Keith in Sri Lanka

I was in school at 08:30 to observe a Maths lesson with Priyani, and there were a few serious issues with it, so after the following planned History lesson observation, we skipped the third planned French lesson observation, so that we could use that time to discuss the Maths lesson, and the various issues that arose out of the lesson observation. I think that it was a very helpful discussion but only time will tell if it bears fruit in the long run. Our discussion, plus some time feeding back to the teachers, took rather longer than expected, so I was feeling a bit exhausted by the time I went over to observe an English Literature lesson in Grade 8, then a Science lesson, also in Grade 8. Lalanga noticed how tired I was and thought I might be ill, but I wasn't. The work I do can be quite intense, and occasionally rather emotional, so it just takes its toll on me now and again - I will be 68 next month! I certainly took advantage of a reasonably early finish this afternoon to have ...

It was the start of another week of working with the Section Heads of Grades 5 and 6 and Grades 7 and 8. I observed 3 lessons in Grade 5 this morning - one English, one Science, and one Maths. I then observed a Science lesson in Grade 7. My final task of the day was to have a discussion with Lalanga, the Section Head of Grades 7 and 8, about a recent Maths test taken by Grade 7, which I wasn't the least bit impressed with when I looked at it for a number of reasons. Having put in a solid days' work, I had a good rest in the apartment, which included an afternoon siesta, as it was surprisingly hot again today. I can fully understand why people in very hot countries need to shut down in the heat of the day to recharge their batteries before coming to life again in the late afternoon and early evening. I thought it might make it harder to sleep again at night but that doesn't seem to have been the case at all. Madame Sandra sent her driver, the lovely Gayethri, to collect me a...

I had another great night's sleep at The Secret Garden, and joined Ragu for breakfast just after 09:30. I had paratha and coconut curry for my breakfast, and it was one of the most delicious things that I have eaten on this trip to Sri Lanka - I just wished that I had chosen it for my breakfast yesterday too. Sadly, we have been very unlucky with the weather this weekend, and it was raining quite heavily as we set off around the town, although we still enjoyed ourselves. We didn't get our walk around the fort in this time, much less our hoped-for swim in the Indian Ocean, but one of the highlights of Galle Fort is the extensive range of artwork that you can discover in the many galleries. I didn't buy anything, as I am short of money until the middle of the week, largely because I lost my credit card just before Christmas, and Lloyds Bank failed to deliver it to me when I was still in the Hill Country, as they promised they would. We had a lovely cup of coffee at one point,...

I was up and out at 07:30 today, as breakfast was being served from 08:45 to 11:30, and I wanted to make the most of the morning sunshine before it got too hot. I walked to the end of Pedlar Street, and I sat on a wall by the sea to record a video message for my lovely granddaughter, Esther, who is 7 today. She doesn't have a phone yet, so I sent the video to her older sister, Isabella, who was 12 last month, and I then recorded a separate video for her, so she didn't feel left out! Some shops were open around 08:30, so I did a little bit of shopping - mainly getting presents for people in Kurunegala who have been so kind to me over the past 4 weeks, but also a few for people back at home. I then went back for a lovely breakfast of a traditional Sri Lankan omelette, with a bit of toast, fresh fruit juice, and a nice hot coffee! The bed and breakfast option here at The Secret Garden is a very good deal, especially as you are in the heart of the old town. After breakfast, I did s...

Well, it's Friday 13th February, and I'm not suspicious in the least, but it proved to be quite a day! After a morning doing 4 more lesson observations - 2 for Grades 5/6 and 2 for Grades 7/8 - I left Kurunegala at 14:00 for what I hoped would be a refreshing weekend in Galle. I had agreed to let Yohan drive me - the same guy who brought me from Norwood to Kurunegala on Monday 2nd February. We were well over an hour into the 3-and-a-half-hour journey when ..... ..... the car suddenly lost power on a very busy road, and Yohan had to quickly pull over to the side. All attempts to restart it failed, so he went in search of a car mechanic, and returned surprisingly quickly with one. The mechanic seemed to figure out what was wrong, but it required a new part, and Yohan disappeared one way in a tuk-tuk to buy it, whilst the mechanic disappeared on his motorbike in the other direction - hopefully to return when Yohan came back with the new part. Meanwhile, I sat down in a very run-do...

I started off today watching two very good lessons in Grades 5 and 6 - one English and one maths - and I then did a document scrutiny during my break time, before observing a history lesson.  After that, I went back to Grades 7 and 8, where I observed an excellent Buddhism lesson, and another English lesson. I relaxed in the apartment for a while in the afternoon, before going back into school for a feedback session with Madam Sandra and Managing Director Ravi. The highlight of my day was being invited out for dinner at Dinura's home this evening. Madam Sandra has been incredibly good to me, and she has invited me to her home on many occasions, and also to her brother's home, and her daughter's home in Colombo, but this was the first time in 3 visits to Kurunegala that I have been to anyone else's home for dinner, and I actually felt quite moved by the whole occasion, as it was a really lovely evening with Dinura and his family. I first met Dinura in February last year ...