Okay, so, I will fess up and admit to the fact that while I do enjoy my time here, we are nearing the end, and i have started to get a little antsy. I am 7 weeks, less than 50 days away (46 to be precise) from being back in the states and I am thrilled about it! Since I have now started the official countdown, I thought it would finally be time to talk about the things I am most looking forward to once I return to America. Conversely, I want to be fair to my experience here and admit to some of the things that I will sincerely miss. So, since we all love a good list, here are two top ten lists of things--in no particular order--I can't wait for in the states and things I will surely miss from the RMI (of course, excluding friends and family I will see in the states and friends and students I will leave behind here).
Things I Can't Wait For Upon My Return to the States:
1. Chipotle
Yeah, I listed it first. Yeah, I know it was owned by McDonald's (though, unknown to most, McDonald's divested in 2006). Yeah, I know its not real Mexican food. But, I miss it. I love it. I want it. Something about walking into that restaurant, hearing that funky music, admiring the Aztec themed metalwork, sauntering up to the counter, asking for a steak burrito (always) with rice and "fajitas" (never beans), tomato and corn salsa, lettuce, and guacamole (which they are always so kind to tell is a $1.35 extra) makes my mouth water, even from thousands of miles away. After hugging my family, dropping my things off at home, and sleeping until the afternoon, this will be the first place I go.
2. My Mother, Father, Sister, and Grandmother's Cooking
As much as I have enjoyed cooking here, nothing beats home cooked meals. My mother is queen, but really, everyone in my family can throw down. I can't wait to have her sweet potato pie, spinach pie, and rosemary chicken. Also nothing heals my wounds like her chicken soup. My father is the king of the grill. Literally, give him anything and he can grill it to the most tender juicy point possible. He once perfectly cooked one of my shoes. Delicious. My sister can cook almost anything, but really, I plan on forcing her to make me a key lime pie. It's the best I have had and probably will ever have in my life. My grandmother is from Memphis, TN, and she cooks like it. I hope that she will do me the pleasure of making a "box lunch" full of fried chicken, collard greens, and hot-water cornbread. Argh, I'm so hungry!
3. Other Fast Food Restaurants/A Good Bacon Cheeseburger with Mushrooms and Onions and a Chocolate Milkshake.
Alright, I know its sad that out of a list of 10 things I look forward to the most, three of them are food, but c'mon! Chicago's deep dish pizza, the Chicago style hot dog chain Portillo's, Potbelly's, Jamba Juice, Panda Express...sigh...such wonderful places all of them. I will only be back in America for a few days but I plan on hitting up all these places before I head back out. The hamburger...well, I'll have to get that from my neighborhood diner, Top Notch. If you come to Chicago, I will take you there. Incredible. Granted, it's fairly dastardly that I am in such want of food when I have more ready access to it than almost any other volunteer out here, but the body has its wants.
4. Drinking from the Tap
The tap in my bathroom at home produces the coldest, crispest water I have ever tasted from a faucet, only bested by my house hose water. In either case, it will be wonderful to want a cold drink of water and be able to get it straight from the sink instead of having to buy it, lug it, make sure ants aren't in it, and then ingest it. More practically, it will be nice to be able to use that same water to brush my teeth.
5. Movie Theaters
While there was a movie theater here when I first arrived in Majuro, I never got the chance to see a film in it before it closed. I was told that it was like any other place that Marshallese people hung out in, lots of in and out and talking. Not the most idea movie atmosphere (though, to be fair, I am a certified movie talker). I love going to movies in movie theaters. Seeing a good action movie on a big screen/IMAX, is an event for my friends and me. We don't have a movie theater in my neighborhood in Chicago, so we drive out to one in the suburbs. We are always late for everything collectively, so its usually a race against time. When we get there, it's always a blast to enjoy a movie with not only a group of friends, but with hundreds of people. I look forward to catching a movie if I have time.
6. The Chicago Skyline/Driving Down Lake Shore Drive to See It.
There is little I can say about this. For those of you who have seen it/done it, you know what I am talking about. For those of you who haven't, you've got something to add to your life "to do list." Imagine driving down a highway, north to south, with the beach and Lake Michigan to your left and some downtown buildings on the right. You are about to drive straight into the famous Drake Hotel, but then, the highway swings out over the water--no land to your left--and you see even more of the Chicago as you drive into the heart of the city. Bliss.
