Day 12 - On English and Maths

Wednesday, March 23 – Day 12

The PTA meeting yesterday lasted over three hours. [Note: See PTA meeting notes for what was discussed in the 2+-hour focus group on performance-affecting issues before the 35+ female parents in attendance came together with the 6 male parents for a whole-group discussion and Twi-to-English translations ceased.] At the end of the initial focus group, the headmistress asked what I had been writing and what I thought about the topic of performance-enhancing issues. I responded that I feel it’s key to create an environment both at home and at school in which learning is viewed as important to reaching the achievable goals of becoming a doctor, radio announcer, engineer, or scientist. Headmistress spun this into a five-minute, mostly-Twi-but-just-enough-English closing lecture and seemed to return to the same point for a couple of minutes in the whole-group closing gathering. We didn’t even stay to the end in leaving after 1 PM. Instead, Headmistress approached Sarah and I where we were sitting in the back and said, “Thank you. You can go now.” Kayleigh and Jess escaped from the front-row bench to which they had been pointed shortly thereafter.

After a lunch of fried yams and baked beans (any such protein-including combination being a welcome change from white bread, ramen noodles, and rice), Tamar and I walked over to the pharmacy to get medicine for one of the kids (a course of antibiotics cost 4 cedis) then headed up to the orphanage. I asked for and was directed to Beauty. I was told that she had vomited multiple times that morning; she was now lying on her stomach directly on the cement floor of her room with sad little half-glazed sick-baby eyes. I spent the rest of the afternoon holding her.

Beauty and I sat in the beat-up armchair in the entryway. One of the study-room benches was next to the chair so we had a constant stream of company, most frequently George, Emily, and Tamar. 

Joshua keeping us company...sort of.

Early on, Beauty threw up on my shorts. Once Tamar and I had cleaned the two of us off, she became a calm little princess. Tamar got her crackers from the store for me so she could have food she might keep down. Beauty managed all four Saltine-like crackers and half a sachet of water (about 2 cups) over the course of an hour. By the evening, her fever, which had manifested itself all afternoon in the form of a burning-hot body, sweating, and elevated heart rate and breathing, had gone down. This morning, it was gone and her eyes were visibly more alert. She did still refuse breakfast.

My reward for spending time with an adorable sick baby was a huge compliment from Ma, the little ones’ wonderful caretaker. I was helping Beauty and little Prince get ready for school this morning when Ma entered. She said, “Beauty loves you. She never like any other volunteer. But she loves you.” Ma speaks primarily Twi; she had never said more than 7 or 8 words to me at once in English. I am happy.

Last night, I worked with George on maths again as he continued his studying for next Monday’s exam. Our primary three focuses were:

1. his propensity for dropping little lines (-), whether negative signs or the = of ≤ or ≥
2. how to represent ‘includes’ (≥, ≤) vs. ‘does not include’ (>, <) on a number line drawing
3. that a>b means a is greater than b and b

Today, we’ll switch to the third of the three chapters on his exam, solving simultaneous equations of two variables (e.g., x+y=1, 4x-y=5) by elimination or substitution. We’ll then be ready for all-inclusive general review. It is fun.

Eric from IVHQ is here for his weekly check-in on our well-being. I managed to nap for two hours after our morning orphanage visit and breakfast and still be awake again by 11:15 AM. Our schedule is odd but awesome.