THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

And this is an extra long one…

Today was Tuesday. Of course it was Tuesday. Just like any other Tuesday at school. Today I chose to take the bus to school rather than walk. The reason for this was because I had to return the school printer. Unfortunately, we discovered that this printer would only print in red, print on an angle, feed two pieces of paper at the same time and chew up the paper. It usually takes an extra 5 minutes to walk to school than to catch the bus, but when faced with carrying large cumbersome objects to school, buses are a more appealing option.

I boarded the crowded bus and was trying to figure out the best way to fit myself and a printer in the aisle of the bus. A complete stranger tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to give her the printer to put on her lap. In Fiji, this also happens with small children. If the bus is full, big bulky items, children included, will sit willingly on the laps of complete strangers. So I stood in the aisle with my bag on my shoulder and the school printer sitting on a random Fijian lady’s lap.

In Fiji, people are also accustomed to giving vague responses. I asked the lady:

“Where are you getting off?”, suggesting that I didn’t want to burden her with carrying my printer past her preferred stop. The lady replied with classic Fijian vagueness:

“Oh, somewhere there. Where you get off?”

Me with direct Australianness: “CWM hospital”

Woman carrying my printer: “Ah. Is OK.”

And so we arrived at school, I retrieved my printer with a very sweet “Vinaka” and hopped off the bus, being very careful not to fall off the meter-high steps.

Lauren and I walked down the steep driveway towards the school and found that all the senior students were boarding a bus for an excursion and the junior children were putting their best efforts into cleaning the school. This included a cheeky poke on my bottom with a sasa (coconut broom) from one of the students.

We also discovered that the teacher for class 1 was away sick today. Normally, when a teacher is sick, either a prefect or head student will supervise the class who are to continue working in their workbooks. Either that, or they will join another class. Class 1 is probably one of the most difficult classes in the school. The children’s’ disabilities include (and broadly speaking) mild hemiplegias, limb deformities, intellectual impairments, communication impairments and developmental delay. Not only that, but most of the children have limited socially appropriate interaction skills. So this means that there is a classroom of children who do not sit when they are told to sit, pinch and punch if their neighbour has annoyed them, leave the classroom without asking or will do a completely different task to what they’re told if they don’t feel like doing it.

What on earth were Lauren and I thinking when we enthusiastically offered to take the class for the day???

Lauren and I were keen to observe this class from a teacher’s perspective. We have both assessed the students from a Speech Pathology and Physio/OT point of view. We’ve found gaps everywhere: in their language, communication, visual perception, comprehension, coordination, letter formation, sequential organisation, and the list goes on. So where on earth were we going to start?

Every class in Fiji starts with a devotion and prayer. Easy - delegate the job to the head girl who probably goes to church every Sunday, unlike my own agnostic self.

Next: we sing more songs. Lauren makes up a “Hello” song on the spot which we take in turns to sing to each of the students. Lauren also reiterates sequence words. For example: “who did we sing the “Hello” song to FIRST? And who was the LAST person to enter the classroom?” The children struggle with this concept but some of them catch onto the idea.

Lauren then asks the children to recite the nursery rhymes that they have been singing in class. She draws a pictorial representation on the board and asks the children to help her. One of the children yells out: “Humpty Dumpty!” To which Lauren responds: “Excellent – and WHAT is Humpty Dumpty?” The children respond: “IS A BALL! IS A BALL!” Lauren continues, “Humpty Dumpty is an EGG!” Somehow, something has been lost in translation.

We then ask one child at a time to come to the front of the class and help lead the class in singing the nursery rhyme. We choose a child who appears to be bursting with confidence. However, as he creeps to the front of the room, the child who was previously yelling so obnoxiously at us from his chair has been overcome by shyness as he stands in front of the class. His voice is reduced to a whisper as he recites “Humpty Dumpty” as he fiddles nervously with his school shirt. Apparently, it is a new experience to be speaking in front of the class to their peers.

Next, it is time for a story. Normally, a story is written on a long piece of butcher’s paper. The illustrations do not accompany the story and the students usually parrot back the lines of the story after the teacher has read it. Lauren and I cannot help ourselves, but to bring back our old memories of sitting around our grade 1 teacher on the floor as they read us a story. The classroom does not have an area for sitting on the ground, so we get all of the students to move the desks aside to clear some space to sit on the floor.

