I Brave Bee Stings and All

Dear friends…

My summer English program began yesterday afternoon and I’m happy to say that it’s gotten off to a strong start. Without the breath of national exams on the back of my neck, I’ve been able to shift into a more deontological style of teaching and wage a war of attrition against student disobedience. The cosmic irony is rich, considering the historical political ideologies behind America and Bulgaria, but the preliminary results have been promising: The class average on the test was 97%.

In Bulgaria, a “C” is awarded at 59%, and the typical class average is around 65% even though tests are entirely multiple choice. My test was mostly non-multiple choice and I told them that any score under a 90% would be considered failure. The building block nature of language learning demands much stricter passing requirements than other subjects. The kids resisted, of course. You’d think I’d asked them to wage a land war in Asia or go up against a Sicilian in a battle of the wits. But I took that horse, shoved it to the water, and dunked its head under; I’m teaching on my time now, not the school’s, and I’ll run things as I please.

I want to break part of the deterministic culture here that people use to absolve themselves of responsibility. The political state of Bulgaria, its problems with organized crime, and the existence of its post-communism bourgeois have little direct bearing on my students’ ability to academically perform. Yet, these issues are often cited as excuses for why the country is troubled; The Ottomans may as well be blamed for every stubbed toe in the country. The real problems, embarassing as they may be, need to be uncovered and addressed if we want to make any real progress. Some of my students are naturally quite bright, and it’s enraging to see those talents squandered because of unrealistic class pacing and loose grips on classroom management.

The time I have over the summer to teach will be helpful, but I can’t really commute to teach any of my students living in the neighboring villages. I miss them. I chaperoned the 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders on their end-of-the-year field trip to Veliko Tarnovo and it was great to hang out with them outside of school. We visited the fortress Tsarevets and took a few million pictures. That place is huge and a joy to climb. (Probably not a joy to invade, though, I’m sure.)

This country really is one of the most naturally beautiful places I’ve ever visited. There are just so many problems that the society has to collectively conquer to make sure the children of this generation will be given a country in which they can enjoy its wonders. I’m thankful that yesterday gave me the shot of hope I’d been scouring for, and I hope that the good times are here to stay.

Daniel