The Cliche Good-bye Post

Shannon and I overlooking Kutaisi

Of course, the last two weeks I'm here things have to get super busy. I've had a great deal of intriguing adventures to write about and no time to do so. I went to Kutaisi to see some fossils and a cool cave. There are new volunteers in Poti. I wrote and then re-wrote some final exams about five times per grade level. But, you'll just have to ask me about them when I get home if you want more details. (I still don't have my ticket home, so who knows if I'll actually get home. Just kidding, Mom, I'll get there somehow!) For now I'm going to discuss the ending of my Georgian adventure.Be forewarned, you are about to read many a cliche. (I think, after reading other volunteer blogs, this post is required. I hope that the pictures of me with EXTREMELY frizzy hair will entertain you if you don't like reading about me changing and Georgia changing and yadda yadda)

My 4th Graders: i.e. the Cutest Kids Ever!

I knew that saying good-bye to my classes and teachers would be difficult in some ways and a relief in others. We only have a couple more days of school left. I've already had my last lesson with most of my classes. I told students how much I enjoyed teaching them. I explained that I hoped they would continue to study. Most students have already zoned out and didn't seem to be paying attention. Then I told them that I wouldn't be back in the Fall. A surprisingly heartfelt groan was issued by every single class I had. It made me realize that despite my many frustrations in trying to bridge the cultural and educational gaps, I had actually made some sort of impact. That was my goal but somewhere in the last 2 1/2 months I lost hope for that to be accomplished. You certainly won't see my co-teachers actually writing out lesson plans. There are still many students who refuse to participate most days and can't answer the question "how are you?". Cheating still occurs in most of the classes, too. Yet, students do have better pronunciation. My 4th graders have an almost perfect mid-west accent. They no longer call each other stupid (at least not in school, I'm not that naive). The most exciting change I've seen is their growing courage and confidence. On the street or in a shop students will initiate conversations with me. They don't mind making mistakes, even in front of their parents, because they know that I'll reward their initiative and gently correct without yelling or tattling to their parents. These are good changes that their Georgian and future TLG teachers can improve upon.

Some of my 11th Graders

I'm sure that Georgia has impacted me as well. Besides developing a perfect "teacher look", you know that look teachers give you when you are in trouble that makes you feel more guilty than if you had robbed a bank, I have a better handle on classroom management. If I can keep Georgian kids quiet, I can keep anyone quiet! I'm more patient than I every used to be. I still have some work to do on that front, but I've made some noticeable progress. I'll never be entirely comfortable at a supra, but I've learned the important cultural lesson of how to relax and to just go with the flow. I can now make Katchapuri, which will be quite useful when I get home. I've been told by many Georgians that I would make a fortune if I opened a shop selling Katchapuri in America; they're probably right. I'm not sure this next one is an accomplishment or a sign of a deteriorating character, but I can hold my ChaCha pretty well for an American. Maybe it's a sign I'm more fun? Eh, probably not, I'm still pretty nerdy!

10B: A Class I've Only Had for a Couple Months

Traveling has always been a dream of mine. My passport finally has a stamp in it. A large part of me would like to just continue on traveling and teaching. There are plenty of programs that would satisfy my travel bug and give me some money to make it happen. But most of those programs require a college degree. So, I'll keep my promise and come home to finish my degree. I think I'm ready to focus again. I still don't know if I'm transferring to Madison in the Fall. I won't be going back to Creighton. If need be I'll start working or just taking some basic classes to fill out some general requirements at MATC or something. It doesn't bother me as much as it once did that I didn't know what I'm doing in the next couple months. I'm sure it will all work out. I need to stop trying to do everything at once. The first step is just getting my Bachelor's in physics, in whatever University allows me to do this with the right combination of support and opportunities.
I'll be home in about a week. . . so, Good-bye Georgia. I'm starting the next chapter of my adventure.

Sunshine and Sneezes

Whew! It has been a very busy month. The end of the school year is approaching. This means students are, surprise surprise, even crazier than they have been the last five months. Teachers are working on preparing students for final exams. Classes are going on excursions now that the weather is nice. And, of course, I finally have reached some great levels of communication with my co-teachers inspiring more activities and lessons being led by me. So much to do!

