(Ide's classroom Fawe (Far-way) School above)
Official school timetable (very impressive)
8:30 - 8:45 Assembly
8:45 - 9:45 Science
9:45 - 10:15 Language Arts
10:15 - 10:25 Break
10:25 - 10:55 Social Studies
10:55 - 11:35 Maths
11:35 - 12:05 Lunch
12:05 - 12:15 Assembly
12:15 - 12:35 Reading
12:35 - 12:55 Poetry
01:05 - 1:35 Drawing and Design
01:35 - 1:55 Craftwork
01:55 - 2:00 Closing
Actual Timetable
8:45 - 9:00 Assembly
9:00 - 9:20 Miss Jones looks for chairs and chalk
9:15 Random teachers enters class and sits down
9:20 - 9:35 Science. Miss Jones returns and writes on the board:
--- Q: What are the two types of living things?
--- A: Plants and animals. Class recites three times.
9:35 - 9:50 All the boys leave class and begin moving more desks into the room.
9:45 Random teachers falls asleep
9:50 - 10:05 Science resumes. Miss Jones writes on blackboard for 20 minutes. Kids wander in and out.
10:00 Random teacher leaves
10:05 Justine hands out worksheets: "Label this diagram of a plant" (answers: flower, leaf, stem, roots). Suggest to Miss Jones that we both grade answers at same time so we can sound more time with kids. Looks at me incredulously but goes with flow. All the kids come to my side anyway because I am a softy and don't carry a cane.
11:05 (one hour later) Worksheets completed
11:05 - 11:40 Justine teaches Roman Numerals. Riveting.
11:40 - 12:05 Lunch. Students from all levels gather around so I read them a (kindergarten level) story. Three children drag a Class V boy up and tell me that he's an idiot and that he doesn't know how to spell his own name. I offer to help him the next day at lunchtime. Miss Jones tells me he's not right in the head.
12:05 - 12:15 Assembly
12:15 Teacher writes half sentence on board and leaves classr--
12:30 Teacher returns and resumes sentence: "Order these words alphabetically". Children work on problems until 1:45.
1:45 - 2:00 After grading a few papers come to realization that most children have no idea what the words mean, let alone how to rank them. Start getting class to act out words. Half class looks at me like "Who is this freak?". Other half is having fun acting out digging, steering, receiving, pulling.
2:00 Madness finally ends.
On the plus side, the kids stood up and clapped for me at the end of class and Miss Jones has officially promoted me to full-time Maths Teacher! She has also offered to print me a teaching certificate. Excellent addition to resume. Walk outside, Ide is there with horror stories of his own. Entourage of tiny children in blue uniforms have gathered around him. Walk home with crowd in tow.
