Back to biochemistry & using kinaesthetic learning

Ran an art class everyday last week for 2.5 to 6 year olds, with an appearance of Philippe, a 1.5 year old. We had two students for the whole week and then two who came for one day. It was exhausting I won't lie but got me thinking creatively and researching up ideas of things to do - had to have extra projects in mind in case we got through everything ahead of time. I was also teaching a new grade 7 boy from Hellenic who lives on a farm but comes into town, my form 3 (we mostly looked at the book Spies but did some maths and bio) and then had my Chinese favourite (who had also been coming to the art - so double whammy).

Tomorrow I do an intensive study revision with a lower six from Peterhouse, who needs to go over biochemistry but is apparently a highly kinaesthetic learner. This is a challenge I won't lie. It is also hard to know where he is at with understanding and how to plan my lesson for the first one. Going to build models of molecules out of mini marshmallows and dry spagetthi (your idea, thanks Sheree) and also make colour coded cutouts to build up DNA. Still looking for more ideas and suggestions online. Am regretting giving a discount as the amount of prep this involves is possibly not worth what I'm charging, sigh, but it is good to get back to some biology.

This coming week will also be the Harare International Festival of the Arts. Will mostly be going to the music. There's a Korean pianist who is supposed to be in the top 20 in the world, there's a Greek group that will play Greek music as well as samba sort of music. Um, a Canadian that does a mixture of Josh Groban, Sarah McLaughlin and The Barenaked Ladies genre, a Serbian violinist and a German cellist, a South African chamber group that are twinning with a British guitarist, an Azerbaijan, Serbian and Austrian who will play classical music and then an Irish band. We're also going to a tenor and pianist from Portugal I think. Will have to be careful though travelling at night as a friend had a smash and grab near us last night.

For next term I suddenly may have a job homeschooling a 4 year old and a grade 2. Means I will be pretty busy as will still be tutoring in the afternoons. Have had someone offer me a classroom to teach from but it won't be worth it as paying rent will make what I earn much less. It's more lucrative to drive to people's houses, although it makes it tiring and is wear and tear of the car.

Easter house sitting

Have been able to chill a bit this week and last as I am down to one student - my four year old. His dad suddenly has been keen to have my mum teach him for some of the lessons. Was a little put out as I have a CELTA qualification but it turns out there is a grade one entrance exam at Sharon School in June. I therefore having to push the vocab, getting him to speak more fluently and go over things like nursery rhymes. My four year old does miss playing so I stay on a bit after tea and play with he and Bado the puppy. The current favourite game is he being a policeman and I'm the robber but I get given directions of where to run to in the garden with Bado bounding after me. He's getting good practice at giving directions - trying to get him to say left or right. My student's dad is keen for him to come to art classes I will be running with a friend the week after next.

Through friends I suddenly have some potential grade 7 students who all need help for the entrance exams. My form 3 and grade 6 may also start again after next week. I should enjoy the slower pace while it lasts. I have had a bit of dip mood wise though with not being as busy and having less structure to my day. I need to start my next sewing project - a giraffe and elephant mobile for a friend's baby. Hope to go get some felt and fleece tomorrow from Mount Pleasant Fashions.

Today's my first day house sitting but nearly had heart failure when I got here as the house keeper had already gone and locked the keys inside the flat - aaaargh. Was going to have to call a locksmith but luckily a couple from another flat nearby came to help and under my mum's suggestion the husband went and got his fishing rod and we got the keys that way - phew! Took Charlie for a walk and now settled in for the weekend. It is a lovely complex with a river flowing through and lots of pretty gardens.

The Avondale Stream flowing through.

Charlie

A bit of drama and the end of term

Last weekend I had a nice break up in Nyanga with some other friends. We stayed at the Blue Swallow time shares at Troutbeck. Whilst two of the guys fished - the reason for the trip, the rest of us chilled, played badminton, walked around the dams and visited the local Nyamoro Dairy. It turns out I snore rather loudly as my room mate couldn't take it and went and spent one night at the hotel. On the way home we stopped at World's View, which was surprisingly windy.

My drama was that before we left for Nyanga I'd gone to dinner with friends and on the way home we saw a house on fire. We went to see if we could help in any way and saw it was an elderly man standing in his garden with the domestic workers. It looked like he'd lost everything so I contacted Bambazonke to see if people could chip in to help him out. Well this well intended gesture seriously backfired as i first got an angry call from his daughter demanding to know who exactly I was and what organisation before saying they didn't need any help. I therefore told everyone who responded to my petition there was no longer a need. This week I got a really rude text message from the son saying how dare I infringe on their privacy and he was reporting me to the police for fraud for my request on Bambazonke. I am a bit affronted as it was meant with the best intent and I didn't get a thank you, instead just verbal abuse.

I had my last day of term with my grade one and my 9 year old yesterday. For the grade one I had a meeting with his parents. I told them about a particularly hard lesson on Tuesday when my student was aggressive and kept screaming and getting very worked up. The parents just said he gets like that and then tried to say they think he's being lazy. This along with not being allowed sick leave have made me decide to give my notice. I feel reluctant to give up on my student and my stubborn side doesn't want to let go but it is not a healthy situation for me.

My exciting news is that I will be visiting England again in August. I have one of my best friend's wedding just outside Paris and will then try see people in England. Now just have to see how to have spending money with the whole bond note situation here but will make a plan.

