Do you know who caught this pass?

If you want to see this amazing picture that I took full size click on it to go to my picture repository. Also, I put up a link to Brock's pictures. More pictures are forthcoming.

Namibian Trivia

Here are the rules:
If you are under 30 you cannot search the internet to find the answers.
If you are over 30 you must search the internet to find the answers.

Who is the only Namibian to win an Olympic medal?

How many African countries have a lower population density than Namibia?

How many permanent, natural bodies of water exist in Namibia?


Although Namibian trivia is fascinating, this is an excuse to encourage the use of the comment feature on this blog. If you're not familiar with blogs, notice at the bottom of this post next to the date stamp, it shows how many comments have been left. If you click on that text you can read other comments that have already been left and make an insightful or nonsensical comment of your own. Do me a favor and don't comment anonymously though. Just for practice, check the comments of this post right now for the answers to the trivia questions. uh oh, I'm already acting like a teacher...

All Hands On Deck

You all know that starting a new job is a bit stressful, so many unknowns to manage. Its a little bit harder when you don't feel completely prepared for the job or possibly entirely unprepared. And you can add an order of magnitude to that when your job is in Namibia.

Raise your hand if you have teaching experience. I don't. By my count I'm related to 13 people (parents, sister, aunts, uncles & cousins) who have spent time on the other side of the desk, so I'm counting on some genetics on this one. I've done some tutoring but thats apples and oranges.

Now keep your hand up if you've taught a class of 50-65 learners (Namibian for student) with a high drop out rate, inadequate facilities and resources, throw in "serious learner discipline problems due to teachers' lack of knowledge of alternatives to corporal punishment" and just for good measure expect to do a lot of review because many students are behind from previous grades. Oh yes, you'll have between 30 and 40 class periods weekly. And if that doesn't sound like a challenge, you also have to wear a dress slacks, a collared shirt and a tie!

Believe it or not I didn't make any of that up, those are compiled quotes from my training materials. I'm approaching this as an incredible challenge with limitless opportunity to positively impact my learners. Recent 10th grade testing yielded an 18% average countrywide in math... we'll see what we can do to bring that up a few points or a few dozen points. Yes I can be a bit idealistic when I'm not being cynical.

How about some good news though. The Peace Corps has a two week mock classroom for us to practice in during our training time, and I'll be teaching in English which simplifies things and I get to use numbers which translate a bit easier. I'm exicted about extracurricular activities, I anticipate some frisbee in the schoolyard to divert time from soccer. Classroom genetics are in my favor but faculty vs. students soccer games haven't gone so well for Blackburn teachers in the past. I'll need some help from Perea on that one.

What will I be teaching? Good question, math. Ok, Namibia teaches algebra, geometry and trigonometry together in increasing depth through 8th, 9th and 10th grades. Math isn't required for 11th and 12th grades so most of my learners will come from 8, 9, and 10. Has anybody out there learned math this way? From what I hear there is some good curriculum around the States that uses this method so I need to familiarize myself with the merits of teaching the subjects together.

Any advice on teaching would be wonderful, classroom control in particular. Also if you've had to wear a tie to work everyday I could use some moral support for that one too.

Where on earth is Namibia and why would anyone want to go there?

I'm guessing this is the most common question running through everyone's mind after hearing Namibia so I'll do my best to answer. Namibia is located just north of South Africa on the western coast of the continent. Now that you've found Namibia on the map you can see that it is the latitudinal equivalent of Mexico, but in the southern hemisphere. Thus, the climate is a generally hot and dry across sparsely populated countryside.

But seriously, why would anyone want to go to Nabibia... nabimia... wait I got it, Namibia? Don't feel bad if it doesn't quite roll off the tongue yet, most people don't pronounce it right at first. Even though you might have learned about Namibia for the first time today, it is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination. There is a very large national park/wildlife reserve in Namibia that draws crowds seeking out the big 5. Namibia also has breathtaking landscapes including desert (Kalahari), mountains and a rugged coastline. This vast country lacks natural lakes and rivers so agriculture is not prevalent. The ground does yield diamonds and other semi-precious metals though.

I'm going to Namibia, though, as a secondary Math teacher with the Peace Corps. Why Namibia? Because that is where they told me to go, I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter but I am excited about this opportunity and the challenge it poses. English is a national language so my classes will be taught exclusively in English. I'll also be learning a local language, Afrikaans or a similar dialect, so I can function in the community where English isn't always known and rarely a first language.

Ready or not, I'll depart in about 7 weeks (Nov. 7) for a couple days of orientation stateside then off to Namibia for 8 weeks of training in language, culture, etc. Between now and then I'm working for a while, shopping, packing and observing at my old high school to try to catch up on my lack of formal training as a teacher.

I'll be posting more about Namibia and the nature of my teaching job in the coming days so check back for more details and ask questions. You'll help me learn more about what I'm getting myself into.