Back to School

Personal:

My little brother was here throughout the Christmas break. Along with Molly, we celebrated Christmas with a neighbor's family, laughing and joking into the evening. The original plan was to dance but a baby in the compound had passed away. Thus, it turned into an intimate affair that sort of took that touch of Christmas with the family. Though, ulitmatley, both my brother and I missed our family horribly. We did however keep the Ellison traditions alive with our opening of a present on Christmas Eve, stockings and the typical Christmas run-around searching for clues.

After Christmas, we slowly, very slowly, made our way to Lome and the coast of Togo where we sat on the beach until just past New Year's. It was a vacation of horrific travel, grand adventure and final relaxation. I would not do it again to save my life but it sure did enrich it. Let us just say that next time, we will fly. No more slow crawling small ovens called mini-buses where eight people fill the space of three.

Work:

School has started again. Another semester equals another search for motivation, motivation for my students, motivation for the administration and even motivation for myself.

Keeping my students interested and on task is forever a game of one step forward, one step back. At the best of times you are maintaining the status quo which can be trying to your personal motivations. However, the wonderful thing about semesters ending is that there is a reward at the end of the rainbow. It just takes endurance on the teacher's part. Really though, I am thinking more and more about teaching in an American atmosphere where I do not struggle to speak a second language to a group listening in their second language. I want so badly to connect on more levels with my kids but it is difficult to cross that boundary when you are always the white foreigner. It would be nice to have a somewhat common culture and language from which to pull.

Computer Lab:

A local private school run by nuns has agreed to let me take a crack at fixing their computers in exchange for using them for a month or two (just until we can start collecting funds for a real computer lab). It is a temporary solution but a solution, none-the-less.

I have contacted various groups to find out prices and possibilities. An exciting idea is that there exists free software for Windows XP that allows to users to use the same computer simultaneously. Thus, one CPU can work as two computers with just another keyboard and screen. This means that more students can use the same number of computers which increases the lab's effectiveness. I have even been given company contacts to groups that can supply those computers, keyboards and screens. Now, we just need to find the funds to buy the refurbished computers. More to come on this.