Roller Coaster in American Samoa

What a week this has been.  I can’t believe that today is September 1.  July seems like so long ago, but I also feel like a just got here.  The time is going fast, but also slow.  This week I’ve felt like giving up.  I’ve felt like I’m wasting my time and that these kids are not going to learn anything because their behavior is so bad.  I’m not going to give up because it has to get better. 

To start the week I cooked breadfruit and it turned out good!  I had one of the men who work for my landlords to cut the breadfruit off the tree.  When I asked for it his response was, “you’re going to cook it?”  “Yes, I’m going to cook it.”  He just laughed and handed it to me.  The first thing you have to do to cook it is drain the sap.  I left it upside down over night so the sap could drain.  Then you have to cut it in quarters and remove the core.  This is a lot harder than it looks because of how large the fruit is.  Lots of strength is needed.  Good thing I have such amazing biceps. Lol.  Then boil it for 15 mins and cut the peel off.  Then it’s done!  I found out it can substitute potatoes in most recipes.   I used part of it in curry and froze the rest for later.

(Just picked)

(Raw)

(cooked and peeled)

(Cut up into bite size pieces)

(finished product-breadfruit curry!)

The kids behavior has been awful this week.  On Tuesday my 2^nd period was so bad that 20 mins into class I called the office and had the vice principal come to my room.  I could not control them.  As soon as I got them quiet and started the lesson they would start talking, hitting, throwing things, and getting out of there sits.  The VP got there and I left the room and went for a walk.  When I got back he was speaking to them in Samoan.  I don’t know what he said, but they were ticked when I got back in there.  They didn’t talk for the rest of the class period, but I got eye rolls, and huffs and puffs. 

Then Wednesday during the same class I sent two students down to the office.  I hated doing it and cried during the break between classes afterwards, but they won’t obey me so until they do they will receive a consequence that they are afraid of.  One of those students came back to apologize after school and again the next morning.  She hasn’t been a problem since then.  The other student I sent down never went to the office he decided to just go home.  So on Thursday I gave him the choice of going to the office during my class or he could stay in class and I would go to his football practice that afternoon.  He choose to go to the office.

My new consequence ladder . . .

1. a warning- your name gets written on the board. (they hate this.  At the end of the class they run up to me to ask if they can erase their name)
2. Depending on what the student is doing they will either see me after class to talk or will be sent outside and have to sit outside the door.
3. The office

So after instating my new consequences and getting my 2^nd period under control for the most part I was feeling pretty good about what I was doing.  However, that didn’t last long.  I gave a quiz yesterday on the basics of verbs, nouns, and pronouns.  The class periods were short, only 30 mins, so I gave half the quiz and will give the other half on Tuesday.   All they had to do was write a definition of the term (action verb, proper noun, common noun, etc) and write an example.  What is my average grade right now on the first half of it?  A 1 out of 6!  Really?  We sent the whole week going over verbs, nouns, and pronouns.  The definitions are in there notebooks.  They should have learned these things in 4^th or 5^th grade.  How am I suppose to start teaching ninth grade material when they don’t know what a verb is?  10 points of the quiz is formatting the paper correctly.  I have an example for how I want the paper to look drawn on the back chalkboard.  The majority of people didn’t do it!  One doesn’t even have a name on it.  I am so frustrated.  On top of that there was a pep rally Friday afternoon.  All, but two people skipped 2^nd period and about half skipped 1^st period.  As of now those are unexcused absences.  I don’t have to allow them to make up the quiz.  I also took away eight quizzes for cheating.  When I took the quizzes I told each student to stay after class and see me.  Four of them stayed.  Those four will be allowed to come after school on Tuesday to take another quiz if they write one page on why cheating is bad. 

(On top of trying to be heard over 25+ students I am having to talk over the construction of a new building)

On to the pep rally, they are huge around here.  Each grade level has been practicing all week on a cheer, a banner, and a mascot.  The grades presented their final products at the rally and were judged by community members.  I am an advisor to sophomores so that was a grade I was rooting for.  They came in second place!  Seniors won of course.  Videos too if I can get them to work.

I get a break from school this weekend with a 3 day weekend!  Last night was the first time I’ve really been alone since leaving the States.  Jill and Josh are gone for the weekend and Sara went running.  It felt weird to be alone after constantly being with people for almost two months.  I didn’t know what to do with myself. 

I am experiencing what the rainy season is going to be like.  It has rained hard non-stop all night.  I haven’t gone outside yet this morning, but just looking out the window everything is covered with standing water.  I’ll be walking through a lot of deep puddles today to get to the post office.  I didn’t make any plans for this weekend so the rain isn’t putting a damper on anything.