Teaching a class that will take the national
exams or the Board Exams, as they refer to them here, is somewhat daunting for
an outsider in this system. Since the curriculum is heavy going and well beyond
many of the students at class X level, it makes me think it is designed to
eliminate students from schooling. There simply aren’t the resources for
everyone to complete high school to class XII anyway. It is grueling, wading
through demanding literature just trying to complete the syllabus. Every time
lessons are cancelled the pressure increases.
Therefore when I heard that our school was
hosting the Cluster Sports Meet again this year and that I would lose 2 class X
English classes on Saturday I was less than impressed and deeply concerned
about how we will make up the lost time. In the interests of GNH and my own
sanity, I am trying my best not to stress…
We were only given 4 days notice so
training went into immediate overdrive and I got a big kick out of playing
table tennis with the team after school for a few days. As is always the case,
those students who are good at sports are in almost all the teams, so finding
time that didn’t clash with basketball or volleyball proved to be a challenge
but we squeezed in as many practice sessions as possible and I filled in for
those who were training elsewhere when necessary. I absolutely love connecting
and interacting with the students beyond the walls of the classrooms so this
was an opportunity to be grasped.
When our cluster schools; Rahdi Middle
Secondary School and Dungste Middle Secondary School arrived on campus on
Friday afternoon, the whole atmosphere of the school changed. Madam Martha
fellow BCFer arrived with the Dungste team and like most of us was more than a
little confused about the process and schedules for the event but managed to
roll with the punches and survive sleeping in the classroom with the girls from
her school for 2 nights. Students who had attended those schools were delighted
to catch up with old friends and the prospect of a 2-day weekend and study
periods cancelled, added a holiday feel to the place.
I stopped thinking about the lost lessons
and focused on the sports that were to be played and especially the table
tennis for which I was once again the person-in-charge. Senior students rallied
around to do the officiating and had more idea of what was required and how to
accomplish it than I did if the truth be known. I was thrilled at the
responsible and reliable way they managed everything.
I also delighted in being able to just
wander about the campus and chat with students. Many of those I taught last
year but don’t teach now, took the opportunity to spend some time with me and I
love the way they socialize with ease and grace. In addition to photographing
events, I corrected a morning speech, played a few games of table tennis and
even listened to an impromptu jam session. A couple of class XII girls
requested some help with their project work due tomorrow and we escaped with
Matron’s approval, to our home for a couple of hours to use the Internet to
accomplish that task.
Bhutanese Stretchable Time (BST) was
operating throughout the meet and games were played with little or no regard
for the actual schedule but this didn’t seem to faze anyone but us dopey
foreigners!
The weather held up well on Saturday and
even the monsoon rain seemed to be co-operating in that only the last event for
the day- girls football was rained on, but not so today. Most games were played
in the rain and the volleyball and soccer grounds looked more like quagmires
than playing fields. Spirits, however remained undaunted, competition was tough
and spectators braved the conditions to cheer their teams on.
Just to make a good thing even better Rangjung
won many events and there were no discipline or behavior issues either.
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