We started classes on Tuesday, officially, as Monday was a sort of hello nice to meet you, what is your name, where are you from, sort of day. On Monday, however, we did have them write down why they took the course and what they'd be doing if they weren't here and had a great time laughing at how many of them said they took the class because their parents wanted them too (or wanted them to be drs), and about how many of them said they would be studying or reading. We did love the select few that would admit they would be "partying with their friends" or something of that sort instead of doing academic things, as that response is very normal AND very ballsy to tell the teacher type on a paper with your name on it...on the first day of class...in high school.
On Tuesday M and I (M is my friend from medical school in the US and my co-teacher for the first 2 weeks), split the class in two and both gave about a 2 hour lecture on heart anatomy, basic physiology, and some pathology. Class goes from 9 am to 12:30 pm, so it is PHENOMENALLY hard to keep them engaged, participating, listening and focused for that long...especially since as the teacher, you can barely teach that long. We both try our best to make the lecture more of a question and answer session (draw the heart, what are the valves named and where are they?, sort of thing), instead of a pure lecture (which neither the kids nor I really would want). The class was randomly divided into two as to who got in my section for the day, but since this "random division" included all of the students who were not there early enough to get desks to write on, my students (or well that group) has begun to call themselves the "slacker" section. It did not help the other class's cause when following the lecture my class was split into sides to debate the other class and promptly suggested that we not do a "formal debate" style and instead do more of a discussion. They did not actually want to skimp on the work, but actually wanted a way for everyone to be involved. At first when I called M to ask, he said this would be great and no worries, but then after he asked his section, they said they wanted to formally debate, and we had to keep it as we planned. My class was PISSED and this only further cemented their role as the slackers and M's role as a little bit of the bad cop to my good cop (unfortunately). My class, also, was anything but slackers as they were pretty damned determined to look up stuff and beat the other "intense" and "crazy" class after that debacle.
Beyond the sectional divisions, the medical science group definitely has its share of personalities cropping up. On Tuesday, we handed them out their project for next Monday (a disease presentation on the epidemiology, presentation, treatment, and history in groups of four), and the responses we received were hilarious. We have 2 Saudi Arabian gentleman in our class who we are convinced are in warring tribes or something as they hate each other and when we put them in the same group (we just went alphabetically so this was bound to happen), one came up to me and said "we from the same country" as an excuse....as if that would make me not put them in the same group. He then elaborated and tried to blame the fact that he did not want to speak Arabic, but wanted to learn English (which they both desperately need to do and Medical Science is not the class to be helpful there). In the end, I just split them up to prevent tribal conflict. Another student, who I think is in dire need of Ritalin as 95% of his questions are SO FAR in left field you don't know what he was thinking about (and the class often laughs), asked to be in a group of 4 instead of the only group of two because "in group projects he does not like to do a lot of work, only a percentage"...to which M replied, "well thats good because today your percentage is 50". We also have a future "asks too many questions and your peers and teachers hate you" girl (who needs some ignoring to calm down) and two girls who have doctor parents (one who is chairman of medicine at UCSF), who try to ask you questions you can't answer (possible given that I have to teach myself the pathology before the sessions), and who phrase things "Isnt it true that..."..until you want to punch them in the face. These two doctor girls are in one group together for the project and I can't even wait to see how much unnecessary detail about Parkinson's they go into. Seeing these kids and their personalities, and trying to teach everyone with them in the class, definitely makes me respect my high school teachers more since I know I was a know it all who often got kicked out of class for it.