Went to Lin Barrie's exhibition at The Studio last night which was an enjoyable evening. She had also  painted on ceramics at The Studio. I got my bowl back that I painted at the depression support group meeting. It still didn't come out exactly like it was supposed to but was better than last time. Tonight I'm going to the Dance Trust of Zim show at Twin Rivers School. I spent this afternoon helping my form 3 with questions on the book Spies. He hadn't read the chapter we were doing so I gave him a bit of talk that he can't do literature if he doesn't read the material. Tomorrow there's a Chamber Orchestra concert at Arundel.

Lin Barrie's art and ceramics for wild dogs conservation.

My second attempt of pottery painting at The Studio.

Fighter planes and Macbeth

The last few days have been pretty busy as my form 3 needed extra sessions due to being off school with chicken pox (I think I've managed to not catch it - I haven't actually had it, eeek). Yesterday my Chinese four year old had me running up and down his front garden, racing against his puppy Badoo. As he can't whistle he used a metal one and was getting very excited when his puppy won, in between giving directions for where we should go and looking like an air traffic marshaller in the process.

Today I was tasked by him to draw fighter planes. I did a basic outline of a fighter jet and was told by my student he didn't like it. Oh dear. I tried to rectify the situation by doing an old fashioned aircraft with a propeller and double parallel wings. Fighter planes seem to have eclipsed dinosaurs at present. I think my plane drawing is going to have to improve. My student then drew some tanks which were actually pretty good. To one he had added a solar panel so it "moved with the sun" - I was very impressed with that.

For my grade one I have been told I need to be willing to give full commitment i.e. not have any sick days, if I am to continue next term. I can't guarantee I'm not going to be sick and as much as I'm making headway now it just isn't a totally viable situation. I have got a few more afternoon students. Will mean I could go to a morning art class next term.

Had a massage this morning by a friend who is studying it and wants bodies to practice on. Nearly fell asleep on the table which is a good sign. Tomorrow I have to help my form 3 with an essay on Macbeth writing from Banquo's perspective on Macbeth's behaviour after having seen the witches. I will be fairly familiar with Macbeth by the end of this. After that I will be joining up with others from the depression support group to paint pottery at The Studio.

My favourite student returns :)

My favourite four year old has returned from China full of the joys of spring and happy to be back in the land of "saza". He has decided since being on an aeroplane he would like to be a fighter pilot when he grows up. His little 2 month old brother is going to also be one apparently. We have reverted back to dinosaurs and have our usual high tea at the end. When asked if his best friend liked dinosaurs my learner replied he didn't know, so I said had he ever asked and the thought seemed to fill him with wonder. Perhaps tomorrow I will find out.

Sesame seed biscuits from China.

Today was a pretty full teaching day as I started with my grade one at 8 through till 10. Met with two friends at Queen of Hearts and then dashed home for a new grade 6 maths student from Bishopslea. Then went to my grade four and onto my four year old. Technically this is the best optimisation of time with a good quota of students to the day but it is tiring.

I managed to fit in a quick walk along the edge of the vlei in front of where I live and take some photos of the cosmos. Was very pretty seeing a sea of pink and white against a blue blue sky. It feels like it's change of seasons, with a certain crisp to the air and the large wide open blue skies - a change from what has been a very wet, cloudy rainy season this year.

Cosmos and zinnias on Monavale Vlei

Defeated by the cold but recovering

The cold last weekend turned into a chest infection and a bit of a fever. I went to see my doctor on Monday after teaching and she said I had the onset of pneumonia and bronchitis in the base of my lungs. I really did not feel at all good on Tuesday and Wednesday but my supervisor again was not impressed with me staying away and expected me to have gone in to teach. Still feeling a bit unsteady I did go in yesterday and had my charge come skipping through the gate and then take one look at me and start bawling - great morale booster. Today was better and I'm starting to feel a bit better, just wish the cough would go and am not enjoying swallowing massive penicillin tablets.

Afraid all this meant I didn't go to Aberfoyle this weekend. Hope I'll get another shot at going some other time. It is blustery and wet here right now. Hope they get better weather there tomorrow and Sunday. I will however be going with a group to Nyanga in two weekend's time - yay! It is mainly for a serious fishing expedition but there will be some of us non-fishermen joining the party.

My routine police dodging in Mount Pleasant was thrown out this morning when they were lurking in the taxi rank bay by Arundel Village shops. I made a detour to avoid them but on my return they had shifted back to their usual favourite pickings spot - by the stop street road sign.

The 39 Steps & a cold

I was supposed to go to a workshop this morning looking into helping children with learning difficulties through art, music and dance. I think I have contracted Ira and Scott's colds - not sure whose though, and stayed in bed. Hoping it will go fast as I have agreed to go to Aberfoyle with friends next weekend.

I managed to get out of bed to go watch The 39 Steps farce at Reps this afternoon, which was very creative and highly enjoyable. Harare people be sure to go watch, it is worth seeing. A good piece of theatre art and Kevin Hanssen was in his element.

Yesterday I went to paint pottery with a friend and another friend's mum at The Studio in Borrowdale. I got there first and my instructor was quite bossy in how I applied my glaze. Afraid I am too used to painting water colours. When my friend and my friend's mum got there he gave them more of a free rein and they got to do their own designs. Oh well. Want to have our next depression support group meeting there at the end of March.

Burnt Earth Designs tiles at The Studio

Burnt Earth tiles and a bowl similar to what mine should turn out like.