Well, the cleansing effects of Saturday night's fiesta would not stop, so I have had to resort to Peace Corps protocal: Gatorade, or its equivalent, until things calm down. It leaves you kind of hungry, but it beats spending the entire day circling the bathroom like a vulture. By the way, Stony Brook Travel Medicine was kind enough to provide me with a recipe for home-made Gatorade that is reputed to be effective enough to rehydrate cholera patients: Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 8 teaspoons of sugar to 1 liter of water. Honestly, it tastes just like Gatorade without the bizarre "fruit flavor." And it provides the same salty after-taste.
In better news, a valuable suggestion (offered by Ms. CZ, of Brooklyn, NY) has made an enormous difference in the management of the fourth grade class. The idea was a behavior chart with no more than three rules, so the children could see if they were sticking to them, a daily record of rule-compliance, and a sticker for every three checks for rule compliance. And, of course, a prize at the end of the week for the best behavior (yes, it's an ice cream.) The three rules are: I stayed in my seat, I was quiet, I didn't touch anyone. We started Monday. Today is Thursday. My classroom resembles a fourth grade classroom in the United States. I'm even considering doing the same with my older students, but I'm not sure I can afford to buy all of them off. On the other hand, maybe I can't afford not to.
I've got to say, this is a great advance over the Peace Corps years. I believe that I mentioned the idea of "crowd-sourcing" this project, that is, using ideas from all of my talented friends to do a much better job than I could alone. Back in the Costa Rica days, I had to invent everything I did, which meant that I spent a lot of time doing little or nothing, or doing things of dubious value. So I invite all of you to keep me on track.
So, permaculturists, how many chickens in how big an enclosure constitute a chicken tractor? Tolte is ripe for the concept.
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