Kargaaad! An adventure in Georgia: Friday, September 28th to Friday, October 5th.

Monday elections: In my school grounds was held the Georgian parliamentary elections. To stay neutral, I am claiming ignorance of political parties, politicians and viewpoints. Many volunteers were worried about violence on election day, however Batumi was as tranquil as it has been. Voters were seen at their appropriate stations in an ordered fashion, although there still was no lines be seen. My marshutka to Gorgadzeebi wasn't running this day, so I had to get a ride to the next village and walk the rest of the way. When I arrived in my village, I stopped by my school to see the democratic process take place. Many of the residents were loitering outside the school. Inside was a ordered process, helped along by volunteers, clad in green vests. Among them was my host father Romani. It was an exciting day, however peaceful.

My first planned lesson took place this week. The lesson, run by myself, involves reading, spelling and pronunciation. The children would receive their own flashcard with an image of an object. The object is something that they should already know in English, but may not be able to say or spell correctly. One by one, they would come up to the chalk board, and find their object's name on the board. They would then point to the word, say, and spell it out loud. A simple procedure, and it ended a bit early, but was still effective. The children were able to help each other out, and they liked being called up to point out a word. The lesson gave the students confidence in their reading.

Apart from giving encouragement and confidence in the students, I'd like to make more creative lectures. The current lessons involve reading dialogue, writing vocabulary, or drilling grammar. There is nothing wrong with these methods, and should make up the majority of the class; however, if used too much, students get bored, and some become discouraged, due to their slow progress. They often are corrected while reading or writing, and never learn the reason of their mistake. Introducing a few new methods would invigorate the dull lessons, bringing back interest to the classroom. For instance, the students would be taught days of the week, where they write it down or speak it out. Instead of that, putting the list to a melody, and having the children sing it could be more effective. The remainder of my classroom time will be planning more interactive, creative, and fun lessons.

Outside the classroom, I am available for homework help, although no one has come to me for help yet. I have been teaching some more dances, and have downloaded some music for the children to listen to. Next week, I'll teach some more waltz, this time with music. The lessons are impromptu, but the children learn from it anyways. I also have a nice time walking home with some of my students, where I practice my Georgian, and they their English.

Earlier in the week, I read other volunteers' blogs and lesson plans, and extracurricular activities. Each one stated how involved their students are, and how much progress was being made. After hearing a number triumphs in teaching, I became discouraged with my self, since I have not been as involved and have't been able to make as bit an impact. Partly, it is due to their lack of English, and partly due to the ingrained systems of teaching of my village, and partly due to the study habits of most of my students (non-existent). I feared I was not making progress due to my own inhibitions, that that I don't know what I am doing, that I don't know how to teach. On looking deeper into the blog posts, I realized these success stories were told by volunteers with previous teaching experience and those who have been in Georgia longer than I. Even more so, the regions they taught in were in bigger cities, or regions that have seen previous volunteers, who have paved the way for more advanced lessons and extracurricular activities. Here in Gorgadzeebi, I feel that I am pioneering everything I do here. Progress, as a result is slower than I think it should be, and complicated lesson plans are reserved as lofty ambitions. I can only pave the way for my successors.

On further reflection, one small contribution I have begun to make has been an increased emphasis in having children say and spell a word correctly. Oftentimes, when a student is corrected in their spelling or speech, the teachers do not have them repeat the word, but instead move on to their next blunder. The student doesn't learn why they make a mistake, only that they made one. They are doomed to repeat the same errors. I see the folly in progressing for progress's sake, and have been asking the students to repeat or spell the word correctly.

And now for some photos.