The Joys and Soul-crushing Frustrations of Being a Teacher

There hasn’t been a single moment yet in Madagascar that could compare to this week.

After two months of training and three weeks integrating into my community, I finally started what I came here to do--teach English.

It’s hard to put into words what this week has really been like. Before, I really didn’t feel like a Peace Corps Volunteer. I had completed the training, I can hold a basic conversation in Malagasy, and I have an ID card that says I’m a volunteer, but what had I done?

Now I can say I’ve taught a group of 10-14 year olds when to say “Good morning,” versus “Good night,” and I could not be happier. The romantic notion of the Peace Corps might be to go out and change the world, but right now I’m only concerned about the lives of 220 Malagasy students, in 6eme and 2nde, and my joy lies in the details.

I had my moment of clarity on Thursday, when I was walking to the market and ran into a few of my students. They were walking back to the school (C.E.G) for afternoon classes. I wanted to test their basic introductory skills, so instead of saying “Salama,” the Malagasy greeting, I said “Hello.”

They replied with “Good afternoon,” and I literally stopped them in the street to give them high fives. I just couldn’t believe it. In class Monday I spent 20 minutes explaining to them why they should not be saying “Good morning,” at 2 p.m. Now, here they are, not even five days later, surprising their teacher.

They said it more for the high five than to put a smile on this teacher’s face, but either way it was a great reward to end the week. I know it’s going to be baby steps the entire way through this year. Progress will first come through words, then phrases, and then maybe even a complex sentence or two they created on their own.

For now though, my students know that I’m here to celebrate every achievement, no matter how small, because I know how hard it is to learn a new language firsthand.

I still get excited when I strike up conversation with people in town and make it past a few minutes. Knowing what to say and when to say it is no small deal, and the fact that these kids are pulling this off after only three hours of class speaks more to their determination and character then anything I can do in the classroom. And I salute them for it.

They may be baby steps, but they're some giant baby steps.