Yesterday, due to a series of ridiculous administration issues (one teacher was fired and so two classes had to be put with one teacher and she needed a bigger room to accommodate her 25 instead of just her 12, so we were moved out of our biggest room and had to change the student lounge room into a proper classroom squeezing in desks and chairs for everyone. Also, there are only 6 projectors--yes 6--for the whole program as Oxford traditionally does not teach using powerpoints. As M and I think its impossible to teach medicine without slides and lectures, we planned and made all of our shows prior to arrival and were ADAMENT that we were allowed to use the projectors. They keep on trying to tell us that we had to share and not use them at the same time, and that "it was impossible to need them for the whole 3.5 hour lecture time", but they just did not get it. Luckily, day one they gave us two projectors, and, despite having to project my slides onto sticky tack-ed up white paper the first day, we have since received a screen and have been able to use the projectors regularly so far), our whole class was together (32 kids) and M just gave the pulmonary anatomy/pathology lecture to save time. I am pretty sure the one thing the kids got out of it was how you die during crucifiction, but hey, they were at least interested (as evidenced by the rumblings of "OH JESUS" heard throughout the crowd). Following his lecture and some debate prep time, it was time for the kids to debate. It was basically done formal debate style with a few modifications: introductions, main arguments and rebuttals, followed by questions from the other team and from the floor, and finally conclusions. One debate was on whether a mother using a traditional remedy of coining on her child and leaving bruises should have child protective services called and the other was on genetic selection for a child without Huntington's Disease and half of my class debated half of M's on both topics. The first groups to go prepared the traditional method's case and it was clear that somehow with only access to internet/resources on four computers (they were encouraged NOT to bring them to the program, further adding to the archaic nature of living here), each group had done enough research to present their arguments (citing laws, and abuse definitions, etc). The highlight of the first group, and the reason the group won when it went to a vote by the rest of the class (as surprisingly the slacker class did not just vote for their classmates out of spite for the others), was when, in response to a question of how chicken soup as a traditional remedy could be the same as coining and leaving bruises on your child, one of my favorite students (probably because she lives on my staircase), said "Well, what if your mother just like spilled the chicken soup all over you and you got really burned"...and the entire class started to laugh. The second debate, however, would be considered much more entertaining, as my class definitely did not support their side (the no genetic selection for HD side), and eventually sort of went loopy in their responses and answers. At one point, this girl who goes by Owl, because her real name is very complicated and very African, started singing "Born this way" loud and proud to support her answer. It was pretty fabulous. It was absolutely clear my side would lose this debate when one of the kids on M's side for the "rebuttal" basically ripped my side a new one and said they had "weak arguments" and "did not prove anything" all in a Czech accent...in between roars of laughter from the audience. It was pretty phenomenal...and I was very impressed, by everyone, to say the least. We were so impressed, in fact, that we went to get prizes for our best people on both teams (and a can of chicken soup as a joke). The winner on the traditional methods debate was so shocked that she came up to me after and asked what she did to win it. It was very hard to explain to a teenager that I wanted to encourage her style of being prepared and knowing things, and not motivate the ones screaming answers, having to be right, and being abrasive to keep doing that. Honestly, if M and I taught this class in a bubble, without the administration, we would be stress free and happy. But, having to argue to get a projector, getting moved rooms, having a girl absent and not being told until the evening that she had gone home for depression and suicidal tendencies (via e-mail and completely not private, and very late and disrespectful to us as teachers--and me as her staircase person--and to the class as her peers), having to project onto white paper, and not being told the details of the field trip for tomorrow until e-mail tonight, which is useless to our students who are...clearly no longer with me....just adds a lot of unnecessary strain and unnecessary time to my jo.
Besides class (today I taught 2 hrs of GI and M did 45 of a cool kidney stone lecture), I have been rather enjoying people watching the high schoolers. This started when as the only faculty member in my staircase I had to do the "staircase" meetings and go over the rules, etc with the 15 or so girls who live with me. We also had been informed that we were having a fire drill the next day at 6:30 am (but were not allowed to tell them) and as I read the rules of the drill the girls started to get nervous. One by one they started to sort of beg me to tell them/warn them of when the drill would be as they "sleep in two retainers" "don't sleep in a bra" and "sleep slutty, but are not actually sluts" and were INSANELY nervous that the boys here would see them like that as they evacuated the building and made their way to our dining hall. It was...priceless. Unlike boarding school, the only things we can get them in trouble for are drinking and drugs, not sex/boys in their room, etc and therefore, to scare my staircase mates out of sleeping around (at least in my building), I told them if I hear them, or hear of them, I am going to come in and take a picture. While I am sure that if I actually did that it would be child pornography, after seeing their faces, I'm pretty sure the idea scared them from doing it here at least.
After that experience, I have spent a good 2 hrs sitting and talking with the girls in the hallway, and have taken to random conversations outside on my way home from the bar or hanging out with the faculty, which have truly brightened my day. These are just a few:
Griffen-dor: During my many airport runs, I met a girl from LA named Griffen (yes, a girl named Griffen, perhaps its like naming your child apple). She is an awesome girl, a little shy and all that, but definitely does not do badly in the high school boy crowd. Anyway, from day 1 of being here, you could see her start to break away from the group and only hang out with this one boy. One night we came home and she was hanging out with him before check in and they were just chatting so we (meaning my friend and I who are both teachers), joined in on the conversation. After, we said goodbye and reminded them that they had 5 minutes until they had to be in their respective staircases. They started to follow us out except that she went with him and not in our direction (where her actual staircase is). My friend, being an oblivious British guy, then turned and went "our staircase is this way". I started laughing and told him to let it go and he quickly realized what he did. As the light bulb goes off in his head, she sort of strolls our way and proceeds to call after us to ask us about Samuel Johnson and go on some irrelevant pseudo-intellectual rant so that we, as teachers, will not think less of her. IT WAS AWESOME. Yesterday they went to a fancy breakfast together and asked where to get a nice dinner, and last night I caught them "looking at the stars", even though it was a cloudy night, for a good two hours together. It is good to know high school romances that happen in seconds, can at least last the first week....and they are definitely the "couple to watch".