7. Big Spaces with Lots of Things in Them
Well, this one sounds extremely asinine, but this island is about as wide as a football field and it is possible to walk the entire length of the urban part of the Majuro island in a bit over the hour. I enjoy feeling lost in a mass of people and being in sprawling spaces. Parks, museums, and big buildings are prefect locations for people watching and ruminating. I miss being one among many, whereas here I am "the black ribelle with the weird hair who teaches at Majuro Middle School." Seriously, I can get in a taxi, having never directly met the driver before, and he will know where to drop me off without me saying anything. Comforting...and strange.
8. Train Rides
I love riding on the Metra and the L train (for those of you that need a frame of reference, the "L" is the elevated train that can be seen in the film "Batman Begins"). It's a wonderful way to see the city, a quick and economical way to travel, and a great place to people watch/nap/read. I find the rides very relaxing and they make me feel very urban.
9. The Ability to Download Things/Go on Facebook/Youtube Whenever I Want
I am lucky to have internet in my house (SOMEtimes) and free on the high school campus I live on (more often than sometimes, but still...) so I shouldn't complain at all, but it is incredible annoying that things like youtube, radio.tv sites like CNN, and photo sites like Flickr are blocked every so often since the Ministry of Education does not see their relevance in the classroom. I can understand why Facebook is blocked every now and then, but it's a bit easier to get around and not having it is kinda nice. Still, because of a firewall, its nearly impossible to download music here, which is like having my fingers cut off. I can't wait for fast, consistent, uncensored internet. I think the majority of my time at home outside of fast food restaurants and spending time with my family and friends will be devoted to refilling my iTunes.
10. Consistent Hot Water Showers
I fully recognize that many of my wants are indicative of first-world unnecessary comforts, but, what can I say. I am a first world kid. i know that many people around the world live without hot water, and even more without any water at all. I will confess that after sweating all day under the hot Pacific sun, sometimes a cold shower can be nice. However, for the most part, they suck. Before every shower I have to mentally psych myself up to go into the water. It's enough to make me not want to take a shower sometimes. It's stupid. It's superficial, but I love taking a long hot shower. I have been fortunate enough to do that here a handful of times and I can't wait to be able to do it everyday.
Things I Will Definitely Miss From the RMI:
1. Playing with Random Children and it not being Considered Weird
There are so many ways to misconstrue this, but here, there aren't. There are seemingly hundreds of kids all over the place and they are always down to play--any game, any time. I taught some 3rd graders how to play four square and it was the best time i had had in ages (that's a good thing, not a bad thing). It's a blast to just walk up to some kids and join in their game, or pick up a toddler and swing him around or throw her in the air. Playing with children--my students to the little kids that live next to my house on campus--has been one of the highlights of this experience. It's sad that we live in a world in America where people have to be concerned for the safety of their children because there are people out there who want to do wrong to them. Can't we all just get along and play in the sandbox?
2. Knowing Someone No Matter Where I Go
If you know me you know that I am what they call "a social butterfly." At times this moniker has annoyed me, but I have come to accept it as true and as one of my better qualities. Here is no exception. I have done my best to meet and befriend a lot of people, and it's not necessarily difficult in a place so small where I am a foreign minority. There is a lot of comfort in knowing that no matter what location I frequent, I will most likely run into someone I know. I know almost every ribelle and my students/high school students I have befriended are everywhere. I am on a first name basis with a number of taxi drivers, bartenders, and store attendants. I will miss these people and being in a community with them. I am sure the next community I join will have similar microcosmic relations, but they will not match the familiarity of this place.
3. Being (Relatively) Disconnected
As I said before, I have internet in my room/on the campus I live in. I can watch TV on my laptop or in one of many restaurants/bars. I also have a cell phone and communicate for the most part through text. Still, being here has been a nice vacation from the hyper-connectivity and constant communication of the super-wired Dartmouth campus and the urban world where EVERYONE has a smart phone (if I get another email from someone's iPhone...). It is nice that the excuses, "I couldn't access my email" or "My phone was out of batteries and I have no power to charge it" are legitimate here. There is a widely held belief that if it doesn't happen now it will get done later, and it's nice to lean on that disposition.
