AAARGHH

Aah, I am frustrated again!
It is the end of March and so the school year has started. Because starting on the official 1 March, like we start on 1 September, is not something we (read: the national schools) do.

The past school year, from March to December, in Peru they only taught digital lessons. As I already mentioned, a farce. Children from the first year could not read a word in November and most of the others had gone backwards.

From November, we all worked very hard to make up for the damage and we saw our pupils making progress and growing. What a happy feeling this gave me.
Our ‘first graders’ learned to read… with a method that Sara and I developed together. A lot of work, but what a satisfaction. WONDERFUL.

But so, I’m frustrated. Why is that?
Because the school year has started again and because it is digital again and because few teachers in Curahuasi take this seriously.
Four of the five new ‘first graders’ who have to learn to read this school year are in a class together at a national school and got a workbook from their teacher of about 70 pages. Assignment: hand it in completed by June.
WHAT!
That is her contribution to the education of her pupils? Giving a workbook and correcting it after 3 months?

And what kind of work bundle?! I had already seen it in a bookshop in town for 4 Euros. I leafed through it and thought: ‘Oh no, what a bad bundle, we can’t do anything with it’.
My kids now have to make the same bundle for their teacher.

Briefly summarised:

Language: each worksheet one new letter with exercises that are far too difficult. Ah yes, because after one worksheet the letter is known, isn’t it?
Maths: A few acceptable worksheets, but after 10 worksheets the first sums start; immediately to 20 and WITH the ‘bridge over ten’. Hello, ever heard of automating sums to 10?
Writing: First page: copying the letter ‘a’. Good. Second page: copying long sentences. HUH? Where did the other letters go to?

UGH. My students were already frustrated on day one. SO WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO THAT. We’re going to teach these boys and girls to read, write and count in a nice way and in June we’ll bring in that stupid bundle filled in. Even if I have to fill it in myself. By the way, this was very common last year, to have parents, or older brothers and sisters, cousins and friends do your homework. You just have to hand it in, don’t you? Where is the motivation?

It can also be done like this: