The problem with teaching English to these children in Pisco, and Paihuano and the smaller schools is that to learn a foreign language one must first be confident in one’s own. And they aren’t. It was a requirement from Mondo that their volunteers be fluent in English, capable of spelling and speaking reasonably well. Pronunciation is an enormous problem in the school, which is to be expected, what is less expected is the difficulty with writing in either language, copying from the board and reading. Without knowing how their language works, how their letters come together to make sounds, learning English to them is like learning hieroglyphs, they don’t recognize any similarities.
We have just finished giving all the grades the diagnostic test. One quarter of the 200 + students turned theirs in blank or practically. One girl burst into tears, she is in Septimo Basico, which is supposed to be after seven years of English, or at the very least three, and she couldn’t write sentences with I can and I can’t. The Octavo Basico were stumped by verbs such as read, drink, go, watch. We are currently teaching Octavo and Quinto the same things.
Now with that grim view there are a few exceptions. There are 1-3 boys in every class that are really excellent, bright and quick to grasp and remember things. However, those boys in Septimo and Octavo prefer to spend their time being clowns with the less intelligent, intensely irritating boys. As Carlos said yesterday, the 4th graders are more mature. There are more girls that are interested, especially in Octavo, but unfortunately the boys haven’t realized they would impress more of them if they weren’t crawling around under the desks and making animal sounds.
Pisco life continues, relaxed and uneventful. I have continued meeting more of Tota’s friends, playing with the children and swimming in the river where the other two volunteers live. I have had three meetings this week, one in Paihuano which lasted ten minutes and required a 50 minute round trip bus ride, and two in Monte Grande at the Casa de la Cultura. Monte Grande is far enough to make walking annoying and close enough to be a pointlessly expensive bus ride. Starting next week I will make the trip often as I am helping/attending a weaving course that they provide for the girls in Monte Grande. Apparently Monte Grande of all the villages is most at risk for continuing the uneducated cycle of the last hundreds of years. Many parents never finished Basico and many students look to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
I am thrilled about the weaving course, they have six giant looms, I am there to provide English help, a different viewpoint, I am not really sure. Less thrilling is that the classes are on Fridays from 3 to 7!! Apparently so we don’t worry about the time, but I think four hours will make me worry more.
One final note for gardeners, mum, Tota brought home a thin seed shell pod thing, and told me to break it. Inside were three perfectly round black seeds with perfect white hearts that look as if they have been painted on the outside. A freak of nature called Amor en la Bolsa. I think. Anyway I was more interested in a plant then I have been for a while.
x
We have just finished giving all the grades the diagnostic test. One quarter of the 200 + students turned theirs in blank or practically. One girl burst into tears, she is in Septimo Basico, which is supposed to be after seven years of English, or at the very least three, and she couldn’t write sentences with I can and I can’t. The Octavo Basico were stumped by verbs such as read, drink, go, watch. We are currently teaching Octavo and Quinto the same things.
Now with that grim view there are a few exceptions. There are 1-3 boys in every class that are really excellent, bright and quick to grasp and remember things. However, those boys in Septimo and Octavo prefer to spend their time being clowns with the less intelligent, intensely irritating boys. As Carlos said yesterday, the 4th graders are more mature. There are more girls that are interested, especially in Octavo, but unfortunately the boys haven’t realized they would impress more of them if they weren’t crawling around under the desks and making animal sounds.
Pisco life continues, relaxed and uneventful. I have continued meeting more of Tota’s friends, playing with the children and swimming in the river where the other two volunteers live. I have had three meetings this week, one in Paihuano which lasted ten minutes and required a 50 minute round trip bus ride, and two in Monte Grande at the Casa de la Cultura. Monte Grande is far enough to make walking annoying and close enough to be a pointlessly expensive bus ride. Starting next week I will make the trip often as I am helping/attending a weaving course that they provide for the girls in Monte Grande. Apparently Monte Grande of all the villages is most at risk for continuing the uneducated cycle of the last hundreds of years. Many parents never finished Basico and many students look to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
I am thrilled about the weaving course, they have six giant looms, I am there to provide English help, a different viewpoint, I am not really sure. Less thrilling is that the classes are on Fridays from 3 to 7!! Apparently so we don’t worry about the time, but I think four hours will make me worry more.
One final note for gardeners, mum, Tota brought home a thin seed shell pod thing, and told me to break it. Inside were three perfectly round black seeds with perfect white hearts that look as if they have been painted on the outside. A freak of nature called Amor en la Bolsa. I think. Anyway I was more interested in a plant then I have been for a while.
x
No comments:
Post a Comment