(I apologize for the formatting issues, but I'm not in the mood to retype this whole thing.  Please bear with me)

I spent the morning with a group of form 1  (freshman) biology students.  For the first hour they were taking a test on cells and osmosis.  In addition the test included protists such as paramecium and amoebae.  Jonathan, my host teacher, handed out the tests and the students got started right away.  Then he left me to proctor the test.   AT FIRST IT APPEARED THAT THEY WERE ALL WRITING WRITING WRITING DILIGENTLY AND KNEW THE MATERIAL FULLY.  tHEN AS i WALKED AROUND THE ROOM I REALIZED THAT THEY WERE WRITING THE QUESTIONS IN THEIR TEST BOOKLETS.  eVERY SINGLE STUDENT’S HANDWRITING WAS PERFECT AND PRINTED, B UT ONCE THEY WROTE THE QUESTIONS THERE WERE QUITE A FEW BLANK FACES AND EMPTY TEST BOOKLETS.  nEARLY EVERY STUDENT HAD AN IDENTICAL DEFINITON OF “eNDOCYTOSIS”, so they had clearly memorized the definition.  As the test time wore on more and more girls began to chatter among themselves.  When the time was up I announced that they had 5 more minutes and the room nearly erupted with surprise at my leniency.  Why not give them a few more minutes – especially since I didn’t have any clearcut instructions?  Eventually jonathan came back into the room and collected the test booklets.  Then we combined with another class and took the students to the biology lab to look at some slides of amoeba, paramecium, volvox and spirogyra.  The school has 3 light microscopes and some old reflective scopes from the 1960s.  They have one small box of prepared slides.  When I think of the resources  I have at my disposal  (although i complain about the lack of supplies at times) and the way my students mistreat those resources, it just makes me ill.  my students pour materials into the sinks and leave it on the floor and break things constantly.  these students have 10 prepared slides and 3 light microscopes for 1500 students to share every year. 

In the lab I had the opportunity to talk with some of the girls informally.  When i told them i had a son and daughter near their age, their interest level perked up noticeably. they were particularly interested in hearing about my 16-year-old son.  I found some pictures on my camera and soon i had the entire class of 60 students clustered around my tiny camera screen!  i think an all-girls school makes these young women insane for boys……a dangerous situation if you ask me.  however, they’re all lovely and well-mannered and seem to be very motivated to learn.

posted on the classroom board this morning was this saying that I really appreciate

“if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”

 I like it – especially in a girls school.  these girls seem very capable and empowered and confident.  I would be proud to have my daughter attend school here or my son date one of these girls – which i think would be a distinct possibility if he set foot on these grounds…..