When I got back to school a day before this term started I found that I had been given a whole new slew of classes, one of which was "C.P.". Luckily, this turned out to stand for Creative Performance (rather than the dreaded Computer Programming), but when I asked my DOS what that actually meant, he vaguely mumbled something about drawing and/or dancing and then wandered off. Since the rest of my schedule is packed with infuriating Computer Science classes, I've taken C.P. as a carte blanche to do whatever I want with my O-Level students. Near the beginning of the term, I decided that since I love plays, and live in a seemingly theater-free country, I would spend two months having the kiddos envision, script, and ultimately perform group dramas.
The performances finally started this week (the performance itself is their final exam for the term) and with a few minor exceptions, they are ON FIRE. During their lessons and in general around campus, the kids are pretty subdued, and by and large they hate talking out loud in class, so it's been a giant pleasant surprise every time this week when a near mute student takes the stage and launches into an Oscar-worthy display of emotion. Predictably, a handful of the students whose borderline malicious impishness makes me blind with rage in their computer classes have turned out to be star actresses; one S2 kid named Safi, who I've banned from the computer lab for life, made me laugh till I nearly cried during her group's drama today.
Another great surprise: These kids aren't exactly Tarantino, but their overall concepts for the dramas are not bad at all. Love triangles, and the forgiveness or lack thereof that they entail, seem to be the themes of the day. My favorite drama today was about a man who helps his best friend in a time of need, only to have said best friend run away to Zanzibar with the man's wife. That one was particularly awesome because the group included a Puck-esque character (I'm reeeeeeally reaching here; pretty sure they don't know who Puck is) in the form of a housemaid who stirred the pot and commented under her breath on the behavior of the main characters. Most of the dramas are really funny, too, and the more the audience laughs, the more the actresses ham things up.
A few weeks ago, some of the classes asked me if they could use "special dress" (read: costumes) for their performances. I said of course and didn't think anything more of it, because where the hell were these girls, who essentially live in prison and can't even have hair, let alone excess clothing, going to get costumes? Well, they made it happen, in a big way. The girls showed up on stage this week swathed in kangas (ubiquitous colorful sheets of fabric that I guess they all have), scarves, cleaning aprons, paper hats, track pants (to represent male characters), and basically anything else they could get their hands on to differentiate characters and help their stories. They also took it to the wall with props, using ping pong paddles as serving platters, colored paper to represent food, money, gifts, etc., hand mirrors as cell phones, pencils as straws and cutlery, and generally putting every scrap of material lying around the school to good use.
All I required of these kids was for each group to write and perform a ten-minute drama. They beavered away for the entire term and, largely unbeknownst to me, put in a ton effort to make their performances awesome. I can't wait for more of these next week, and hopefully I'll sneak some pictures, too.
All of this means that we are finally at the end of Terrible Term Two! This term has been a beast; it was a month longer than the last one, and almost everyone in our WorldTeach group had a pretty rough time of things at one point or another. But now it's the last day of regular teaching, and it feels fantastic. Next week is "Examens Hors Serie", which are the "minor" exams, including Computer Science and Creative Performance. The week after that is "Examens En Serie", or the "major" exams. The only one that applies to me that week is Senior 5 English. The exam weeks are pretty fun for teachers, because even though we've got a ton of grading to do, we can do things at our own pace and generally have lots of free time while all the pressure rests on the students' shoulders. And after that, on Saturday, July 17, less than three weeks away now, I'm freeeeeee!
Ah.
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