Then, it is my turn to read them the rainbow story. Nine pairs of eager eyes stare back at me as I flip over the first page of my giant reading book. A gasp of excitement ripples through the classroom as the lay their eyes on the vivid colours of the storybook. Everyone Is sitting still, no one is moving (except Tee who constantly gets up against our firm direction), there is no punching or hitting and I know that somehow, we have managed to capture their attention. It’s as if they’ve never seen a picture book before. With Lauren whispering guidance at me from the back of the group, I read them the rainbow story and ask them questions about the story: “What colour is she using? What was the last colour she used? What is she doing with her trolley – is she PUSHING it, or PULLING it?” Some of the students answer my questions correctly. Others struggle, but they keep on persisting.

Next, we sing the rainbow song and me being my Physio self, can’t help but put big arm actions to the words of the song. “Make a BIG arc with your arm, just like a rainbow!” A sea of arms raised up in the air appears before me.

Worksheets are next. Lauren and I had madly drawn up a massive outline of the letter “m” and some lines for them to practice writing the letter “m” on during recess. Lauren helps student Jay to write the letter “m”. He apprehensively moves away from the security of following the dotted "m" and writes his own “m” along the line. He is so excited and chuffed that he’s done the right thing and beams at Lauren. The class continues and they are each rewarded with a sticker of their choice which, of course, sends excitement through the room.

Lunch time comes and goes and it’s time to play more games. We try to explain to them “heads down, thumbs up”. Lauren and I set up the children with their heads on the desk and their thumbs sticking up in the air. Lauren goes around to put a select number of student's thumbs down. The children don’t quite understand the concept as they all raise their hand when Lauren asks: “Who felt me put down their thumb?”. Lauren had only chosen 4 students.

We try “Simon Says”. That doesn’t go so well either. However, they all are thrilled with the funny actions that Lauren and I are asking them to perform. They want to play it again, but Lauren and I decide to abort and play a simpler game: Dead Fish.

We get the children to lie on the ground. Still as a dead fish! The aim of the game is to lie very still without moving. If you move, then you are out. But of course, some of them are still wriggling and don’t quite understand the concept. Some of them are lying as still as can be. Lauren and I are finally getting somewhere with the concepts of rules and games.

Then, the last activity for the day: FRUIT SALAD. They didn’t understand “Simon Says”, “Heads Down, Thumbs Up” was a disaster and we gained partial understanding for “Dead Fish”.

And here’s how fruit salad went:

I asked all the children to pair up with a partner. They needed help to do that, but we got there with some assistance. I asked the children to sit on the ground opposite their partner with their legs out straight. Some children needed reminding through the whole game, but they soon go the picture when they got stepped on. Each pair was labelled as a fruit – tropical fruit, of course! Papaya, mango, banana, pineapple and apple. After explaining to the children the concept of the game, we played the first round. Lauren yells out: “BANANA!”. The children who were given the label of banana smile blankly at Lauren. Lauren yells and stares directly at them again: “BANANA!!!!!” The children still smile blankly back at Lauren. Finally, after Lauren stands them up and walks them over the children’s legs, around the back of the children and back to their places, the idea starts to catch on.

“PAPAYA!!!!” Fortunately, I was playing and I was a papaya. I stand up quickly and ask little Nathan to stand up with me. He squeals at me: “I beat you, I beat you!!!!” FINALLY, the concept is really starting to catch on. I jump over the children’s legs with Nathan and run around the back and over the children’s legs again. Nathan quickly sits down before I do and yells out with delight: “See, I BEAT YOU I BEAT YOU!!!”.

“MANGO!!!!!” Students G and M leap up and run around the students and over their legs. G has one functional leg and with the most precise and agile movement, hops over each pair of legs that is in her path and proudly sits on the ground before M has reached the finish.

The game goes on and even the parents who are sitting in the yard start to cheer on the children as they take it in turns to run over their classmate’s legs. There is so much laughter and yelling that even the head teacher has come out to see what the commotion is all about.

Then the bell rings and it is time for sport. Class time has finished and I’m surprised that the children have enough energy left over for sport training for the upcoming Sigatoka games. I am pooped and so is Lauren.

We’re really hoping that the class 1 teacher has recovered from her illness by tomorrow…