Model School

Part of our training here in Pohnpei was participating in something called model school. This was a 2 week summer school that was open to all students on the island in upper elementary school. Students were interviewed and then divided into levels and classes. Each volunteer was then assigned to a class of students to teach with a co-teacher. Some trainees had local teachers to work with and others, like myself, worked with another Peace Corps Trainee.

I loved model school! It was so wonderful to be teaching students in a classroom again. Before arriving I wasn’t sure how useful or effective co-teaching would be. This was something I had never done before and didn’t know what it would be like to share teaching responsibilities with another teacher. I only had a 9-day experience with co-teaching, but it was wonderful! Jake was fantastic to work with and our skills complemented each other quite well. One of the greatest advantages was being able to walk around and help or assess students while the other teacher was teaching. I felt like I knew the students and their abilities much better because I wasn't the one always teaching.

Working with another teacher meant we had at least twice as many ideas of how to teach the students. It did require planning together, but it meant I couldn’t procrastinate and I enjoyed discussing ideas with someone else. It was also really helpful to reflect on the day’s work with Jake who was there in the classroom seeing the same things. We were also able to give each other feedback and suggestions.

I am super excited to be co-teaching for the next two years. I know it will be a lot different teaching with a local teacher. It will likely take much longer to build trust, figure out teaching styles, and feel comfortable with one another. I was very lucky to be able to co-teach with Jake almost seamlessly, trading back and forth lead teaching with hardly any effort at all. Through the model school experience, I now know the kind of co-teaching relationship I am looking for when I am working in Chuuk.

As most of you know, I LOVED my job teaching music. I still think it is amazing that my job was to sing, dance, play instruments, and teach kids about music all day long. My job was fun and felt like play! I had no idea how to teach reading, writing, speaking, or math. I have only taught these things for 9 days, but it was the perfect way to give me insight into what I will be doing. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I feel confident that I can teach these things!