After 2 full weeks away I have time to reflect. It is the weekend and I am having a quiet two days.
I am here to teach and I am doing that, well I hope. They certainly lap it up, even the dad jokes although most of them need an explanation.
With the brothers I have been working on the theme of Identity. I had them write a piece on who they are and where they come from, their family, their talents and their aspirations. I corrected these carefully and then had them deliver these verbally to the video camera. I have now compiled this into a movie and will show it to them before we set some more goals.
They also wrote about their significant experiences and their relationships. The former were sometimes pretty traumatic. I asked them to create a mind-map of their relationships and what each means to them. These I corrected closely again and had them write a perfect copy that they could study and practice.
Now they are working on a topic related to Indian culture. We ended up with a possibility of choosing from 20 topics ranging from music, architecture, sport, clothing etc. I used the Knight poster to stimulate the topics in an Australian context. They don't have much access to information resources so I do some searching, page capture and printing for them
Other random things:
I bought a monitor and a printer to help me teach the sisters because they need to see a lot of pictures as their language is not as good as that of the brothers.
I taught the brothers to recite Tiger by William Blake and added that to the video which runs for about 30 minutes.
I have taught the brothers to play the guitar. I bought two sets of strings and restrung the two guitars that were there not being used.
I have taught them kincha slapa, Gotsen arma (Sleep child in God's arms in Dutch.) They don't say, "Papa does that," but I think it when we say it at the end of the meal when heading for bed.
I am staying at the Novitiate of the Daughters of the Church. I have the a large guest room at the front of the building off the marble foyer with an en suite. Western toilet but bucket shower (cold). Luckily the weather is very mild.
I get up for Mass every morning at 6.45 and breakfast is at 7.45. A bell rings just like in the old days of my novitiate.
I prepare lessons until I teach the sisters at 9.00 for an hour and then ride my motor bike up to the brothers for an 11.00 - 12.30 lesson. I stay there for lunch and then have a rest in Fr Baskers room until my 2.30 - 3.30 lesson with them. I then go back to the sisters and teach them for an hour until 5.00pm
The brothers do gardening and then play a game of cricket.
My meal with the sisters is at 7.45 and they feed me too much. Rice, curry, potato, rote, fish (with many tiny bones) and lots more. They are very conscious of satisfying my needs and go way beyond anything I could wish for.
I sleep in my room on a narrow, firm matrice and the mozzies are a pest. I cover myself with spray and hide in my sleeping sleeve but I think I need to get more serious with some pesticide.
I get plenty of time to write, read and internet.
Liam is arriving on Wednesday so that will change my routine somewhat although I hope to keep teaching in the morning and be with him in the afternoon and on the weekend. He will stay for a few days in Fr Baskars room.
Two weeks has gone quickly and I have taught the brothers for 7 days and the sisters for three. It is too soon to hope for a noticeable improvement but the video at the end will tell the story.
I am here to teach and I am doing that, well I hope. They certainly lap it up, even the dad jokes although most of them need an explanation.
With the brothers I have been working on the theme of Identity. I had them write a piece on who they are and where they come from, their family, their talents and their aspirations. I corrected these carefully and then had them deliver these verbally to the video camera. I have now compiled this into a movie and will show it to them before we set some more goals.
They also wrote about their significant experiences and their relationships. The former were sometimes pretty traumatic. I asked them to create a mind-map of their relationships and what each means to them. These I corrected closely again and had them write a perfect copy that they could study and practice.
Now they are working on a topic related to Indian culture. We ended up with a possibility of choosing from 20 topics ranging from music, architecture, sport, clothing etc. I used the Knight poster to stimulate the topics in an Australian context. They don't have much access to information resources so I do some searching, page capture and printing for them
Other random things:
I bought a monitor and a printer to help me teach the sisters because they need to see a lot of pictures as their language is not as good as that of the brothers.
I taught the brothers to recite Tiger by William Blake and added that to the video which runs for about 30 minutes.
I have taught the brothers to play the guitar. I bought two sets of strings and restrung the two guitars that were there not being used.
I have taught them kincha slapa, Gotsen arma (Sleep child in God's arms in Dutch.) They don't say, "Papa does that," but I think it when we say it at the end of the meal when heading for bed.
I am staying at the Novitiate of the Daughters of the Church. I have the a large guest room at the front of the building off the marble foyer with an en suite. Western toilet but bucket shower (cold). Luckily the weather is very mild.
I get up for Mass every morning at 6.45 and breakfast is at 7.45. A bell rings just like in the old days of my novitiate.
I prepare lessons until I teach the sisters at 9.00 for an hour and then ride my motor bike up to the brothers for an 11.00 - 12.30 lesson. I stay there for lunch and then have a rest in Fr Baskers room until my 2.30 - 3.30 lesson with them. I then go back to the sisters and teach them for an hour until 5.00pm
The brothers do gardening and then play a game of cricket.
My meal with the sisters is at 7.45 and they feed me too much. Rice, curry, potato, rote, fish (with many tiny bones) and lots more. They are very conscious of satisfying my needs and go way beyond anything I could wish for.
I sleep in my room on a narrow, firm matrice and the mozzies are a pest. I cover myself with spray and hide in my sleeping sleeve but I think I need to get more serious with some pesticide.
I get plenty of time to write, read and internet.
Liam is arriving on Wednesday so that will change my routine somewhat although I hope to keep teaching in the morning and be with him in the afternoon and on the weekend. He will stay for a few days in Fr Baskars room.
Two weeks has gone quickly and I have taught the brothers for 7 days and the sisters for three. It is too soon to hope for a noticeable improvement but the video at the end will tell the story.
Gerard Not having heard anything(Blogwise) for sometime i was starting to get a bit worried.Glad things are going well. School has finished just doing staff things.
ReplyDeleteI have put the latest entry on notice board in staff lounge.