4. Transportation Being .50 or .75 Cents
I have gotten in a taxi in America probably less times than I have fingers on my hands. Here, it's the only way to travel. I hate the fact that public transportation is always advertised as being better for the environment and "the only way to see the city" but it is so incredibly expensive. I will definitely miss the fact that here quarters are the new dollar. Still, my cheapness prevails. I do my best to never get into a .75 cent taxi if I can help it. Incredible.
5. Not Having to Go to A Lot of Places to Get Things Done
It's so nice that all the goods one could need are available in a few locations. Hardware? Ace or Do It Best. Groceries or house supplies? Payless or Formosa. Besides the gym and the post office, those are probably the only places I ever really need to run errands. I hate that in America every place has its own speciality. Much easier when everything is centrally located.
6. Fresh Coconuts and Mangos
Little here needs to be said. Pacific climate yields fresh fruits. Both of these fruits are incredible words of nature and it will be unfortunate when their prices are raised since they will need to be shipped to where I am (for the record, mangos are shipped, but are almost always in stock). Coconuts are abound and it's awesome that you can just get one basically off the ground and have a filling snack and drink all with a few simple cracks of a nutshell.
7. The Blueness of the Ocean
My last blog post was about this. The blue of the Pacific ocean is the bluest blue I think I will see. Most of this earth is under the water, and I will having the opportunity to look into it.
8. Random Friendliness
In addition to knowing people most everywhere I go, people here are generally extremely nice. Any eye contact is met with a head nod and a "Good morning" or "Good evening." Children smile and take your hand as you walk down the street. People share everything. This is not your typical American community where everyone is scared of everyone else. The compassion, community, and camaraderie will be greatly missed.
9. Sashimi
Dear God, this stuff is so incredibly and absolutely delicious. Sashimi, for those of you who don't know, is a Japanese dish of small bite-sized pieces of fish (usually tuna here) that are eaten with soy sauce and wasabi. The stuff melts in the mouth like butter and is so unbelievably fresh tasting that every few days I have a craving that cannot be sated until I get some in my gullet.
10. Running from Storms
There is little more thrilling here than seeing a storm coming down THE street, grey-black clouds stampeding towards you, and the sound of sheets of rain crescendoing in your ears. You have something of value in your hands or bag. You need to be somewhere and you know rain makes it impossible to get a taxi. You simply don't want to get wet. So, you run. There have been countless times that I have run down the street, scurrying away from dark wet spots generating on the ground and chasing me like a dark shadow. It sounds silly, but I will miss this boyish fun. I love the rain, and its been nice to have such a close, albeit tumultuous relationship with it.
A few more weeks and I will be seeing you all!
Bar lo kom,
Andrew
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Blue Planet, Limited Vision
It is, in fact, true that our planet is a blue planet. Sadly, despite being surrounded on all sides by the Pacific, despite the constant background noise provided by the ebb and flow of the ocean waves, despite the signs are all around me, it took me watching BBC’s “Blue Planet” to truly be in awe. Granted, I have ventured into the waters a few times and have seen some incredible things. Lagoon-side snorkeling near Ejit is filled with coral towers and a miasma of aquatic life. Enemanit offers even the most timid swimmers the opportunity to see a sunken fighter plane and not one but two sunken helicopters in addition to amazing snorkeling a few feet from the shore. I have had the pleasure, thanks to the generosity of the Curtis family, to go deep-sea fishing. While on the boat for the majority of a day we saw dolphins and flying fish and brought in two wahoo and a gigantic blue marlin. These have all been moments of awe where the underwater world became all too real and present for me.
