In Love With Beautiful People

It is for my delightful students that i am prepared to fight tooth and nail to develop genuine quality teaching and learning to my school.

I sooo love my kids. All 448 of them!

These photos were taken at the “End of Term One” production.

Our students aged from 2 – 15 presented a wide assortment of skits, with a superb balance of Amharic and English offering, from drama, songs, poems and Nursery Rhymes making my school appear to be an international one with a wide enrichment of curricular and extra-curricular learning.

It was way too long – some three and a bit hours, but i felt so proud of each and every one of them throughout it’s duration.

Every time i feel like throwing in the towel – and there have been many, the only thing that drives me forward are my beautiful children. 

On The Road with Santarina

 Rustic Scene at Bishoftu

With the arrival of Santarina on a visit from Hong Kong, as well as all the shit that is going down at work, i need no excuse for a road – trip over the international celebration of Christmas - Christmas is celebrated on 7^th January in Ethiopia.

We pack up my Kia with Christmas cake, Italian biscuits, cameras and clothes and head over to for a stop-over in Bishoftu staying at the simple but beautiful Viewpoint Lodge. We take a bottom chalet with a floor to ceiling window looking over Babagoya Lake. It’s bloody cold at night, but stunningly beautiful and we’re tempted to stay another night. However, our room is already booked out and we need to move on to our real destination – Lake Lugano.

 view from View Point Lodge

local farmer

 

strong local

 friendly local kids - indeed real friendly people

 bringing the crops in at sunset

Situated some 300kms on and into the Rift Valley, it lies off the main road to Awasa and just 30kms north of the Rasta capital, Sheshamane.It’s a twitchers’ paradise, although the lake is a murky brown. And attracts a wide variety of birds. There is no room at the in at our chosen lodge and we seek refuse at the very rundown and overpriced Lugano Lodge. Nonetheless it is real quiet and tranquil and happy to spend a second night there. 

 Acacia tree at sunset

 Santarina - a top quality road-tripper and most generous and giving guest

Christmas Santa

Dr No asked me if i was aware that i was spending a lot of my budget. He is right, but as i like to remind him, it is there for spending.

Less than 10 months after my predecessor requested the removal of the shit from the basement, rumours are rife that finally the heap-load of crappy broken tables and chairs are to be removed out of my school. My plans to create an AV/Multimedia Room, Role Play Centre and a Teacher Resources Centre might finally be realised for the start of Term 2!

The 42” Plasma will finally be able to be removed from my office where it has remained in its box for the last 8 weeks. It’s also time to get a home for all the fab, wooden blocks, puzzles and jigsaws that i have found locally sourced at the brilliant Misrach Project. 

Set up by a Swiss NGO it employs local disabled adults work as constructing these quality products at reasonably cheap prices. I have ordered a shed-load more stuff, predominantly Maths manipulatives and resources. Anything they don;t stock you can request and they’re doing me a load of Thousands, Hundreds, Tens and Units.

Is it any wonder the kids say my office is “the Best Place Ever”?

Dumb Ass Teachers

With almost 80% of my teachers failing to make the deadline for reports, and poor proof reading skills of Mr Z and Miss J, muggings here has spent far too many late nights going thru the shite my teachers have written. Despite two workshops on SMART targets there is little evidence that anything has seaped in – more like dumb targets for dumb teachers.

What has made it even more frustrating is that Santarina has arrived in from Hong Kong and i have lost valuable quality moments with her.

However, at least Santarina has seen my school, and, like myself, immediately fallen in love with all my children. It helped having the “End of Term” Performance (Boss informed me that on no account should it be labelled a Christmas Concert), where they were all looking particularly cute. Pictures to follow soon, As a Malay, Santarina has caused sizeable interest in the students, who have welcomed her with open arms.

With resentment of the piss poor efforts of my staff, i would so love to give the End of Term Staff bash a miss tomorrow, but it would be just too unprofessional not to show at least for a token visit. Come Saturday and i’m taking Santarina on a road trip. Back before the New Year (Gregorian calander).

For those who celebrate the “Festive Season” – Happy whatevers.  

Reports and Comforters

It's report writing time, and most of my teachers look even more morose than ever. Having seen the standard of writing from even the most competent of English speakers, i am shitting bricks. 80% of teachers have not met the deadline and my Heads of Section, Ms J (Early Years) and Mr Z (Upper Primary) show far greater leniency than i would.

With 448 students my next few days are going to spent trawling through reports for final proof-reading, trying to make sense of the shite that is on the page in front of me.

Hurrah for my comforters, Nyala Premium cigarettes. At Birr 12 – 14 a packet (about 70 US cents), such a bargain too.

Please be patient with me – ATCA is not my top priority at the moment.