Up and Down

October 24, 2013

Yesterday was pretty rough. Ok. Really rough. I taught 8 periods (5 hours and 20 minutes) and it was looong. My math classes don’t understand me and after such a long day it’s hard to have much patience for it. I got through it. That’s about as much as I can say. I did gett a little comfort from my second master who told me that even the Tanzanian teachers have trouble teaching Form 1 classes. Days like that I have been telling myself, “just make it to the end of November. Next school year will be better…” but it is hard to remove myself from the current situation. Thursdays and Fridays I only teach the Form 1 Math classes (no physics to break it up), so at the end of yesterday I was feeling pretty miserable about the next couple of days. What could I do but try my best to make things bearable? I tried to think of a way to make things more interesting and maybe somewhat interactive in class. I was feeling uninspired, but I came up with a lesson plan I was comfortable with and then relaxed for a while before bed.

Today, school was great! I got up and got ready for the day. Hopped on my bike and got to school in time for a little mental prep and had a chance to refresh myself on the lesson. I was motivated to make the best of the time I have with these students. I got to the classroom this morning and started the lecture and the kids were attentive and participating eagerly. They jumped on opportunities to come to the board and they responded well to my stupid jokes. The morning class gave me hope for the later classes, but energy is usually running pretty low towards the end of the day. The afternoon classes were not quite as energetic as the first, but they too were much more interactive. I left each class feeling confident that the students understood the lesson, that they enjoyed the class, and that they maybe, just maybe, are convinced that I’m an ok teacher.

I learned something this week. And it wasn’t about geometry. I think yesterday and today showed me the importance of my efforts. It is easy to be miserable in the class. It is harder, but much more rewarding, to find the energy to make class interesting. A little extra effort went a long way today. I’ve been struggling to decide whether or not I actually enjoy teaching. After yesterday, it was looking like a long two years ahead. But today, I really did enjoy it.

Peace Corps promised me that I would be experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows during my service here. I am just beginning to understand what they meant.