Still, my time in and my reverence of the waters pales in comparison to what I thought it would be before coming to the RMI. I have distinct memories of telling people how I was going to come back a fishing/surfing/diving/snorkeling expert. Instead, I find fishing—while exciting when reeling in and landing a fish—boring. Surfing is nearly impossible here (unless you are a pro, some of whom I had occasion to meet), diving is terrifying, and snorkeling can be a chore of sorts. It seems that even though I ran away to the Pacific to get away from it all, try new things, and do as the proverbial Romans do, my American landlubber sentiments have prevailed. Why is that? It can't be that I do not have access. I have many ribelle friends here who do all of those aquatic activities all of the time. Perhaps its the fact that none of my students or my Marshallese associates do these things with regularity. It seems that the young people on Majuro are more interested in Americanized and urban activities than those activities that have helped to sustain their culture for years. As far as the Marshallese adults here I know, they too are wrapped up in their daily affairs. While they may take some time to go fishing, it is usually in the privacy of their own family or close group of friends. I do not mean to put the blame on others. I think with more initiative on my part I could be in the water everyday. However, that is not how I have oriented my days.
Still, every time I take a moment to look at the water, I am in awe of how blue that blue is; how varied and ornate yet profoundly simple; how perfectly present and unchangingly etherial. It is even more impressive when put into perspective with the rest of the world around it. The expanse of blue only serves to highlight the immensity of the sky. Clouds look as if they are painted onto a domed canvas. Stars, in their great number, remind me how infinitesimal I am. And the sunsets; there are no words. Melodious amalgamations of orange, red, and purple hues appear from under the water, peak from behind the cloud curtain, and stretch across the sky. The sunrises, though similarly beautiful, are much more gentle. As the world wakes up, warmth enters the colors of the sky and the ocean. I like to say that the water is so warm I would sleep in it if I couldn't drown. I had the pleasure of climbing up to the top of the water tower that is on the MIHS campus--the second highest point in the country--and seeing the entire island in 360 degrees. You could see both sides of the island, storms rolling in from the ocean side and the sun resting and waking in the lagoon, a thirty mile expanse brought into one field of vision--and everywhere, rich, rich blue.
John Irving so aptly states though the mouth of one of his characters in his novel "The Cider House Rules" that, "Living on land where you can occasionally see a long way provides the soul with a perspective of a beneficially expansive nature" (14). As I sat up on the water tower, looking out on what seemed like the entirety of the Pacific Ocean, I couldn't help but ask what lie beyond the horizon. I mean, I knew--maybe not what specific piece of land was in what direction--but it encouraged me, inspired me to want to explore the world further. To seek what was on the other side. It has always confused me that Marshallese people do not have this same sense of adventure or wonderment.
To be fair, I know it took an enormous sense of adventure for the ancient Marshallese people to hop on canoes and explore the ocean to find the other islands here, but now, my students have little interest in leaving Majuro. Regardless of the fact that tremendous resources are needed to get off the island (read: money), they do not seem all that interested. Some want to go to America, yes, but then return after college. They do not know what is on the other side of the horizon, and they don't seem to care. For a while I believed that the young people here were taking the ocean for granted. They too did not swim or indulge in the waters in the ways that I assumed islanders would. However, they feel at peace here, floating in the middle of the ocean on a small strip of land. The knowledge that in a few decades the island might not be here does not cause them too much worry. They are not leaving. Their ancestors survived for hundreds of years from the bounty of the waters, and people here still do today. They are attached to the land, attached to the water. I have heard so many juniors and seniors here say that they want to go to college somewhere outside of the RMI but that it has to be near an ocean. When I asked why they said that they could not imagine life without hearing the waves hit the shore. In fact, they struggle to sleep without it. It has become part of their lives, ingrained in their souls. Most assuredly it is I who is taking it for granted. While the vista from the water tower may have "[provided] my soul with a perspective of a beneficially expansive nature," the Marshallese soul's expansive nature bleeds into the community. They expand into each other, knowing that on this small strip of land each other is all they have--each other, and the ocean: giving and taking, nourishing and destroying, warming and cooling.
For the last few weeks I am here, I imagine my habits won't change much. I will get in the water a few more times and explore a few more things, but I know I will always be more impressed and engaged while I watch BBC's "Blue Planet." For the rest of my life I will be able to watch shows like that one and say "I've lived there! I've been in that water!" When really, I've barely touched the surface.
