Teaching at the School in Gramothe

I'm David Sheppard and I will be telling you about teaching English in Haiti.

Right now, it is in the middle of the second week of classes for the students in Gramothe. Most of my schedule has been figured out. I am teaching English in the high school everyday of the week. Today, I taught 7th grade; this is the grade where they start learning English. 

David teaching a few students on the walk back
home.

I walked into the classroom to the front of the class and started scratching a simple conversation on the blackboard with a piece of chalk I dug out of my backpack. The roomful of students-probably about 40 students total-which had previously been teasing, taunting, joking, and laughing among themselves immediately quieted as everyone attempted to decipher the meaning of my writing. I tried to help by writing some Creole words up on the board also and seemed to get the meaning across.

As I was going around the room listening to how they each say the word "the" (most students were pronouncing it as, "duh"), I realized 7th grade in Haiti doesn't correlate to a specific age. I must have had students aging between 14 and 21. I'm only 19 and if some of my students in 7th grade are older than me, image what the 12th or 13th grade is like-yes, there are 13 grades here. The 13th grade, known as Philo, is also sometimes called the terminal grade. I guess it's a killer. 

View of from outside the Computer lab class
of the church steeple

I finished the class about five minutes late but everyone had been having fun, so I don't think they minded. Their next teacher hadn't shown up yet either, so it all worked out great. I gave one of the students the little bit of chalk I had left. I don't know what they do with it, but I was told that if it is too small to write with anymore just give it to one of the students. Finally, I left the room amidst a chorus of goodbyes then heard the taunting and joking commence once more as soon as I was out the door. 

After I finished teaching, I hiked down the mountain and made my way home. Tomorrow, I will hike back up again. Pray for me. 

God Bless,

-DW