7th May
The girls had really settled down this term. We were making progress, slow as it was though. They were getting better at getting themselves organized in the morning, though hardly anybody was at their desk ready for work by 8.30 (school started at 8.00). I was being tougher on them- no toilet and drink breaks during class time as so much time seemed to be wasted wandering back and forth to the bathroom.
It was approaching a full moon, which meant it was lighter during the evening and so it was easier for the kids to wander around at night. This sometimes meant that they were playing basketball at 2 am or there were drinking and card playing parties that lasted all night. There were only a couple of streetlights in Warmun. If the parents were involved in these activities, it meant that some of the kids were completely neglected while they were partying. No food, supervision, no where quiet to sleep, no one putting them to bed but also often witnessing drunken and violent behaviour.
Today I had only 4 students. Now you all may envy this, but this was one of the hardest days of my teaching career. Whether it was because they were tired and hungry or maybe they were just being difficult but they fought me every step of the learning process today. They constantly complained the work was boring, they just wanted to colour in all day. These were my 4 brightest students! I attempted to do some group work with them where we would face the desks together, then work on analyzing the characters in the novel we were studying. I talked about the importance of being able to work as a team, but 1 student refused to move her desk and complained loudly the whole time. I was getting increasingly agitated as were they. I was called a slut, so sent that one off to the office but the remaining were no better.
At this time, while I was trying to quell my own situation, there were twins from the 5/6 class running on the roof of the block across from us. These 2 are totally out of control and although they come to school each day, they are completely a law unto themselves and most often can be seen climbing the trees in the playground. Mike next door was also yelling at his class. One particular boy is so difficult. He is very strange and just cannot settle quietly to do anything. He is such an attention seeker his favourite past time is sticking his head at the windows of other classrooms and disturbing them.
I had to teach the boys Science now and had a powerpoint presentation with a worksheet based on the vertebrate groups. To my surprise, once the attention seeker was removed from the room the boys worked really well (really well for up here that is: they constantly demand assistance to fill in the sheet as they do not listen to instructions and they yell loudly if they know the answers).
After lunch I had Art. The syllabus had very specific outcomes I was to cover. This lesson I had decided to do a colour wheel and talk about primary and secondary colours. We were also going to complete some drawing activities that tapped the right side of the brain, the side where the artist within resides. They argued that all they wanted to do was paint whatever they wanted. I got the syllabus and read them its requirements. I got out the paint for them to complete the colour wheel. One girl complained that I did not give her as much red paint as the others. I explained it had come out too fast and the other girls had too much. She refused to participate and proceeded to play with her Ipod. After repeatedly asking her to put it away I confiscated it. At this point she told me that if I didn’t return her Ipod she was going to throw the computers around the room. By this stage I decided that if that was what she chose to do so be it. I was not going to allow this kind of blackmail. Instead she quietly started to smear the paint over the desk. The others were still complaining and so I just gave her the ipod back and told her to go home and come back when she knows how to behave more appropriately. She slammed the door and took off.
After she hastily completed the colour wheel work, I allowed one of the students free painting time but what she produced was just rubbish. We cleaned up and I gave them pencils and completed some drawing activities. At the end of the day, Mike was very low and said he doesn’t know how he will make it to the end of the year. He misses the boys from Aloys and their love of learning. I just keep reminding him to think of the lifestyle. In Sydney he leaves at 6.30 am and gets home around 6pm and gets to spend very little time with Juliette as a result. Here, we go to school together at 7.30 and are usually home by 2.30. He then wanders off into the bush collecting firewood or goes for a bike ride. After dinner we light the fire and sit under a million stars. I always try and remind myself that for some of these kids, I am the only person in their lives trying to make them toe the line, of course with all the other chaos in their lives, learning is the last thing they are capable of some days.
