The value of having an education and taking pride in your school was overwhelmingly evident last Friday. Just so we are all clear on this, last Friday was the last day of summer vacation before school started. The last day of freedom. The weather was perfect. The last day to just hang out with your friends. I'm sure any American who has been through any number of years in education will agree with me when I say that there is no way in hell I would spend my last day of summer vacation helping my teachers decorate our homeroom. Yet, that is exactly what I found last Friday, my school's halls full of students who were excitedly working with their homeroom teachers deciding where posters should be hung, how the tables should be arranged and where the fake flowers should reside (Moldovans are big on fake flowers and lace as decorations and surprisingly they do this is a way that is not tacky, for the most part).
Monday was the oddest first day of school I have ever had. Universally, I think, the first day of school is not a real day of school. Classes usually are just filled with teachers going over the syllabus for the year and maybe there is an assembly of some sort. Moldova is no different, Monday morning at 8 AM (ugg, although it is better than having to wake up at 6 to catch the bus, right Connor?), I walked the block and a half to school and saw that the school grounds were swarming with excited kids while their parents clicked away on cameras. I always loved the first day of school because everyone dressed in the clothes that made the biggest statement about who they are and whatever style they chose made them feel good about how they looked. The outfits here are a little different; the kids obviously all felt very good about the way they looked because they all looked like they were going to a fancy wedding. The boys were in three piece suits with ties and the girls were in black and white dresses in various styles along with makeup, huge bows and/or luffa-like poofs in their hair and heels, there are always heels in Moldova. While dodging these very well dressed students I made my way to my "office" that I share with my partner. In the back of the chemistry class there is a walk-in-closet sized storage room, that is our office. Fortunately, there are many windows in our storage room and my partner has made it very homey with flowers (of course) and a full tea set, meaning several cups, sugar, different kinds of tea and instant coffee. Our school runs from 8AM to 2-3PM and during that time there is no lunch offered to the students. There is a store within walking distance but the food offered there is akin to gas station fare and many students do not have money to buy anything. My partner created this tea/coffee nook for any student who needs a little something in their stomachs during the day. My partner is awesome.
Back to the school day...I followed my partner around for about an hour and then the entire school gathered on the front grounds to celebrate and commence the coming year. There were speeches by the Director, two adjunct directors, the head of the health center (who gave me a shout-out), someone from the Ministry of Education and the local Priest. The latter was interesting to me as this would never happen at a public school in the states. Much of Moldovan culture and day to day life revolves around the Eastern Orthodox religion and while there are still varying degrees of devoutness 90% of the population would say that they are Easter Orthodox Christian. The priest blessed the school and gave the director a special icon for the school along with a smaller icon of a specific saint for each of the teachers. This was followed by music, the raising of the flag to the national anthem and then came my favorite part, the celebration of the graduating class and the welcoming of the new first graders.
Each of the grades were grouped together and the student body as a whole formed a corridor in the front of the school. The incoming first graders were then marched up the corridor to raucous applause wearing special sashes to the place of honor, in front of the 12th grade class. There was then a little speech about the successes of the 12th grade class and more applause for their accomplishments then each of the "seniors" presented the first graders with their welcoming presents - their first school books. It was really touching to see such emphasis put on education and I definitely had to hold back some tears. Of course, Moldova's educational system still has some imperfections; for example, just as in the states, teachers are paid a ridiculously low salary which leads to the huge issues of burnout, low motivation and indifference that creates poor learning environments for students and negative work environments for educators.
After the ceremony I thought we would have normal classes and was preparing myself for a day of work. However, at about noon all of the students were sent home so the teachers could have a party in the conference room. This was a new work experience for me. The tables were full of food in the typical Moldovan fashion, not so new-this happens in the states too, but there were also bottles of beer and cognac everywhere. Alcohol at special meals (masa) is not uncommon at all but drinking while at work, in your place of work with the entire staff including your boss was, to say the least, new. Then one of the teachers brought out his accordion and we all sang together, this was also new. I proudly sang along with the one song I knew and drank every glass of cognac poured for me (this was a mistake, who knew cognac was so strong!).
Monday was great and, in general, the rest of the week was fine too. However, this week I have felt the loneliest I have felt since I arrived in Moldova. I think most of this melancholy comes from the never ending stream of dreams about home that I've had this week. Oh, and the fact that I have no idea what's going on or what people are saying to me, that makes it tough too. My language is alright but students don't really understand the fact that my brain can't translate as fast as they talk. Another challenge for me this week is our ever-changing schedule. The schedules for classes are not really finalized here until the second week of school. Our school went through an administration change the Friday before classes started and the person in charge of creating the schedule kind of got thrown into it. This meant that all week my partner would randomly come into our office, hurriedly saying, "Kindle! We have to teach now!" I'm glad I learned flexibility early in life but the tangible stress and chaos that existed in the school this last week was difficult.
The best part of the week, by far, was the students. They were so excited to meet me and ask me questions about life in the states. My two favorite moments though were the standing ovation I got from one of the 6th grade classes when they saw me come in to teach while yelling "THE AMERICAN!!" and the reaction I got when I answered their questions. For instance, when the 9th graders asked what other countries I have traveled to I answered like I would in the states, "Oh, just Canada and Mexico" and tried to wave it off, but the reaction I got was, "oooooo!!! Can-ah-da!!" I mean I get it that for them Canada and Mexico are exotic but it is just so bizarre to hear someone be envious of me for going to Vancouver. It was fantastic to see that perspective. I think we, in the states, forget all that Canada and Mexico have to offer. My other success for the week was when I made a joke and they got it even with my broken Romanian-this was really important to me as humor is such a gigantic part, if not the main part, of my personality and how I interact and connect with people.
All of this being said, school is still school and students are still students. School gets boring and students can be obranici (difficult/smart-asses) from time to time. Hopefully though my partners and I will be able to keep our health classes interesting enough that they keep coming back for more.
Happy September everyone, I'll post again soon but in the meantime please enjoy this bit of traditional Moldovan music:
It's so weird how familiar this all sounds! The ceremonies, the heels, the gas station style canteen for students, the drinking with teachers. We could trade places, and it wouldn't feel that different. Except for your awesome CP and mine whom I see only in accidental passing. That would be a change.
ReplyDeleteYea, Canada!