From Hell to Hope

Two weeks ago I had one of the most difficult weeks of my life...and certainly the most difficult school-days ever. Those who have read my previous blog may have noticed that my term was spirally down a difficult and frightening path. It got a lot worse, in ways that I hope even my fellow Canadian teachers will never experience. From October 19-23 two events plagued my week: public displays of corporal punishment and mass hysteria.

Corporal punishment in Namibia is illegal but until independence was the encouraged method of discipline so its still around to varying degrees at most schools (although it seems Chris' school has completely done away with it). It exists through a few teachers at my school and usually manifests itself when teachers get angry from blatant disrespect by learners or mass-bad behavior (when most of a class starts running around and fighting, which is a regular part of my day these days). I've intervened a few times which is frightening but so many things are surprising and new here that I accept that as one of my jobs. However, on Monday I witnessed learners being forced to beat each other so that my school could get around the corporal punishment law (a learner a few weeks ago went to the police about it). Something inside me just snapped and I realized that I had to confront the principal. I developed over the rest of the week an action plan and I'm happy to say I think, due to the positive efforts of my principal, it's going to work. Anyway, that way my Monday.

Wednesday my week went from awful to what I refer to as "Hell on Earth". My school came down with a disease that Chris' school contracted last term which we call "The Eengedjo Disease" (after the school's name) and can only be best understood as being Mass Hysteria. Mass hysteria is when physical changes occur to someone that appear to have a physical cause yet no known cause can be found. I'm stil finding this hard to wrap my head around as it really seems like an illness. Our disease manifests itself only in girls, usually, but not exclusively the hard-working ones, and is a nervous tick in the head, a violent jerking of an arm or leg or a twitching of the whole body. On Monday, one of my best, most favorite learners came down with it really bad to the point that she had to be restrained and was hallucinating saying she was being attached (think schitsophrenia symptoms). I held her between blocks while she fought us and cried and we could do nothing for her except try to keep her calm and warm. This is a girl who gets top marks in school, who is a fantastic in the classroom and who I have rational conversations with all the time so it was extremely difficult to watch her go through this. The administration wouldn't take her home-- a parent had to be found and both her parents are ill and one's deaf and were very difficult to reach.

The end result is that eventually the whole school saw this and pandemonium broke out. Bored, deprived village learners keen on seeing something interesting gawked, left class or ran and screamed...which added pressure and fear to more learners. By break more than 10 girls had the disease and by the end of the day more than 20. Some went home, and some stayed it out as technically mental illness in Namibia is not deemed an illness and learners are not to be excused...which is bullshit and didn't help with my already spiralling day. We were supposed to continue teaching, which I did, as I figured trying to normalize the classroom for my learners was the best way to prevent further outbreaks. But let me tell you it wasn't easy. I cannot remember ever feeling so emmotionally drained and being so tense as when I came home that day.

Fortunately, after a weekend with my fellow WorldTeach volunteers at our end of service conference I came back energized and to a school that had basically returned to normal. Most of my learners seem completely fine this week...a few are still suffering minorly and can be set off, but the school is dealing with the problem. I confronted my principal about teacher absenses, lateness to school and class, lack of a good discipline plan in the school and corporal punishment and this week I have seen him taking on teachers who are late or absent, heard his words of encouragement at a staff meeting, and seen him working on the learners to behave in a non-violent way. All encouraging signs as well as him carrying around the documents on corporal punishment that I distributed to him. I want my school to take it a little further than than, but for now its a promising start. What a week, what a month!

Still learning more than I thought possible and with only 5 weeks left to go! This week's task: patching a termite hole and building shelves for my learning centre. Wish me luck!!