Here, it's easy to forget that time is passing. Eternal summertime--it's pretty blissful. My roommate and I sat outside this evening, watching the darkness creep over us, hiding the enormous vine-covered tree in our frontyard. Danger, the wily orange kitten, chased the roosters, and his tail. School again tomorrow. Last week could have been a full week, but I had to cancel class on Monday because my classroom was infested with bugs (blister beetles, thousands of them, awful, disgusting, gathered in squirming masses in the corners of the room). Then on Wednesday, I was sick ("tummy trouble" would be the polite way to put it). My students took a quiz. They didn't study. The averages in my three classes: 67%, 54, 45. The pages bled when I slashed at them angrily with my red pen. It took me days to grade them, because I kept stopping to cradle my head in my hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. (Is this futile?) Now my students have a mandatory 47-question extra credit assignment. They say, "Practice makes perfect." I tell them that practice probably won't make them perfect (as I flub a problem on the board, for the thousandth time), but it might make them really, really good.
Along with one of my Peace Corps friends, Amber, I'm starting a college prep program for senior students who are interested in attending college in the United States next year. Students applied to the program with a 5 paragraph essay, based on the following questions: Why do you deserve to attend college in the US? What makes you different from other Pohnpeians your age? What do you see yourself doing in 5 years, using the skills and knowledge that you gained in the US? We got 18 essays and chose the 10 best; some of them were so earnest, I almost cried (almost). The program, which will run for 11 weeks, starts this Thursday. We'll cover resume writing, personal statements, letters of recommendation, scholarships, financial aid, culture shock, standardized tests, and what to expect at college in the US ("Teacher, what's a kegger?").
I'm very, very excited about this. The meetings will be held at my house, in our lovely car port, near the big tree and the rusted out SUV. Even though I often feel that everything I say to my students goes in one ear and out the other (truly, I'm surprised if it even makes it into their heads for a second), I hope that this program might provide some students with opportunities that they wouldn't have had otherwise. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully the students will show up on Thursday. Every student who was accepted received a very official invitation courtesy of Microsoft Publisher templates; there were quite a few grins as I distributed them. One of my boys, who has been asking for my number for weeks, despite my constant refusals, was absolutely elated by his acceptance--my cell number was written on the inside of the invite, in case someone gets lost; there are no addresses in Pohnpei. Then one student asked how much money was in the envelope. Pohnpei, if nothing else, has me laughing all the time.
I've been spending a lot of time out on the water lately. Jet skiing and boating. Seeing the island from the ocean reminds me how absolutely beautiful it is here. From the sea, Pohnpei looks utterly green and mountainous. Large and imposing. From certain points along the coast, it looks uninhabited, Kolonia hidden from view by forested hills. This is a tropical rain forest in the middle of the South Pacific, after all. How could it not be beautiful? But there's something special about this place. Things move slowly here, but I'm often surprised. Unexpected things are happening. Good things, for the most part. I've made some good friends here, which is not always easy for me. Strange things too. Like a $26 bag of dried blueberries at Senny's, which expired in July 2008. You know, funny things like that.
No comments:
Post a Comment