3-week break?

So, amidst all the excitement I neglected to tell you all that Sept. 3-12 (Friday afternoon to the next Sunday) was the "midterm break." I had planned to go to Dar to visit my roommate and other friends, and I was really excited to be in a different environment for a while. However, I had talked to the headmaster a while before that, and he said that he could not allow the Form IIs and Form IVs to go home because of the national examinations at the end of October and beginning of November. So, since I'm teaching a Form II class, it also meant no break for me either... sweet.

Well, then there were some rumblings amongst the staff that maybe the headmaster would be forced to give everyone a break because most of the students had to go home to collect school fees and fees related to graduation. It didn't really give me that much hope because I know the headmaster is quite stubborn, but some teachers were really convinced that he would have no choice. Well, he ended up deciding that the students were to go home for the weekend to collect the fees, but that they should be back for class on Monday. Doomed, right then and there.

Everyone knew he was delusional to think that the students would be back on Monday. Except for those students who live close enough to walk or who live in Iringa, this command was impossible. Plus, even if it WAS possible, they wouldn't be back on Monday anyway because 1.) it is not Tanzanian culture to be on time to anything and 2.) the Form IIs and IVs hadn't had a break since March (they spent the June holiday at school as well).

So I think Emily and I and two other teachers were the only people from who took the bus to Magulilwa on Sunday. Most students, as predicted, stayed home, and most of the teachers did as well because why not? Emily's and my problem is that good old Lutheran guilt. The headmaster told us specifically that we were "not allowed" to go for longer than two days, and he called on Sunday to make sure we got to the bus on time. So, we did a whole lot of nothing that week.

THEN, the next week a bunch of students returned, and then all got chased away for not having collected school fees. Why the administration didn't just have EVERYONE go home for the midterm break and make it clear that they had to bring their school fees on Monday is a complete mystery to me, and to all the other teachers I talked to. Some less-than-nice words were said about him that week, especially since HE was gone to some conference. So that week, Emily and I taught one Form I class with 33/70 students, and I taught one Form II class with 18/40 students. Great plan, your highness.

Now this week we're preparing for graduation, so the students only have two classes every day instead of 5. Really glad they made those Form IIs and IVs stay here during the midterm... Ugh. Most of the staff thinks the administration is very disconnected from the school and that they just like telling people what to do. It does seem that way sometimes. Oh well. Maybe I'll start teaching again next week.