I remember being a student in middle and high school and looking forward to those last few weeks of school. The weather was always really nice. Friends and I would hang out around town after school or after a softball game. I didn't seem to have as much homework. We would just be reviewing for finals. But now I am on the other side of the educational fence. I now hope for rainy days because I know the students will be less likely to shout in class or just want to goof off. Discipline isn't a problem so much as noise level and keeping students focused. The short attention spans of my students have just gotten shorter, which I thought was impossible! lol

I'm helping my co-teachers to also prepare final exams. I'm really excited to be involved with this. Georgian teachers are being asked to find new ways of evaluating students and to be more open to western educational practices. Tests are often just focused on one issues and don't allow for multiple learning styles. I'm hoping that my additions to the finals will allow for a broader assessments (listening, comprehension, writing, grammar, creativity). We'll see how the students do in a couple of weeks.

I've been asked to go on many excursions or field trips. I'm trying to go on as many as possible not just because it's a free trip but because it gives my students a chance to interact with me outside of the classroom and use English in a more practical environment. The problem is that on GMT, Georgian Maybe Time, you never know when you are really leaving or other important details. It's frustrating that tomorrow's trip has been canceled. I said no to another class because my 7th graders asked me first. Now they aren't going until next weekend. Ah well, live and learn, I guess.

The weather is fabulous. It's sunny most of the time. We get a nice breeze off the sea to keep the high 70 to 80 degree weather from becoming overwhelming. I love my walks around Poti even more now. However, it seems that their is some flowering tree somewhere that makes my allergies crazy. I'm taking some Russian Allergy tablets but they don't seem to be working. This new pollen has extended my usual spring misery into a much longer ordeal. I am looking forward to the end of spring here. I'm told summer is only a week or two away. I should be out of the pollen by then. At the same time that's about when I'll be going back to America, too.

Stay safe all my American friends who are dealing with the crazy storms there!

Mast'! Mast'! Mast'!

Mast'savlebeli means teacher in Georgian. And that is what I am here in Georgia. An English Teacher. (Cue song from Bye Bye Birdie. . .) I am working with 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grades. I have about 21 lessons each week and work with three different teachers.

Despite the age differences, there are many similarities throughout all of my classes. The first being Georgian students are noisy! They whisper to each other. They practice the material "silently" to themselves. They check answers with each other. They even say "Mast'! Mast'! Mast'!" while trying to get the teacher to call on them. All thirty some of them do this at the same time. My ears are still protesting the sound. I'm sure in a couple more weeks I'll be used to it. Right now, though, I want to cover my ears in most classes. The noise, though, is just a sign of one of the best attributes of Georgian students. They are so excited to learn English. I can't speak about other lessons, but they seem to really want to be in school. They take their education more seriously than many of the Americans I know. These students also have a high tolerance level. The school is often without electricity and therefore heat. They only have chalkboards in the classrooms. No extra books or supplies in the rooms. There is a tiny library and a computer room that seem to rarely be used. There is also only one severely outdated science laboratory for the whole school. Yet, students think their school is beautiful. They appreciate the large classrooms and the things they do have.

The best part of getting to know my students is seeing their confidence emerge. I walk to and from school. That way I get to see more of Poti and burn off some of those calories they keep stuffing down my throat (seriously, Georgians never seem to stop offering me food!). This week I've had four different students approach me on these walks and speak in English with me. The fourth grader only got as far as "Hello, how are you?" but the smile on her face when I responded was resplendent. A seventh grader had a whole conversation with me about my computer. They are timid when conversing, but I take the signs of initiative outside of the classroom as beacons of emerging understanding and retention. 

Obviously, It isn't all or even most of my work. I've only been here for three weeks. There was a past volunteer here last semester, and their teachers have been here for years (one has been teaching for over 40 years). These people get the credit for giving students the opportunity to learn the basics of English. I'm just trying to give students another reason to be excited about the material and teachers the opportunity to improve their English with a native speaker. Two of my teachers have been exceptional to work with. They let me read a lot and are open to my suggestions of games and activities that get students speaking aloud. One, however, is difficult to communicate with. She doesn't seem to understand my accent. I have an even harder time understanding her's. She also has a teaching philosophy that is very difficult for me to understand. She yells at students all the time. Sometimes, it seems like for no reason at all. She corrects students in the middle of their attempts to sound out words. When students make a mistake, she screams that they should know it already. A topic is introduced and then reviewed a little the next day. No activities are given to practice or to use the new information in a practical way. The students are just supposed to memorize texts. I try to gently add my suggestions to class. We are still communicating with each other, however, slowly and painfully at times. I think her classes will be the best opportunity for me to challenge my own teaching style. I feel like I can offer those students more, more laughter and more interesting material. I also feel like I can really help this teacher improve her own English. She's obviously been studying a for a long time. She understands the basics but has had little opportunity to use it outside of regurgitating for a classroom. This is the challenge that I wanted. Let's see what happens in the next five months, shall we?