math SUCCESS

Math SUCCESS!
Thursday, 4 November, 2010

Kids are tired. They’re hot. They’re hungry. They’re already looking toward the exams that are coming and forgetting about the review we still have to do so they can pass those exams. Especially period 8 in the middle of the hottest part of the day. So when I was sitting in 7A, too tired myself to force kids to keep doing math, and two grade 9 learners came in looking for math help on their geometry worksheet, I allowed the interruption and helped them. Sawahenga Ruth, Fugre Kwame, Kashako Karware and Thikoka Kunyima crowded around us, wondering what was going on, why I actually allowed someone to interrupt my class. There were diagrams and they had to find angle measures with the information that was given – a lot of stuff we’ve just finished learnering in grade 7. I started leading them through the first problem, asking questions to remind them what they know and Ruth was the first to answer! The two kids from grade 9 were a little taken aback, but they got used to is as the other grade 7 learners started speaking up and we finished the worksheet together – my learners always able to keep up with the kids two grades, and maybe even more years, ahead of them.

That afternoon, study was cancelled, so I got some things done that had been on my list and had extra time to go for a walk. I love that alone time, talking to myself. Kids always warn me about “matjotji,” criminals, but I don’t hear them, and hardly ever see anyone on the road. Not today.

I heard four boys running behind me. I turned to look, but they were still too far back for me to recognize them. When they finally caught up with me, I knew only one of them – Matamu, one of the younger brothers for Kapweke. I guarantee the only reason they were coming was because I’ve spent time at his house recently. They knew not a single word of English, but Matamu didn’t care that we could really only guess on what the other was saying. We talked away about nothing.

As we neared the tarred road, I saw a “bush” in a place I didn’t think used to have one. Turns out my eyes have deteriorated more than I thought, because it wasn’t a bush, it was two people sitting on the side of the road. Luckily I figured it out early enough to not have to reach them. All those warnings of matjotji were singing in my head so I turned around and said goodbye to the boys, thinking they had somewhere to go. Nope, they turned around with me, yelling MATJOTJI and started running. Only a short while, and then we walked home together.