Schoolin' & Laughin'

For the past week, I have been observing and slowly integrating myself into a Micronesian classroom. I was assigned to work with a 7th grade teacher at Enipein Elementary School during my training time on Pohnpei. During training, they have been emphasizing how drastically different the education system is in Micronesia from what are used to in America and preparing us for the worst. We have been forewarned about a lack of resources, a lack of motivation, a lack of structure, and a lack quality teachers. We were told to expect to find the classroom nothing like American schools and go in with very limited expectations.
To my pleasant surprise, I have not seen such a negative educational environment in my school. The school building is above adequate, the textbooks are identical to American resources (McGraw Hill, Harcout, & Houghton Mifflin), the students are motivated and my co-teacher is quite capable. The classroom is run in a similar fashion, and the lessons follow familiar patterns. However, I have come to find that my situation is slightly unique. My school appears to be better managed and better staffed than the majority of others in the region. I am particularly proud of this fact because my host father was the former principal of the school and I have 7 siblings that are current students.
I spent a few days observing the classroom and then got involved in actually teaching. We have been experimenting with different co-teaching models, because ideally we are supposed to be working side by side with another local teacher. I have been sharing the teaching time with my partner and having a lot of fun teaching them grammar, reading and writing. My co-teacher is great and has really helped me feel confident about teaching in Micronesia. I already feel ready to have my own classroom and get down to business.
However, other Peace Corps volunteers have had vastly different experiences. It is very common for a teacher to simply not show up to class. No note, no call, no lesson plan. Lateness and sloppiness is even more widespread. Many teachers are lazy, unorganized and unmotivated. However they get paid almost nothing, so I can see why they don’t really care something. Many students also seemed to be reckless and uninspired. A lack a rules and a further lack of enforcement give the children free reign to do whatever they want. Even at my “well-managed” school, they students behavior is pretty ridiculous. Feet are always up on desks, hands are rarely raised to answer questions, constant breaks are taken to spit and shoot snot rockets out the door, and violence goes unnoticed.
Coming from a very conservative elementary school job where I was in charge of making sure that kids didn’t fight and stayed on their best behavior, it is quite a change to see how Pohnpeians act at school. During recess and lunch, the kids don’t have balls or games to play. So instead they just run amuck and go wild. Boys are pulling girls to the ground by their hair, kids are kicking each other in the nuts, baseball size rocks are being hucked into crowds, and slaps can be heard all around the campus. Fake weapons are allowed and constantly toyed with. Kids bring carved swords, guns and knives to school and jokingly threaten each other back and forth. This may seem malicious and violent but somehow its ok. None of it is done with ill-will and nobody ever seems to get hurt. I am amazed how tough these children are in Micronesia. They are constantly being thrown around, banged to ground, and hit; however they never seem to complain or cry. I am fairly rough with kids in my family, but not one of them has shed a tear yet or whimpered yet. In fact, they seem to laugh hysterically while engaging in aggressive physical activities.
Laughing is an entirely different subject to be discussed. Micronesians laugh more than any other people I have ever met. They laugh loudly and continuously. They laugh when you say hello, they laugh when you say goodbye, they laugh when they ask you a question, they laugh when you ask them a question, they laugh when they play sports, they laugh when they fight, they laugh at everything. And I think its wonderful. I am huge proponent of laughter and I think its great that they can find humor in absolutely every situation. They even share a similar booming explosive “aahhh” that every boy seems to emulate. Laughter is deeply engrained in the culture and brings a happy light to all situations. I have heard about how laughter can enrich your soul and energize your mind, but I have never seen it practice so religiously as in Micronesian. These people truly are happy and they sure as hell let you know.