Are you an Education PCV? You might ask what does a typical school day looks like. I thought it would be interesting to help you understand how even though I’m a teacher, how it can be different in another country and culture. Below is a typical “school” day for me.
5:30AM
The first thing I do when I get up is to make my bed. It just seems like a good start to the day. I have a short warm-up routine I do to get my joints moving first thing.
School doesn’t start until 10 am so I have time to get in a run or some other exercise. I don’t like to wait till after school because I’m just too tired then. So, morning it is.
It’s been getting down into the 40s at night up in my village (and there is no heater), so rolling out of a nice warm bed is hard. But usually, I feel much better once I’m out on the road. I live above 3000ft on the side of a mountain. Our dirt road either goes up or down, but rarely is ever flat. Makes for some tiring runs.
My host family is my host brother and his wife. They have 3 sons but right now, two are away working or going to school. My host nephew who is here likes to sleep late. But my host sister is usually up before 5:30 doing farm chores. We have an ox and goats to feed, and a water buffalo to milk. Nepali women are some of the hardest-working people I know. But before I leave for my run, I let her know where I’m going just in case something happens.
(the boys were getting ready to go to a wedding)
6:30-7:00AM
Back at home, the family is up. Sometimes my host sister’s brothers are here. She makes milk tea for everyone, with fresh buffalo milk. Then all the men usually go to our other farm, which is about 1km down the mountain. My host sister usually tends the fields near our house. Right now, she’s growing potatoes. Everything I’ve eaten here since arriving 6 months ago is fresh and in season.
7:00-9:00AM
Usually, at this time I’m either studying my Nepali language or making materials for school. Then I change into my school teacher’s uniform and get ready for the first meal of the day.
9:00-9:20AM
Nepalis only eat twice a day (there is no ‘lunch’, just maybe an afternoon snack) and it’s always the same, but with some variations. We eat dal bhat (rice and lentils) with some curried vegetables with some sort of salsa/relish on the side. I like to spice it up with a green chill or two. The vegetables are all grown here on the farm and we eat what’s in season.
9:20-9:45AM
I walk up (300ft in elevation gain = 30 flights of stairs) to the main part of the village (where there are a few small shops/stalls) and then down (100ft down in elevation = another 10 flights of stairs) to my school.
9:45-10:00AM
School opens up with a full school assembly, from nursery up to 12th grade. Usually, there is some group exercise, followed by the national anthem.
10:00AM-1:30PM
Before tea break, there are 5 class periods and I teach in 4 of them, 4th through 7th grade. for 40 minutes each. Each class stays in one room while the teachers move from room to room. Teachers rarely take anything to class except the book and a few markers. The classrooms are bare. I really wish there was a way to add some English posters, maybe with some grammar rules. Just something to make the rooms more ‘educational’.
1:30-2:00PM
I go with several teachers to a tea shop in the main village (more climbing up and down) where we can have tea, and maybe something to eat like cookies, crackers or sometimes even Ramen. all grades below 5 are served a cooked afternoon snack during “tipin” (the 30 min midday break). Most of the older students run into town to buy some sweets or go home if it is close.
2:00-4:00PM
The afternoon has three more class periods but I only teach in the last one of the day. During my free time, I update my ‘official’ school diary (lesson goals, etc) and make lesson plans for the next day. For the last period, I teach a remedial English class for some of the 5th graders.
Class 11 and 12 leave early so the school assembly at the end of the day is just grades 6 through 10 and they sing the school song before going home.
4:00-5:00PM
On Sundays (oh, Nepal has a 6 day work week) I hold a Grammar Club for advanced students from 5th-7th grade. And on Fridays, I have a reading club where we are reading Harry Potter.
5:30-8:00PM
At home I might feed the animals and go fetch water, making several trips to the well. After that, I’ll probably have milk tea again. Sometimes my host sister leaves me something to snack on, like today it was popcorn (they pop it without using oil and the corn is from our fields).
8:00PM
The second meal of the day can be anywhere from 7:30PM to 10:00PM, depending on what farm work needs to be done. We have dal bhat again, just like in the morning. After dinner, the family usually watches TV or if we have visitors, they play cards. I don’t understand much of what’s on TV but I still sit with the family reading a book. If not, I’ll go to my room and surf the internet or watch a movie.
9:30PM
By 9 or 9:30, everyone heads to bed.
Are you a volunteer? In Nepal or maybe somewhere else? Is your typical day at school different? Let me know here. I’d love to hear about your day.
