High School Afrika Style

School's in! We have settled into our schedules quite nicely and the day to day routine of classes seems comfortably familiar. The kids have met the challenge of attending what is essentially sophomore year of high school, having been advanced from Form I to Form II as much of the former is taught only in Kiswahili. While their technical subjects are thankfully taught in English they are also immersed in Kiswahili and have one period a day in that language so they are learning it at a surprising rate. If we don't work to keep up, they'll soon be gossiping and joking behind our backs! Their schedule includes math, physics, biology, chemistry, civics and history in addition to English and Kiswahili. They seem fascinated with the sciences and were only daunted by their first day of math: quadratic equations. Possibly a little deep for the third-grader.

Teaching here has been very rewarding and much less challenging than we had expected. Kirsten is teaching English at both a primary school and the high school - as many as four or five periods a day. I have daily periods of biology and several periods a week of chemistry and physics with the "seniors" in Form III.

One detail of school here stands in stark contrast to education at home...the stick. Corporal punishment is a daily fact of life for all students. While the teachers and administrators insist on its importance and efficacy in maintaining order, it is strikingly cruel and capricious, no pun intended. Our children have escaped the cane so far but came home wide-eyed a couple of times with stories of wondering if they might be next. At dinner last night a couple of kids were wilding in the restaurant and ours were strangely quick to proclaim that "they need the stick."