The Captain: Given the amount of hooking up that goes on and the "turning the blind eye to shagging", a couple of the faculty members and I were joking that we should go around and casually put condoms places, or put them in front of couples. Last night, I was talking to my staircase girls and one of them pointed out Griffen-dor looking at the stars together and I was so excited. I wished I had something to interrupt and embarrass them (more than the "hey, how are the stars", which she responded to with a bit of a glare). I then started chatting with a guy my staircase girls were friends with about it and he goes, you need to ask "the captain". I start laughing hoping he is kidding but then he goes, "the captain is a ladies man, the captain has you covered". He proceeds to call over this "captain", a tall/blonde Chord Overstreet type (even with the big lips), who is surrounded by ladies. At first, the captain responds by going "yeh, what do you need", but after finding out I am a teacher he stops being so cocky. Then, I tell him we wanted to play a little joke on Griffen and he goes "um...I only have three LEFT...and everyone comes to me when they need them...like this guy (pointing at some random guy)...he's known for being in and out fast". I literally die laughing and proceed to tell the kid that he can give me it when he replenishes or something but not to let me know how quickly that occurs. A-MAZING.
The Study Jacket: I am walking past the main quad after being out with faculty and all the sudden this girl comes RUSHING in and she sort of screams and I hear (in a loud New Jersey accent mind you): "I GOT STUDY HALL FOR BEING 10 minutes LATE, BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE, BECAUSE I WENT ON A DATE...AND THIS IS HIS JACKET"....motion to her Oxford hoodie. This was the CUTEST thing EVER, as it has been a long time since anyone I know has been that excited about little romantic gestures. I was excited to hear about her Brazilian she met (I feel like most of these kids just want to go home and say "I had a brazillian boyfriend in england"....it just sounds cool) and stayed and talked for a while. Today, however, when she was having girls pick out her outfit to wear, I found out he is 19 and a townie (or at least an Oxford undergrad) and that creeped me out. Now, I need to keep watch. Here's to hoping he is still some one she can be excited about.....
Beyond that, I have slowly been finding cooler faculty with M, though they still often lame out to do work and prepare for class. One night, because of one of the faculty members, we got to go have drinks at Magdelan College bar. This is the super exclusive college here, where CS Lewis went and apparently like 90% of Parliment, and we got to have the bar opened for us as we sat outside by their river and had a drink. Their college is EXPONENTIALLY cooler than mine, and it was a pretty awesome experience.
Following it, we also met some more law students (this time from FSU) who were STOKED to meet more Americans, and, as usual, we racked up new AMERICAN friends. Last night we also made some more (college seniors from california), but one of their friends sucked and basically the friend version of cock-blocked us from hanging out with them. All of this occured at a pretty cool/famous bar here called the Turf, where we tried Pims for the first time (it sort of tastes like an Arnold Palmer because they mix it with lemonade), in a faculty bar night.
Tonight, continuing M and I's pub tour of Oxford, the weather was nice and we mosied over to the "Head of the River". We found a great table next to the water where we could see rowers and ducks, and sat with about 6 of us and enjoyed the view and weather. It was a chill night, full of stories and laughs, with most of these occurring because of our friend R who has led the most ridiculous life full of security work (for the Afghani President for example), modeling, and bar owning/restaurant owning (near Florida State), and he is only 35. We joke that his stories always end in...and "there were 35 models there...what was I supposed to do". Oddly enough, its not annoying OR arrogant.
We also then watched "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" (based on the Tucker Max books), and I was shocked to see the British boys laughing and saying that the film was excellent. If by excellant, they meant crude and...well, funny in its crudeness, absolutely, but it by no means was appropriate or normal....as neither were Tucker's stories. Ultimately, I am happy that the faculty are finally being un-lame and everything has not been completely up to M and I to motivate them as we did not want to be stuck inside. In the future, we are hoping that one of them takes us Punting (some famous way to basically canoe/gondala ish that Oxford is known for)...
More to come I am sure....
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