Golly gosh there is a lot of prep work that goes into teaching Grade 1, especially when you teach reading, writing, phonics, comprehension, intro to maths, art, environmental science, social studies and religious education - phew. It's a lot more work that I had counted on. Got to the nursery school and headed to my shed classroom to set up. Ira came shortly after and our day began. Well we started with putting objects into groups of the same thing and then moved on to Janet and John (his first words to read). This was all going well until he suddenly started asking if he could go to his previous nursery school teacher's class instead. As we progressed with writing and then social studies this got worse to the point where he started crying. He then wanted to go to the loo. I had been warned this was a common ploy. I waited a bit till he seemed to be desperate. When he came back we made a little more progress but he then made a bolt to the gate going to the nursery school yard. I had to coax him back but we didn't get much further after that.
His nursery school teacher who is my supervisor said that she was pleased we made 2 hours with mini breaks. I have to just be firm and direct him back to what we're doing - not easy. I hope he will come willingly tomorrow. He did smile and wave at me when he joined the nursery school children at the end of the morning.
I have a magic suitcase that I am going to use with both Ira and Runbo tomorrow. It is painted green and gold and has glitter and stars on it. Will get things from it for different activities. I told Runbo I had a surprise for him tomorrow but he thought surprises meant presents so i said no, this was a magic suitcase. We'll see how that goes.
It looks like I'm going to be working pretty darn hard this term. I will have Ira my grade 1 in the mornings and then junior and high school students, Runbo my 4 year old and an Israeli businessman for English in the afternoons and evening. Will mean my days are pretty jam packed full. Will want downtime at the weekend but will need to do some housework. Bit dull and boring.
Well in the mornings I will be teaching a little boy called Ira following the government correspondence course. Unfortunately his parents only got the syllabus from the ministry this morning so for the last few hours post teaching Runbo, I've been frantically reading everything and then getting objects together for counting and cutting out pictures of Janet and John and sticking them on cardboard, along with cutting out word flashcards. It's a lot of work and I am plunging in the deep end. Glad I just have one student and don't have to do this for over 20. I learned to read with Janet and John and Dick and Sally so it is a memory jerker of a bygone time. It is a bit ironic that they still use these characters as in the blurb to the teachers the ministry belabours the point that the correspondence school was once only for whites but now is for everyone. Perhaps Chido and Rudo might be a more modern take.
Along with reading and writing, I also have to do environmental science, social studies, religious education and home economics. I had thought I was just doing reading and writing but the other units aren't too long and sort of tie in with learning reading and writing. I'm afraid I am not volunteering to teach Shona. Sadly after learning it for 9 years at school I can't understand the basic instructions for the teacher. I think it would be better if Ira's parents could take that on.
I am now being paid in bond notes for some of my teaching which I am not that happy about. You can at least buy most things with them but it is a problem for my medication which the pharmacy will only accept US dollars in cash for - not even the option of paying by card. It also makes it difficult if you want to go out of the country. Some imported products are beginning to disappear from supermarket shelves. Feels like over Christmas we all forgot about it and were merry but now with January we feel the bite again.
Today I made parachutes with Runbo and he quickly decided it wasn't nearly exciting enough using the pipe cleaner man we'd made. No, we had to get Peppa Pig, D. rex and then his M&M blue guy. When they landed rather heavily on the ground he pronounced them light - I've worked out this means dead, so corrected him and he said, yes that's what he said - OK. We ended the lesson with me being asked to draw T. rexes and being told no that's not what they look like. When I suggested Runbo then draw them he said oh no, he can draw planes but not dinosaurs.
At the end of every lesson Runbo's Granny always makes me a mug of green tea and a mug of rooibos. I have acquired a taste for green tea through this. This week she has been adding dried rose buds which do give it a nice taste. Runbo's Granny speaks hardly any English and since I am limited in my Chinese the exchanges involve a lot of nodding. I do know how to say xiè xiè (表示感激) or thank you from my brief Chinese lessons with my friend Sharon but that's about it. At times Runbo has had to be translator, particularly on the one day where I was going to a dinner straight after and couldn't manage to eat the food I get given. I am served a mixture of Chinese and Zimbabwean/European snacks. I typically am given a plate with pistachios (which are Runbo's favourite), pretzels, some raisins, a couple of sesame chips, sometimes a Danish butter cookie, possibly jelly crocodiles and then a variety of Chinese treats such as a sponge square with jelly pineapple in the middle, a marshmallow with a cream filling, wasabi peas or occasionally a strip of what I think is pork in a honey glazing (not so keen on this one). I don't need a meal after usually and feel it only polite to try eat everything. As soon as I finish my green tea it is usually refilled (green tea is supposed to be very good for you, so all good).
Chinese marshmallows
It's my to-be-godson Philippe's first birthday on Sunday. I am down to make 60 cupcakes and will go early and set up. I am apparently billed as the professional photographer for the day - eeeek. The theme is vintage so need to dig around in my cupboard and see what kind of outfit I can come up with. My Mum says she thinks of vintage as the 1920's but from Pinterest it would seem the 1950's and 60's more.
Looks like I'll be teaching a little boy who should be going into Grade 1 this year. His parent's couldn't find him a place in other schools. I am to follow the correspondence syllabus. Will be experience in trying to teach someone to read and write which is useful as I've had two Chinese students in the past whose parents wanted me to do this. In the afternoons I will tutor and take Runbo. Had been wanting to try visit Cape Town. Teaching the Grade 1 will mean I will have to postpone till the school holidays in April, but that's OK.
