My "Kashmar"

For the first part of practice school I taught students who will enter the sixth grade in the fall. Although their skill level wasn’t what it supposed to be, it was still easy to work with them because their text is easy to comprehend, the grammar easy to grasp, and the vocab useful and fun to both teach and learn. But that was just the first half. For the second half I knew I would have to teach students going into the tenth grade in the fall, and I knew only one of two scenarios would unfold: If their skill level was ok, it would be a joy because there is ample room to be creative with the text and have interesting lessons with the students, but if their skill level was poor, it would be a nightmare because the text would be very difficult to get across and the advanced vocabulary worthless because basic vocabulary was lacking.

Well, welcome to my nightmare (not the students, who do try hard - the situation is a nightmare, which in Russian is ‘kashmar’). The first day of class was Wednesday the 27th and I had seven students arrive - only four could even read the alphabet. I knew within the first five minutes of class that the next seven days of teaching them would be exhausting, physically and mentally, and it has been. Plus, I get added surprises like the one I had on Monday, when all the students went to the disco the night before and I had TWO students in class. That’s right, two. And on Wednesday I had four, and four again on Thursday.

But at least one girl is a wizard - she is visiting her grandparents in the village and is just attending our classes as a guest. The other students seem to - sometimes - put forth their best effort, and it’s up to me as the teacher to give them information. My goal was the same as it was with the littler kids - have them know more at the end of the class than they did at the beginning. And every day, I’ve succeeded. In fact, once in a while they really impress me - one kid last Friday asked a question that was highly advanced, but when I lesson planned it was the exact question I was hoping for.

And this week of teaching has been absolutely exhausting for everyone. As I told my host mother, everyday when I wake up I’m more tired than I was the night before. Really. And it’s not just me but all the American trainees feel the same way. Thank goodness it’s over though.

Now we just have basically one final week of intense language training before the exam on the fourteenth, which shouldn’t be too tough to pass. Then, on August 17th, we all officially become Peace Corps volunteers. The days are being counted down.

Notes:
- I’ve finally had confirmed for me what I’ve always believed - that 90% of being a good teacher lies in simply preparation, because kids can tell if and when a teacher is unprepared and will smell blood in the water. I’ll always remember my chemistry teacher for the first part of my junior year in high school, Mr. Green. He was as good a person as I had a teacher, kind to students and enthusiastic about his job. Unfortunately for him, it was clear from the start that he never really prepared solid lessons, and we simply destroyed him – he lasted only until Thanksgiving. While I don’t remember a single thing he told us about Chemistry, he did teach me a valuable lesson about how now (and how not) to teach.

- My host family finally has a car. For all summer up to now they borrowed the car of my host uncle, but now we’ve made a purchase. It’s a blue German Ford truck that can be best described as a station wagon with a truck camper on back instead of the non-raised roof. It’s ancient and was bought for 700 dollars on Monday. We need it because my host parents are done harvesting cucumbers (the tomatoes will take another month or so) and now go almost every day to the nearest town and sell them in the market. The car will now allow us to move more and sell more - the plan is to only have it for a year and then sell it for an upgrade.
And I finally found out how big our field is - three acres, half tomatoes and half cucumbers. And I have not idea how bug three acres is. But is seems big enough for just one family.

- Our culinary cross-cultural exchange happened last Sunday and it was a roaring success. Our host parents taught us how to make something called "vareniki," basically small dumplings filled with an egg/cheese combination. They’re much better than they sound. Meanwhile, the American’s made garlic bread and spaghetti, both of which only turned out ok because of the lack of quality products available. But the families seemed to like them.

- I’ve always heard it said but now I know it to be true - Americans are amazingly easy to spot, even without hearing them speak. Last Saturday us three Russian trainees went to Chisinau for food supplies, and while there we saw a dozen or so Americans without once hearing them speak. The tells are easy: white socks, carrying a backpack over both shoulders, just the way they (we) carry ourselves. It was quite the revelation to have.

- On Wednesday we had a "community activity" that was planned by us volunteers. We had a little concert in near the museum in our village, and the kids sang songs that we had taught them the previous week - my 6th graders sang "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" complete with gestures, and others sang songs like "My Darling Clementine" and "Yellow Submarine." Afterwards we gave out candy and played a little volleyball. The kids we’re an absolute joy to work with - they will be (and already are) missed.

- Finally, I commented a bit ago about the religion here, how people often don’t go to church and what not. But interestingly, Saints Days are strictly followed. Wednesday the 2nd and Friday the 4th, for example, are Saints Days: thus, people don’t work in the field and are do not wash clothes - the holiness of the day is strictly observed. It’s a tradition that I love.