School is back in full swing and I'm not sure who is more exhausted: the kids or me. Things are picking up now because class VII is going to be taking their national exams next Wednesday and Thursday (possibly Friday, too, if necessary). It's amazing to me all of the safety measures that are being taken for this in order to prevent cheating and whatnot. I mean, I'd go so far as to say that they are being even more cautious with this than the testing that takes place in the states. No teacher is allowed on the school compound during the testing. Police officers are the ones who will be giving the testing. They even had to change the room where they will be doing the testing because Class VII's room is "too far away" and "something could happen".
I've been trying to keep the students motivated to get final preparations in, but especially Class VII seems to have run out of steam. One day this week, I entered their classroom to give them work and they began to complain, so I asked them "What did you expect? That I would just let you sit around and play when you have a test next week?" Their response was "YES!" I was floored at the response and I've been trying to see things through their eyes. They are the first Class VII at Wesley Primary School, so there is even greater pressure for them to do well because this test will "put Wesley on the map" so to speak. If they do well enough, even more students will be attracted to our school which will bring in money for the school from the school fees. They've heard it from every teacher and probably even their parents non-stop all year "you must do better. You must do better. It's not good enough. It's not good enough." It's common for the students to beat with a stick on the hand for not receiving the correct grades. It makes me sick because that's only creating fear in the students and not actually solving the underlying problem. I heard of one teacher who was giving the students beatings even the students even if they got 28/30 on a test. I just can't understand it, that was an amazing accomplishment for any student.
All of this has caused me to begin thinking about how words and actions have the power to build up or destroy others. We, the teachers and even I, have filled these young minds with these words and placed all of this pressure on them, and to what end? We've stressed them out and freaked them out, and honestly, when it comes down to it, what good is that going to do. It is known that a person under so much pressure and stress will not perform as well at a task as someone who is relaxed and focused. I hope that in spite of everything that stands against them, these students will succeed and be admitted into good secondary schools. I hope that as I continue forward, I will try to focus more on what is right and not always point out what is wrong. I want the students to know that I am proud of them and that I really believe that they've accomplished a lot over the past year.
In the rest of life, things are going well. Since I'm not taking the language classes any more, I've had a lot more free time in the evenings to relax and read a bit which has been nice. This weekend was good and I got a lot of things done that I had been putting off for a while. Things are also shaping up nicely for the arrival of the new missionary who will be landing in DAR next week on Tuesday. I'm really excited about that! I'll be moving into our new house this coming weekend so that things will be all set for her arrival.
Well, I hope that you all have a great week!
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
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