
black-necked crane sizing up the Himalaya (or each other as they appear to be doing to my right). On completion of this
onerous task, I'm free to roam for a few weeks and take stock of my
experiences. Half-way through the year. Achieved more than I ever
thought I would already. Made more friends than I thought I would,
deeper and easier in company than I ever expected. I've had time for
writing – the endless task of writing the weirdo novel is getting
less endless. Perhaps I'll post some of it here sometime. I've recorded some music which may appear here soon too if I can figure out how to post audio. I've done more reading than I've done for years, which has been great (Hitch 22 the latest recommendation - an autobiography from a remarkable man with a remarkable life, sadly departed - RIP Hitch). My mother always said... a busy person gets more stuff done. I guess she was right.
Bumthang soon, the 'Switzerland of Bhutan', for a sway in a hammock and the company of the other BCF teachers... and to finish.... me in a fancy chair... life is good ;-)
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| 2am in the Hotseat After the Longest Quiz Ever |
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