Just another day at school
15th March
As I walk up the "short cut" from the hotel to the school - my morning work out, I admire the view, as I often do. Over time the hints of green on the fields become more definite but many farmers are waiting for the rains to plant rice.
The "short cut" involves exiting via the back door of the hotel that leads to the laundry area and the accommodation for the guides and drivers, ascending the steepest possible set of rough concrete steps past owner Kuzang's house, then taking a narrow path that goes diagonally up the hill. The path is now cemented - unlike last year when, I am told, it became one slick clay slide in monsoon season. The principal tells me that the cost of this was 2 lak. A lak being a uniquely Bhutanese term for 100,000 - something I needed to remember when I was here as a maths teacher in 2015.
The short cut comes out at the bottom corner of the lowest level of the school buildings - the class PP/1 classroom block. As I approach this areas I start to receive morning greetings from the students - which continue from this point until I reach the staffroom, I am greeted with a hundred or more "good morning madam" from sweet, smiling faces of the younger children, the older children sometimes being a little more serious. The greeting is universally accompanied by the respectful bow.
Joan has been informed that the photocopier has run out of toner and a replacement will not arrive during our time at the school. She is horrified. I am not surprised. Schools have minuscule budgets for consumables and photocopying of large quantities of handouts for students is not routinely done. I suggest she use the local stationery shop which provides both photocopying and laminating services - at least that is available to us here.
During assembly it was announced that Joan would present certificates for interhouse competitions and she ran to the front to do so; it was subsequently announced that I would also present certificates but I presented myself for this task at a more decorous pace.
Also during assembly, I'd had a conversation with Mila, Sir. I was scheduled to take his class 8C for 4 periods but the periods were very spread out and I was not convinced that was the best option. While we should be paying serious attention, during assembly, to the prayers, anthem, speeches and announcement, sometimes it is the easiest place to find a staff member. My aim of compacting my schedule for his classes was somewhat defeated by his asking me if I would take the class in period 2. Class 8. Subject-verb agreement. No preparation. But he is so enthusiastic and has such a lovely smile that I find it hard to refuse.
I fronted his class and told them that I had nothing prepared but we needed to revise person, number and some tenses before starting on subject-verb agreement so we started on that and 15 minutes into the lesson Mila arrives and asks if he can watch - of course he can. He sat in a spare student chair, which provoked looks of surprise from them, but no comments, or course.
The students were great as we proceeded with the revision and I used my limited supplies of coloured chalk for the different tenses. My blackboard work was all over the place - as it would be given I'd not planned the lesson, but Mila photographed it and was most enthusiastic about my whole approach, as he is about so many things. I did ask him not to share the photograph though.
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| Sunrise from my balcony |
The "short cut" involves exiting via the back door of the hotel that leads to the laundry area and the accommodation for the guides and drivers, ascending the steepest possible set of rough concrete steps past owner Kuzang's house, then taking a narrow path that goes diagonally up the hill. The path is now cemented - unlike last year when, I am told, it became one slick clay slide in monsoon season. The principal tells me that the cost of this was 2 lak. A lak being a uniquely Bhutanese term for 100,000 - something I needed to remember when I was here as a maths teacher in 2015.
The short cut comes out at the bottom corner of the lowest level of the school buildings - the class PP/1 classroom block. As I approach this areas I start to receive morning greetings from the students - which continue from this point until I reach the staffroom, I am greeted with a hundred or more "good morning madam" from sweet, smiling faces of the younger children, the older children sometimes being a little more serious. The greeting is universally accompanied by the respectful bow.
Joan has been informed that the photocopier has run out of toner and a replacement will not arrive during our time at the school. She is horrified. I am not surprised. Schools have minuscule budgets for consumables and photocopying of large quantities of handouts for students is not routinely done. I suggest she use the local stationery shop which provides both photocopying and laminating services - at least that is available to us here.
During assembly it was announced that Joan would present certificates for interhouse competitions and she ran to the front to do so; it was subsequently announced that I would also present certificates but I presented myself for this task at a more decorous pace.
Also during assembly, I'd had a conversation with Mila, Sir. I was scheduled to take his class 8C for 4 periods but the periods were very spread out and I was not convinced that was the best option. While we should be paying serious attention, during assembly, to the prayers, anthem, speeches and announcement, sometimes it is the easiest place to find a staff member. My aim of compacting my schedule for his classes was somewhat defeated by his asking me if I would take the class in period 2. Class 8. Subject-verb agreement. No preparation. But he is so enthusiastic and has such a lovely smile that I find it hard to refuse.
I fronted his class and told them that I had nothing prepared but we needed to revise person, number and some tenses before starting on subject-verb agreement so we started on that and 15 minutes into the lesson Mila arrives and asks if he can watch - of course he can. He sat in a spare student chair, which provoked looks of surprise from them, but no comments, or course.
The students were great as we proceeded with the revision and I used my limited supplies of coloured chalk for the different tenses. My blackboard work was all over the place - as it would be given I'd not planned the lesson, but Mila photographed it and was most enthusiastic about my whole approach, as he is about so many things. I did ask him not to share the photograph though.
Joan conducted the PD session that afternoon and it was a real experience for the teachers. She has been using music as a medium for teaching language and it is something that goes down well with the majority. She shared this approach with them, asking them to imagine themselves the appropriate age in the classroom - something I had though might not work, but it was singing she was asking them to do, and then singing with actions and dancing - all material that is right up their alley and everyone appeared to enjoy it.
After PD a couple of the older students came in to serve fried rice and suja. The fried rice was particularly delicious with just the right amount of chilli. I happily accepted "second share" although the quantity of chilli was approximately 100% too much for Joan.
On our way out to dinner that evening we met Kezang's wife, and she gave us a small quantity of "medicine" with instructions to take it and not throw it. (ie, throw it away). Although the name she gave to the substance was not familiar to me, it looked a bit like cordiceps, but she did not recognise that name. I tried again with "caterpillar fungus" which she confirmed. Joan asked what it is good for and I responded with "everything". This universal (and outrageously expensive) cure-all has a reputation to match its price.
Dinner at the Lobesa is pretty good, although tends to be similar from night to night, though some nights they have momo instead of bread. Their vegetables are cooked with a decent amount of garlic or ginger and their rice is always red rice - which is my favourite. This particular evening, the ice cream was offered with a little addition - a tot of rum, Bhutanese, of course. I can attest to its being far preferable to artificially flavoured chocolate syrup!
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