Luke Pretends He Knows Everything

Just A Day At The Office

     There wasn’t an application process when we joined this project. It was more along the lines of us coming to fill a dire need, and being happy to do so. But if there had been an application process, I’m pretty sure my cover letter would have gone something like this: “Hi, I’m Luke, and I would really like to take on more work than I could ever possibly accomplish in the span of a year. Also, I’d like to do it in a language I can’t speak, with people who can’t understand me!” I would turn out to be the candidate of their dreams!

It Never Gets Old

     Our school is currently divided into two parts- the high school and the primary/middle school. Our project is the Primary/Middle school start-up. The board of directors has a vision of expanding to include a lot more, but we’re trying to get them to slow down. Our team is already stretched thin. We need more English-speakers to come teach and we need more qualified (licensed/experienced) teachers to help guide and support our fantastic volunteer staff).

The School Library Is Always Locked
(hours are listed)

     I think the real stretching occurred when we were asked/told to take over English classes for the high school. There are about 40 high school classes. There are six of us, already working in the six primary and middle school classes, each of which has about 10 English classes a week (including ESL, English art, English PE, and English math). That request/command was a bit much, and we worked it out so that our team covers one class a week for each of the tenth and twelfth grade classes, and one class a month for eleventh grade (high school is considered to be tenth grade and up).

Our Meager School Library
(we've worked hard to get
what we have)

      I mention all of this, because the high school is a bit of a nightmare. It looks and sounds like an inner city school without the motivational music/dance/art teacher that changes students lives. Rather, when teachers get angry- and they often do because there’s no discipline process or program- they hit students. Literally. With hands, sticks, rulers, whatever they’ve got. Yay!

My Mom Sits In On A High School
English Class

     The high school is a private school that promises students will pass state tests needed to graduate and apply to college. It was founded for that purpose, and it does a pretty decent job of following through. Their methods, however, are dreadful. Students are tracked into a class based on performance and behavior. Each class is a cohort. They stay in one room and take all subjects together. They are labeled according to grade and cohort. For example, “11 S2” is 11^th grade, 2^nd cohort. The higher your cohort number, the worse your class is. This is measurable. Our teachers dread the classes numbered higher than S5. I think they go as high as S12. The worse your class is, the more students there are in it. The poorest performing and poorest behaved classes have over 40 students packed into a small room, day after day, with teachers who show up after the bell, lecture for the entire period, and then run as soon as class is over.

The High School English Room
(before it got spruced up)

     Going over there to teach English means diving into their world. Fortunately we secured a room for our English classes, so students come over to meet our teachers in a designated space. Unfortunately, all the work we've done in the primary/middle school doesn't translate to the high school. It’s dreadful. All I can say is that I’m glad I’m too busy to take on any of those classes!

A Cute, Abandoned Puppy
(was being cared for by an acquaintance
who works at the resort outside of town)