Back to work with a bump
on Kate in Guyana (Guyana), 09/Apr/2010 16:26, 34 days ago
Back to work this week, which has been a bit hard to get my head round after the holiday. I was pleased though that the SEN Course module had been printed so I have been sorting that out. Unfortunately the meeting for the head teachers of special schools which was Thursday and today had to be cancelled as it looked as if the cash would not be available to pay their travel expenses. So I am booking up slots to go round the ten special schools next week to take out the course booklets and hopefully to meet with some of the teachers and explain how they should be getting started on it. I will be happier going out and working directly with teachers, rather than being in the office all the time. The days seem to be very long (8 - 4.30 with one hour for lunch).The cash situation was made worse as the director was on holiday, so we could not use his clout to get things moving. This is the first time he has taken leave in four years as he feels that there is no-one who can take over while he is away. This is quite a common thing, the printing man said the same thing. Often we know that staff are in work even though they are on leave - they tend to come in late and leave early. Not a healthy situation. One of the other problems for staff on leave is that it is prohibitively expensive to get away to a holiday destination, and there are few options locally, mostly people go to visit family and friends for relaxation.Choir is revving up for their Easter concert which is next weekend. It seems to be getting better, but it is all very touch and go. We are practising in the church now, but it all gets a bit silly as we are to get there by 8, the place is being used by a steel band till 8.30, or is locked up, then by the time everything is ready we are singing from about 9 to 10.30. This is all Guyana culture, and I have achieved the patience to put up with such slow attitudes. You just have to "take your time" and enjoy having lengthy chats with other folks. I feel I know quite a few of the choir well enough to feel relaxed and able to share their chit chat and jollity. It is amazing how jolly it all seems despite the knowledge of all the constraints that people live with here every day - mind you the choir members are pretty well off middle class educated people on the whole. There is a small group from the choir who sing in a smaller folky group (by ear) and are really good to listen to - they have a concert on Sunday afternoon, so I'll look forward to that.I've had lots of people staying over with me this week as everyone is in and out of Georgetown to get flights overseas. A great couple who work with Every Child Guyana were here last night. They are working against child abuse, which overlaps with our work in the area of school discipline - corporal punishment is still legal and widespread here - also parent "licks and lashes" are commonplace. I have ceased to be shocked about this now, but it was very hard to come to terms with when we first arrived. At all times when you think about education here you can just think 1940s / 50s Britain and you will get the picture.Easter holiday Monday was the kite festival here - we reckoned there were between 500 and 1000 kites in the sky, quite a few home made in a hexagon shape, some massive ones about a metre high, and even some mini versions about three inches, and teeny ones which are just a tassle on a string. It is quite a fine sight and rather appropriate for Easter.Wildlife note: saw my first scorpion in the swimming pool, it was about two and half inches long, with fierce looking pincers on the front end...