This entry has been difficult to write, as it’s only been 4 weeks of teaching and I feel like I could already write a book on my experience at Kagman High. I’ll do my best to keep it concise.
Kagman High School, Home of the Ayuyus (pronounced Azuzu - a coconut crab), is one of three public high schools on the island. There are a handful of private schools as well, but I know little about them. Kagman High School sits on a cliff in Kagman Village on the east side of the island. It boasts one of the best views in workplace history, well my workplace history anyway. Some days I believe the administrators considered the type of student who would attend KHS and then chose the location with the sanity of the teachers in mind…
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| My parking lot |
There are about 750 students at KHS and 40 teachers. This makes for large classes averaging about 28 students. We are on a block schedule, four 90-minute classes per day. I teach the first three blocks and have a prep period for the fourth block, which is nice because lunch is after third block so I’m done teaching for the day at 1pm.
The school itself was built in 2001, which would make you think it’s a nice, new facility, however they don’t have enough money to employ a maintenance crew so the school is in unimaginable disrepair. The gritty, salty air, while refreshing, is hard on the buildings. The roof leaks, leaving about half of the ceiling tiles in place and there are enough cockroaches to take over the world if they were smart enough. We don’t have a gym but do have a cafeteria that fits about 100 students. The rest of the school consists of about 10 ‘motel style’ buildings all facing each other. I’d like to say it’s 90210-style, but that just doesn’t feel right! Most of the buildings have been tagged with student art, my favorite being a mural of Bob Marley urging students to stay in school.
One last housekeeping item before I move on to the students…there are six teachers who the administration deemed ‘roamers’ and I was chosen to be one of the lucky six. Roamer can quite simply be translated to: (deep breath) teacher without a classroom who travels from room to room amongst the teasing students rolling a large funny-looking crate/suitcase type contraption containing an odd assortment of things said teacher most often inaccurately anticipates needing for the day. I’m not complaining…just stating the facts J
KHS is considered the most ‘local’ high school on the island. I only have two students who are not either Chamorro or Carolinian, one is Japanese, the other Chinese. They are rough around the edges yet wear their hearts on their sleeves. They write journal entries three times a week in my class, and tell me things I wouldn’t have dared tell my teachers at their age. Their sense of wonderment amazes me. The endless questions remind me of toddlers at times. About 98% of them have never been off island, so my stories of traveling and of the US are certainly more interesting to them than Lord of the Flies. The poverty level is surprisingly hidden. They arrive to school showered and presentable, but rarely fed. Nearly all of them qualify for free meals at school. Many of them live with girlfriends or boyfriends, friends, cousins or neighbors. It was suggested to teachers not to give homework since many of them are in two bedroom homes with 9 other people – it becomes stressful for them to find a place to complete an assignment.
They are admirably talented, mostly in the arts. Many of them bring their Ukulele’s (Uke’s) to school and play music between classes or at lunch. I let them play in class when time allows and have even had a song or two written for me on the spot! Their notebooks (if they have them) are illustrated cover to cover in red, green and yellow drawings. I’ve asked them many times about the Rastafarian influence, but none of them seem to have a solid answer, they just say they like those colors. Every Friday the administration sets up two large speakers on campus and the students are allowed to play music and dance in the ‘quad’. Again, I was shocked at how talented they are. I dare say their dance moves put my husband’s to shame. Although it doesn’t do the experience any justice, I’ve included a short video from the first Friday of the year. It’s become an event I look forward to each week right along with the students.
Needless to say it’s been a challenging career switch, but certainly worth it! It’s very refreshing to be the only ‘whitey’ in the room. I’m still getting the hang of lesson planning. Fortunately, and sometimes unfortunately, I have no rules and few guidelines that I am required to follow. The lack of discipline has been difficult to get used to. I am not always as jovial with the students as I would like to be, but the year is still new and I’m hopeful we’ll get to that point. They make me laugh everyday and I do my best to return the favor.
So that’s the story for now. Brian has asked me if I’m hooked on teaching and if I’ll teach when we return to the states, to which I responded if I could bring Henry, Querico, Francisco, Cornelius, Feioch, Kellanie, Ignacio and Dora with me my answer is yes, but I don’t think their families would go for it so the jury’s still out!
Much love to anyone reading this.
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