Until the next time,
Bar lo kom,
Andrew
Still, my time in and my reverence of the waters pales in comparison to what I thought it would be before coming to the RMI. I have distinct memories of telling people how I was going to come back a fishing/surfing/diving/snorkeling expert. Instead, I find fishing—while exciting when reeling in and landing a fish—boring. Surfing is nearly impossible here (unless you are a pro, some of whom I had occasion to meet), diving is terrifying, and snorkeling can be a chore of sorts. It seems that even though I ran away to the Pacific to get away from it all, try new things, and do as the proverbial Romans do, my American landlubber sentiments have prevailed. Why is that? It can't be that I do not have access. I have many ribelle friends here who do all of those aquatic activities all of the time. Perhaps its the fact that none of my students or my Marshallese associates do these things with regularity. It seems that the young people on Majuro are more interested in Americanized and urban activities than those activities that have helped to sustain their culture for years. As far as the Marshallese adults here I know, they too are wrapped up in their daily affairs. While they may take some time to go fishing, it is usually in the privacy of their own family or close group of friends. I do not mean to put the blame on others. I think with more initiative on my part I could be in the water everyday. However, that is not how I have oriented my days.
Still, every time I take a moment to look at the water, I am in awe of how blue that blue is; how varied and ornate yet profoundly simple; how perfectly present and unchangingly etherial. It is even more impressive when put into perspective with the rest of the world around it. The expanse of blue only serves to highlight the immensity of the sky. Clouds look as if they are painted onto a domed canvas. Stars, in their great number, remind me how infinitesimal I am. And the sunsets; there are no words. Melodious amalgamations of orange, red, and purple hues appear from under the water, peak from behind the cloud curtain, and stretch across the sky. The sunrises, though similarly beautiful, are much more gentle. As the world wakes up, warmth enters the colors of the sky and the ocean. I like to say that the water is so warm I would sleep in it if I couldn't drown. I had the pleasure of climbing up to the top of the water tower that is on the MIHS campus--the second highest point in the country--and seeing the entire island in 360 degrees. You could see both sides of the island, storms rolling in from the ocean side and the sun resting and waking in the lagoon, a thirty mile expanse brought into one field of vision--and everywhere, rich, rich blue.
John Irving so aptly states though the mouth of one of his characters in his novel "The Cider House Rules" that, "Living on land where you can occasionally see a long way provides the soul with a perspective of a beneficially expansive nature" (14). As I sat up on the water tower, looking out on what seemed like the entirety of the Pacific Ocean, I couldn't help but ask what lie beyond the horizon. I mean, I knew--maybe not what specific piece of land was in what direction--but it encouraged me, inspired me to want to explore the world further. To seek what was on the other side. It has always confused me that Marshallese people do not have this same sense of adventure or wonderment.
To be fair, I know it took an enormous sense of adventure for the ancient Marshallese people to hop on canoes and explore the ocean to find the other islands here, but now, my students have little interest in leaving Majuro. Regardless of the fact that tremendous resources are needed to get off the island (read: money), they do not seem all that interested. Some want to go to America, yes, but then return after college. They do not know what is on the other side of the horizon, and they don't seem to care. For a while I believed that the young people here were taking the ocean for granted. They too did not swim or indulge in the waters in the ways that I assumed islanders would. However, they feel at peace here, floating in the middle of the ocean on a small strip of land. The knowledge that in a few decades the island might not be here does not cause them too much worry. They are not leaving. Their ancestors survived for hundreds of years from the bounty of the waters, and people here still do today. They are attached to the land, attached to the water. I have heard so many juniors and seniors here say that they want to go to college somewhere outside of the RMI but that it has to be near an ocean. When I asked why they said that they could not imagine life without hearing the waves hit the shore. In fact, they struggle to sleep without it. It has become part of their lives, ingrained in their souls. Most assuredly it is I who is taking it for granted. While the vista from the water tower may have "[provided] my soul with a perspective of a beneficially expansive nature," the Marshallese soul's expansive nature bleeds into the community. They expand into each other, knowing that on this small strip of land each other is all they have--each other, and the ocean: giving and taking, nourishing and destroying, warming and cooling.
For the last few weeks I am here, I imagine my habits won't change much. I will get in the water a few more times and explore a few more things, but I know I will always be more impressed and engaged while I watch BBC's "Blue Planet." For the rest of my life I will be able to watch shows like that one and say "I've lived there! I've been in that water!" When really, I've barely touched the surface.
