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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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Features |  |
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A teacher
and her diary
Ayoma Damayanthi, a teacher from Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala recounts her experiences in a British school from March 25th to April 9th 2006 when she visited her partner school in Cambridgeshire, UK, as a Link Coordinator, International Relations, organized by the British Council. March 25, 2005 Feeling very nervous because I have never travelled alone without my family before, and feeling sad that I had to leave my mother, husband and two children behind me, I boarded the plane at 13.45 heading for London. Once the aircraft was in flight I looked out of the window and saw a beautiful sight, there, below me was a very tiny island which was my home, Sri Lanka. I was amazed at how small it looked from the air and could not stop looking at it. I was thinking "what am I doing on this plane. Is this a dream or a nightmare?" the gentleman seated next to me must have recognised my anxiety. He appeared to be travelling on his own; he asked me "Where are you going?" I replied "I am going to Cambridgeshire, to visit my partner school" He then asked "Where is your partner school? I said "Soham Village College".
When he heard my answer he raised his hands in amazement. I had named his old school. We were both astonished to find ourselves seated next to each other, never having seen the other, in our lives before, sharing a common experience. One of us was going to Soham Village College, the other had left the school some years ago. Our conversation continued throughout the flight. He told me he frequently travels to Sri Lanka and lives in Soham in England. The journey took twelve hours. We talked and we slept and whenever I looked out of the window I saw deserts and green fields and clouds and fog and I was amazed at the sights. At about 20.25 the Captain announced "Good evening ladies and gentlemen we are preparing to arrive at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4. I was beginning to wonder how on earth I would manage to find the taxi and carry all the suitcases. Greg Beeton, my new friend must have recognized my concern for he said "Don't worry I will ensure that I help you to get your luggage and see that you are safely delivered to the taxi". After collecting my luggage and getting into a taxi I found myself on my way to meet my hostess Margaret Bryden, passing lots of traffic and lots of lights and seeing very little else because it was very dark. It was night time in the UK and in Sri Lanka my family was sleeping as it was the middle of the night there, approximately 3.00am. After a two hour journey I arrived at 77, Toyse Lane. Margeret came outside to greet me. I was surprised to find a very kind, attractive lady who threw her arm around me and welcomed me. After eating a small meal I was shown my bedroom. It was surprising to find I had a large bed in a room which looked like something in a magazine. March 27, 2005 I woke at 6am, and was driven to the school by Margaret in her Volvo, passing beautiful sights of open green fields, lots of trees, houses with chimneys and clean gardens. I was told the daffodils were coming into bloom, and began to think of Wordsworth's poem Daffodils - "I wandered lonely as a cloud..." I found Soham Village College, to be a very large country house (later I discovered it had been built in 1904) with 1350 pupils. March 29, 2005 Today the year 9 pupils were given a lecture on sex education. The lecture was delivered by Mr. John Pratt, Education advisor who talked about contraception and told the pupils that they must practice safe sex, and use condoms to prevent venereal diseases. He gave a lot of information and statistics about diseases caused by unprotected sexual activities. This was an enlightening experience for me because I had never been involved in teaching pupils about sex. I feel I must suggest that this practice should be followed in Sri Lanka too. After this presentation I went to a lecture on Health and Social Care, with Year 10 pupils taught by Mrs. Bryden. I was to discuss the cultural practices of my country with regard to medical care provided for pregnant mothers and about child birth practices. The pupils were keen to ask questions and were especially interested in the beliefs, customs, traditions and methods of child birth and sexual behaviour in a country that do not believe in sex before marriage and where the divorce rate is very low. I spoke openly about the importance of long term relationships and good parenting which Mrs. Bryden reinforced and supported. I was surprised at the appreciation of the whole group at the end of the lesson. It didn't take me long to realize that the classes are much smaller than in Sri Lanka. Some have as few as 15 students. The pupils who are facing difficulties or who are slow learners are in very small classes and the teacher has a teaching assistant to help those pupils who require more attention than the others. Some year 10 pupils are taught vocational subjects and are allowed to visit an Agricultural College in Cambridge for 3 hours a week. March 30, 2005 Sri Lanka comes to Soham Village College. I conduct Sri Lanka Day. A day I really enjoyed. I visited the Primary school and observed the younger children making Easter cards and learning to read. Wethrall Primary school teachers work very hard providing a large number of resources for the pupils to learn from, with displays on the walls which are very colourful. In the afternoon I attended an assembly with all the pupils who had been involved in Sri Lanka day and gave awards to those pupils who had answered the quiz correctly. I also presented gifts to the pupils who had assisted me by dressing in Sri Lankan costumes. Mrs. Bryden and Dr. Lunn thanked me for a splendid week and for my hard work and dedication to the task I had been asked to do in visiting the school as an International Coordinator. I left the school at 7pm that evening having had a busy, unbelievable experience of a life time. I feel sad to be leaving the school but as they go on their Easter holiday I am confident that the partnership that has been established with the staff will help in planning a realistic worthwhile exchange and action plan in the future. |
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