...school is out, I think. Officially, the last tests weren't even supposed to start until the end of next week. But in true Mauritanian fashion, my administrators decided to bump up the exam dates and give an economical one day notice of the change. The last test was 2 days ago. Luckily, I have managed to finish the syllabus for most of my classes. Most.
I will continue two of my Monday classes through June, I am still teaching my English club, and I'm taking on another English teacher's class so he can go be with his pregnant wife in Nouakchott. Plus, the college entrance exam is at the end of June and English might (?) get chosen as a subject so students might (?) mob the lycee looking for some last minute English lessons. And the presidential elections are supposed to happen in early June which will cause even more confusion. I'm just not sure what to expect. What I do know is that I have finished the last exam required at the lycee that I had to write, proctor, and correct.
Oh, proctoring. Is there anything better? No lesson preparation, all the teachers seem friendlier knowing a break is fast approaching, and I get to hone my classroom management skills. Okay, that last one makes me sound like a dork, but my new hobby is busting cheaters. I love it.
Maybe that sounds a little harsh, but put yourself in my shoes: teaching seniors in high school a subject they don't care about, that they know is not worth very much for their final grade. So what happens? Several students in every class don't even come except on test days, because they have deemed the only worthwhile use of their time is to attempt to cheat three days out of the year (each trimester ends with a test in all subjects). And many teachers turn a blind eye to the practice, resulting in some pretty pathetic attempts.
(I started this blog on May 20, now it is May 31, just in case my timeline makes no sense)
For example, penmanship is very important to many students. Several times throughout a test, students will ask, "Double feuille?" (doo-bluh fay?). Meaning, they made a mistake and they want to start anew with a double sheet of blank paper that is so commonly found in all copybooks
Mauritanian. If allowed, some students will use this sheet to rewrite some answers and pass them to a friend. Unfortuneately, they often not only rewrite the answers but their name and class number as well. I know many of the students by name and I can easily read 2 different class numbers on the same desk...busted. Others will use phones to text message friends. Easy to spot...busted. But for every cheater I find, I'm sure there are many others that go unnoticed. It's so rampant.
For this latest test, I saw a student who was obviously cheating. Normally, he's a good kid, but not without fault. He's also not the brightest student in class, but he usually tries. So instead of immediately kicking him out, I moved him to a different spot. Two rounds of the class later I noticed he had moved to a third seat when I wasn't looking to look off of another student's paper. Now, I'm sure many of my fellow ED. PCVs would have kicked him out right then and there, and normally, I would have. He even stood up and handed me his paper when I pointed out his unapproved relocation. But, I didn't want to give up even if he did. I took his test, told him to sit down, and start over. I don't think he really knew what to do. I think he wanted to leave. But when he realized he was going to have to stay, he sat down and began to write. Or so I thought.
He was near the back of class, I was in the front at the time, and I noticed that he would write, look up, write, look up, write, look up, over and over. And each time he looked up, he looked right at me. Also, I noticed his pen markings were way too long and fluid for the maticulous, equation-laden scribbles necessary for this math test. Wait a minute, is he? Can he be? I think he's drawing a picture of me! I walked over to him, and he never once flinched or tried to hide it. I told him it was good, but he should really work on the test. For the next hour, he did. When he left, he gave me his test and his artwork. So, without further ado, I give you "Mike" through the eyes of an 18-year-old Mauritanian:
A little pudgy from the nose down, and I didn't know I was such a mouth-breather. But otherwise, a decent rendering. Too bad they don't have art class.
And now, it is May 31, I teach again tomorrow, and I've heard English was chosen for the bac. I still need to verify that, but that should mean I can expect...oh...about 300 in class tomorrow all expecting in turn some last minute English revision. What would they do if I just drew their pictures for 2 hours?