Until the next time,
Bar lo kom,
Andrew
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
New Quarter, New Projects
Even though the play is now nearly a month in the past, it is still profoundly affecting my experience here. Before the play, as a result of the February Slump, I had pretty much checked out from the RMI experience. I was frustrated with my students and their lack of responsiveness. I was finding my experience in Majuro to be repetitive and mundane. The play very much revitalized me and imbued energy back into the remaining months of my experience here.
The third term ended during the run of the play and I was not surprised to find that some of my top students did not perform as well as they had in the past. My students slacked much more this term and lacked the discipline that I attempted to hone over the previous two terms. However, my middle and lowest level students did improve slightly. I came to believe that despite my previous willingness to give up, there was some hope left.
I decided that I taught my students almost everything technical that I wanted to teach them and now wanted to work on projects that brought together all of the skills that we learned in a way that did not necessarily keep the skills learned at the forefront of the work but as foundation to other, more complex ideas. Inspired from the play and having seen the effect that it had on the MIHS students, I decided to put on a play myself in my 7th grade classes. I am in the process of preparing my students to put on J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan." Alex Huestis aptly called Majuro "Neverland" (she was specifically referring to Ejit, but I think the term can apply to Majuro as a whole). In many ways, I came on the DVTP program for a "Neverland" experience myself (Michael Jackson puns not intended--at all). I wanted to get "away from it all" before seeking a job in the US and I wanted to try out teaching kids thereby giving myself the chance to become a kid again by proxy. I figured what better way to end this experience than by passing on the same notion of "never having to grow up" and the effect that this country and the play had on me than by introducing my students to Peter Pan?
We first watched two film versions of the story, the live action one featuring Jeremy Sumpter from 2003 and the 1953 Disney animated version. I did this so that all of my students would understand the plot of the story come time to read the book. Inspired by Rafe Esquith's novel "Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire," I used the movie as a teachable moment, having the students identify protagonists, antagonists, supporting characters, and different elements of the story arc. I also had the students identify the differences between the two films. While at first the students did not seem all that interested in the play (especially since, tragically, no one in my homeroom came to see the play) after seeing the movies the students were extremely excited about playing the characters in the story. We have finished watching the movies as of last week and starting reading the story on Monday. I plan on switching between reading aloud, silent reading (where I will be helping my lowest students comprehend the text), and group reading (where all the groups will be of mixed abilities and my top students will take over in instructing and explaining the story to my other students). The plan is to get the story ready in three weeks and then start working on other elements of the play such as costumes, sets, props, and choreography (for the fights). It is my hope that by having the students participate in all of these elements of the production, they will gain confidence and will have their ability to think outside of the box and use their imagination increased.
In my writing class the project for this quarter is to write books. One of my favorite activities in elementary school was writing stories for the Young Authors program. To this day I still have my Young Authors books in our home library. My hope is by having the students create something of their own conception, they will not only learn to treasure their work but increase their appreciation for books and reading in general. This project has started out much more slowly. As a result of a lack of exposure, the students had a hard time coming up with imaginative topics for their stories. I realized that this was mostly likely because they had not read many different types of books. I spent this past week introducing my students to different types of books. I am having them write stories that match the types of stories that I am reading to them each day. I am a bit more worried about this project than the other but I have high hopes for the product.
The final effect that the MIHS play has had on me is that I was able to remember how very important the arts are to me. I have been singing/performing for most of my life. This year in the RMI has been the first time in 14 years that I have not been in a performance group. Being a part of the play made me realize how much I need the arts in my life and as a result, I will be continuing my work with Professor Garrod and "The Tempest" in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Professor Garrod does a similar project to his work here in BIH and asked me to come along with him before he departed the RMI. While he gave me about as much time to make the decision to come as he gave me to make the decision to come to the RMI, I figured that one choice had been good for me and that it would most likely that this new choice would be good too. Going to Bosnia will give me the opportunity to not only help educate a new group of youth but do it through the arts. We will be putting on the same play and I will be acting in the same capacity as Dan Moore '10 and John Around Him '12 as assistant director while in Bosnia. Thankfully the committment is only two months in the summer and will be much more focused on theater than teaching. So, while I am disappointed that I will not be home for the entirety of the summer (and that I will be heading out about 10 days after I return to the states) the opportunity is too good to pass up. Theater, travel, and teaching all wrapped up in another adventure!
