4:48 PM Comment2 Comments

Andy’s death was and is a very difficult and surreal experience. The news came days after from a friend in England (of all places) and I was not able to simply get on a plane to give or get support. Life, love, mortality, the ocean. All these basic concepts flooded my usually basic reality on island. Soon they got jumbled and bumped up against each other and often led to a condition I generally term “a bad case of the mucky mucks.” Spiritual and emotional frustrations ebbed and flowed during October and November for me, though they were usually under the surface, not lethal but unpleasant.

It seemed to come to a head one Sunday afternoon while I was doing some last-minute lesson planning. Kids trickled in from the nearby weekly volleyball game and it seemed, as usual, all bets were off. They were running and screaming and pushing and fighting, all the while dishelving the library. One swear word, explicit drawing, and writing on the wall too many, I snapped and shouted for all the kids to leave immediately. Thus commenced Library Lock Down - NOT my finest moment.

Talking to the principle, I decided to close the library for the next week, both as punishment and preparation. What I really needed to do was make sure that the students and I were on the same page - that the school's expecations for the library and appropriate behavior were well-known and aligned with the expecations of the students.

So over the course of the following week, I worked hard to "refurbish" the library, cleaning shelves, organizing, creating activity cabinets and teaching resource centers. And, above, all, I dug out and dusted off the old library rules that had long since fallen by the wayside. Once everything was in place as far as the library rules, procedures, and philosophy, it was time to bring back the students - to unlock the library.

The next Monday I held an orientation with each class throughout the day. "We want Happy Books," I said, "as well as Happy Students and Happy Teachers." We learned together what the rules and expectations are in the library and by the end of the day our Library Club was full of eager and excited members.

Since then, the library has been a happy place for both the students and me. With the Library Club we explore and maintain the library - because let's be honest, libraries are just so darn cool. Certain days students can check out games and activities - kites and yo-yos seem to be the hot ticket.

The most wonderful feeling of pride and success came one day when I had a staff meeting and had to leave the Library Monitors in charge. Not only did the students play and work quietly, they even cleaned and closed up entirely on their own! I couldn't say who was prouder, me watching the kids walk away from a job well done or the students having done the job!


(Pictures are being persnickety and may or not make an appearance.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Or, maybe it's your mom who's pretty proud. It is in your genes - not just organization and teaching but getting to the point where the students take responsibility. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout. Good for you! LUV, MOM

Anonymous said...

Hi Beautiful -- I'm so sorry we didn't connect while you were stateside -- I've been thinking about you and missing you and sending all the goodness I can your way, however, and I hope that you're feeling it over there!
I'm so sorry to hear of your friend Andy's death. The vibrant ones are taken too soon, I've come to believe of late, and he is no exception. My sympathies to you and Gita and your fellow PCVs.
Sounds like you're doing really good work: your mom hit the nail on the head with that comment she wrote!
All my love,
Kristin xox

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