Swinging for the Fences

Sometimes, in life, you just have to swing for the fences. How else does Barry Bonds hit home runs? (I mean before steroids.) At some point in our lives, we all move to L.A. try to become an actor, apply for a job you probably won’t get, ask the super pretty girl out. Or something of that nature. Finally, of course, we might present a series of professional development workshops to your superintendent for possible use in the whole district that would have high impact in the local school district. Any guesses on which one I attempted today?

Yep, since LA is just a little bit out of my current budget, I had a meeting with the superintendent of my district today. I presented him and his technical team an idea for professional development of elementary teachers grades 1-6. In this presentation, I showed him the results of my reading evaluation from the previous year: 31% of kids in first grade couldn’t read, 25% in second grade. Then, I showed him the positive results from this years work in the school where I am mostly based: all first graders can read. IN APRIL already. From my perspective the correlation with new teaching reading methodologies and was crystal clear. I felt that the positive results that I have had thus far in my school were significant enough to warrant this presentation. Basically my idea was to give monthly workshops based in different teaching reading topics, something that Education volunteers very commonly do. Well, unfortunately my results were evidently not clear enough, or something did not go precisely right in that presentation, because the super did not like my work.

I have been lucky enough not to have many overtly negative experiences in Paraguay, but this was definitely one of them. After my hour plus presentation, I asked the Superintendent and his panel what they thought of the results, the professional development ideas, and what kind of support they would be willing to give me. At this point, the supervisor turns to address his panel and proceeds to say more or less the following: “The Americans from the Peace Corps always come here and do the same thing. They have their four years of special academic preparation, and they think they know everything. Honestly, this idea would not work. This guy will not be able to run workshops. Personally, I think I’ve understood about 80% of this presentation...”

Anyone who knows me knows I am one of the most hard-to-piss-off people around. One of my best friends Elwood will tell you that the only time I have ever been pissed was when he stole my TI-89 calculator and refused to give it back. Well; my fuse was done here. Cultural barriers and Paraguayan indirectness be damned, I could not take this man passive-aggressively and openly ripping on me, while seated right next to me, less then two feet away from me. So I go, as he is speaking: “If you have some to say to me or about me, I much prefer that you say it to my face. I am right here.” At this, he starts to go OFF on me. I say one more thing right as he starts to speak (forget what it was, but it was not anything of note), and get the reply, “See, the problem with you, Miguel, is that you have no respect.”

And I’m spent. I spent the next 10 minutes smiling and nodding as the Superintendent criticized me, my methods, Peace Corps, etc. I wish I could remember the dialogue but I was busy spacing out thinking about other things...
Unfortunately, I think this gentleman had a bad experience with a PCV in the past who tried to work with him (wasn’t an education volunteer). I have heard bad things about this volunteer, even from PC, so yea what he’s saying is probably true, that volunteer didn’t do her job well and it has seemingly soured him on working with us. I understand that these things happen; sometimes PCVs do not uphold the standard of professionalism that is expected of them. He brings this previous volunteer just about every single time I try to work with him. It is unfortunate though, whatever the reason, that this gentleman in question seems almost combative against me, as if I am an enemy of his. As I explained to him privately after the meeting, I think and hope we both have the same goal: all kids read.

So I designed a series of workshops based on the best teaching reading techniques in existence, using my year of experience in the schools here to tailor the program specifically for the teachers here. I hoped that I might be able to reach out to a larger quantity of teachers and have a more rippling impact. And I got a resounding no, we don’t want them. Swing for the fences...aaaaand it’s a big swing and a miss. I’m alright with that, though. At least I got my hack in.
It’s just a little sad to me because, from my point of view, I have the knowledge, knowhow, reading techniques, whatever you want to call it, to create a vastly different educational opportunity and environment for students here. Still trying to figure out why, but the powers that be in the area don’t seem very open to new ideas and don’t even want me attempting to present those ideas.

This little story is a pretty good example of the countercurrent volunteers and other development workers encounter in their work. One of the hardest things to deal with in the developing world is seeing a problem, and, from your perspective, being 100% sure of the solution, but being utterly powerless to change it. Tends to happen alot with health problems, environmental stuff, and of course education. Yay for learning about the difficulties of grassroots change the hard way.

On another note, my host mom and sister INSISTED on randomly coming over today to clean my entire house. My sink, stove, and fridge are now spotless. Not to reinforce gender stereotypes, but they did a hell a better job than I ever could have done. They still couldn’t get the family of 3 mice out of my stove though.