Bar Lo Kom,
Andrew
The third term ended during the run of the play and I was not surprised to find that some of my top students did not perform as well as they had in the past. My students slacked much more this term and lacked the discipline that I attempted to hone over the previous two terms. However, my middle and lowest level students did improve slightly. I came to believe that despite my previous willingness to give up, there was some hope left.
I decided that I taught my students almost everything technical that I wanted to teach them and now wanted to work on projects that brought together all of the skills that we learned in a way that did not necessarily keep the skills learned at the forefront of the work but as foundation to other, more complex ideas. Inspired from the play and having seen the effect that it had on the MIHS students, I decided to put on a play myself in my 7th grade classes. I am in the process of preparing my students to put on J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan." Alex Huestis aptly called Majuro "Neverland" (she was specifically referring to Ejit, but I think the term can apply to Majuro as a whole). In many ways, I came on the DVTP program for a "Neverland" experience myself (Michael Jackson puns not intended--at all). I wanted to get "away from it all" before seeking a job in the US and I wanted to try out teaching kids thereby giving myself the chance to become a kid again by proxy. I figured what better way to end this experience than by passing on the same notion of "never having to grow up" and the effect that this country and the play had on me than by introducing my students to Peter Pan?
We first watched two film versions of the story, the live action one featuring Jeremy Sumpter from 2003 and the 1953 Disney animated version. I did this so that all of my students would understand the plot of the story come time to read the book. Inspired by Rafe Esquith's novel "Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire," I used the movie as a teachable moment, having the students identify protagonists, antagonists, supporting characters, and different elements of the story arc. I also had the students identify the differences between the two films. While at first the students did not seem all that interested in the play (especially since, tragically, no one in my homeroom came to see the play) after seeing the movies the students were extremely excited about playing the characters in the story. We have finished watching the movies as of last week and starting reading the story on Monday. I plan on switching between reading aloud, silent reading (where I will be helping my lowest students comprehend the text), and group reading (where all the groups will be of mixed abilities and my top students will take over in instructing and explaining the story to my other students). The plan is to get the story ready in three weeks and then start working on other elements of the play such as costumes, sets, props, and choreography (for the fights). It is my hope that by having the students participate in all of these elements of the production, they will gain confidence and will have their ability to think outside of the box and use their imagination increased.
In my writing class the project for this quarter is to write books. One of my favorite activities in elementary school was writing stories for the Young Authors program. To this day I still have my Young Authors books in our home library. My hope is by having the students create something of their own conception, they will not only learn to treasure their work but increase their appreciation for books and reading in general. This project has started out much more slowly. As a result of a lack of exposure, the students had a hard time coming up with imaginative topics for their stories. I realized that this was mostly likely because they had not read many different types of books. I spent this past week introducing my students to different types of books. I am having them write stories that match the types of stories that I am reading to them each day. I am a bit more worried about this project than the other but I have high hopes for the product.
The final effect that the MIHS play has had on me is that I was able to remember how very important the arts are to me. I have been singing/performing for most of my life. This year in the RMI has been the first time in 14 years that I have not been in a performance group. Being a part of the play made me realize how much I need the arts in my life and as a result, I will be continuing my work with Professor Garrod and "The Tempest" in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Professor Garrod does a similar project to his work here in BIH and asked me to come along with him before he departed the RMI. While he gave me about as much time to make the decision to come as he gave me to make the decision to come to the RMI, I figured that one choice had been good for me and that it would most likely that this new choice would be good too. Going to Bosnia will give me the opportunity to not only help educate a new group of youth but do it through the arts. We will be putting on the same play and I will be acting in the same capacity as Dan Moore '10 and John Around Him '12 as assistant director while in Bosnia. Thankfully the committment is only two months in the summer and will be much more focused on theater than teaching. So, while I am disappointed that I will not be home for the entirety of the summer (and that I will be heading out about 10 days after I return to the states) the opportunity is too good to pass up. Theater, travel, and teaching all wrapped up in another adventure!
Bar Lo Kom,
Andrew
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)