When getting Runbo to say please and thank you I started getting him to say "pretty please with peanuts on". Well Runbo has now taken to saying when he really wants me to do something "Pretty please Katy with peanut butter on". I maybe should stick to standard English but it is ever so endearing.
Today I made salt dough from corn flour and bicarbonate of soda so we could use the borrowed dinosaur biscuit cutters one last time and make dinosaurs that could last forever. Runbo was a bit disappointed when he learnt he couldn't eat these dinosaurs like the last ones. I kept reiterating these ones would last forever. I brought a dragon biscuit cutter too and he was introduced to the world of dragons. Thinking maybe we can move to knights in armour and fire breathing beasts, a bit of a change from dinosaurs. We'll paint the dinosaurs and dragon tomorrow.
Have had a bit of dip in mood since Christmas but it seems to be lifting a bit. Seems to have been a drawn out PMT.
Meet Runbo who just turned 4, whose family originate from
China but currently live in Zimbabwe. Runbo has an obsession with dinosaurs
which started before he turned four but became his biggest passion after having
a birthday cake surrounded by them.
Of all the dinosaurs Runbo likes Tyranosaurus rex best, although
he tends to call him Dinosaurus rex. D. rex will eat anything but he
particularly likes the taste of Peppa Pig and Father Christmas. Runbo has
learnt that the dinosaurs died out due to volcanoes and an asteroid. This is
often reenacted when Runbo’s English teacher Katy comes. First the volcanoes
erupt in the corner of the play mat, then the big inflated yoga ball comes
rolling in as the asteroid to wipe out the dinosaurs. If Peppa Pig has survived
D. rex, she may be on hand to give special medicine to bring the dinosaurs back
to life. Thank goodness for Peppa. On other days the dinosaurs may escape the
volcano in a pizza box rocket.
I carried on teaching Runbo up until Christmas and then the week after. For one of the lessons he came running out to tell me he had set up a picnic for us in his garden all by himself. It was complete with picnic rugs, umbrellas and jelly crocodiles. The lesson after Christmas, Runbo was eager to tell me Father Christmas had come after all. When I said had he fitted down the chimney Runbo just shook his head and waved his hands and said he just didn't know.
Picnic with Runbo, the Tyranosaurus rex
I am house sitting again and looking after a friend's cats. The one cat Missy keeps bringing me still alive baby shrews and they keep scuttling off behind furniture. I don't know if they are still alive and still there. Hoping they're not dead and going to pong. A mother shrew came in looking for her offspring the other night and I was perched on the couch asking my Mum on the phone for advice on what to do. Eventually the mother ran out the backdoor - phew.
Ginger and Missy looking like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.
For New Year I was supposed to be having friends over for board games. Unfortunately two of my friends had a car accident on the way due to a drunk driver coming hurtling across an intersection where the lights weren't working. He stopped initially but then drove off before the police came (well the police had to be fetched as they had no transport - typical). The car that hit my friends' did come back but with a different person driving (probably a more sober driver). Not the best start to 2017 for my friends. I feel bad as it was because of my games night they were venturing out.
With the approach to Christmas I am down to just one student, Runbo my 4 year old who I am taking every day. This suits me as it means I still get paid over Christmas and it gives me something to get up for everyday. Runbo continues to be obsessed with dinosaurs and his dinosaurus rex. I have been lent some dinosaur biscuit cutters to make biscuits with Runbo (see below) and I discovered a whole two shelves of books on dinosaurs at the library. I think I'm going to learn a lot about dinosaurs in the coming weeks.
I read Runbo a story about Father Christmas yesterday and I discovered he is a very astute four year old. I've never really thought of it this way but Runbo seemed very perturbed that a stranger was going to come into his house, even if he is bearing presents. He also looked at me very skeptically and said how was Father Christmas going to fit down his chimney. I replied well maybe with a bit of magic. Runbo retorted well why didn't Father Christmas just use the front door? Yes I suppose it would be much easier. To squash all further tales of Sant Claus Runbo announced that his daddy had said it was just a story. Well then, that was the end of that. Today we read Guiji Guiji about a crocodile who thinks he's a duck instead.
Have been trying to be supportive to three friends who are battling with severe depression at the moment. Realizing it is hard to know what to do and what to say at times and whether you're imposing too much. I do know what they're going through though and try think of what helped me but it is tricky. My depression support group meets for a year end get together on Saturday. It has grown since I first started it and people are beginning to share more.
Tomorrow I'm picking up a friend who is coming through from Bulawayo and we're going to brave Linquenda House, the immigration office, in town. The government has just changed how you get your permanent residency renewed. Up until now you could just waltz into immigration and present your passport and they would happily stamp it for the next year free of charge. Not so any longer, you now have to present your life story in the form of certificates and medical letters etc. to prove you have lived here all your life. You also have to cough up $100 and no, you can't pay in bond notes, you have to pay in US dollars cash or supposedly by bank card but conveniently the machines have been down the last week apparently. True this means you don't have to go into town every year - but it was free and much less hassle! OK rant over. We will see what tomorrow brings. I'm armed with a copy of The Girl on the Train to read in the queue.
If I survive till tomorrow evening, I'm going to a bring and share Christmas dinner with a friend's bible study group. I have just finished preparing roasted butternut and red peppers. Will hopefully enter into the Christmas spirit after a day at Linquenda House.
