9 Times

The Jamaican education model involves alot of rote memorization and repitition. For instance, we frequently work with grade 6 students and it is common to have them read aloud, in unison, whatever you put on the board. They give answers in unison, read books in unison, and basically act like little robots in the classroom. This even has a name here 'chalk and talk'. A teacher will write things on the board that students copy (often incorrectly) into their notebooks or read aloud. This is an enormous problem as it hides the children with literacy problems, slows down the bright children, creates indecipherable homework and makes everyone medicore, at best. Poochie often brings home vocabulary that she's supposed to look up in a dictionary, when I look at it about half of the words aren't words. It took me a long time to figure out that she was copying them wrong from the board. Much to our consternation, the only thing that isn't required rote memorization is the TIMES TABLES! Every American child is required to learn the times tables, but in Jamaica, with all the chalk and talk, kids don't have to know the times tables. In fact you CAN'T buy a notebook in this country that doesn't have a cheat sheet of the times table on the back cover. A standard issue notebook has all Jamaica's famous leaders and the times table on the back. So when I was in the States recently, I picked up a pack of multiplication flashcards. Here's Khaled with the girls, trying to get across the 9 times table. We love this one because of 09.18.27.36.45.54.63.72.81.90. We showed them how this works, like a mirror and everything. No luck. We will just have to keep trying. Around the table, clockwise, are Khaled, Kadeem, Sashika, Cassanique, and Poochie. Poochie has just taken her GSAT, so now we have to see if she gets into high school, any high school, or if she will be sent to an All-Age, where you don't go past grade 9. If that isn't a stressful situation for a 12 year old, I don't know what is.
On a lighter note, we had yet another night time visitor. At least we can classify this one, its a BANANA SLUG! This guy was hanging out above our lightbulb for a few hours, just lazily eating moths. At least it was kinda cute, and its comforting to at least know what it is. We also had a big roach last night, but Khaled got him. I allow most things to live, but roaches cross the line. Our banana slug showed up one eveling and was gone by morning. Far more polite than a roach, who will just go hang out in my wheat cracker box.