{"id":417,"date":"2013-05-25T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-25T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/?page_id=417"},"modified":"2013-06-07T04:13:34","modified_gmt":"2013-06-07T04:13:34","slug":"discussion-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/discussion-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Discussion Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A dozen prods about\u00a0The Mountain School:<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. If judged through most news stories, we get the impression that Africa is two things: a romantic land of wild animals, and a desperate place of war and poverty. What is the Africa you experience through The Mountain School<\/em>?<\/p>\n

2. Alder predicts early on that his proficiency in the local language, Sesotho, will determine his enjoyment of life in T\u0161oeneng. So he dedicates himself to learning it, despite having only a single, old grammar book. Was it nevertheless worth his time and effort? Is learning the local language the duty of migrants?<\/p>\n

3. Learning to live a simple, rural Basotho life proves very satisfying to Alder, and yet many Basotho want a more urban, Western life. Is this just a \u201cgrass is always greener\u201d scenario? Or is it something else?<\/p>\n

4. Alder thinks of T\u0161oeneng and America as being so different that they feel like separate, parallel worlds. Why? Does this make you suspect that globalization is not as far-reaching as some would have us believe?<\/p>\n

5. Recall the kidnapping of Mot\u0161ilisi. Do you agree with Alder\u2019s approach of not wanting to impose on the runnings of the local culture? When should one intervene while living in a new place?<\/p>\n

6. Throughout The Mountain School<\/em> we see changes in the village, school, and people: the road is paved the year Alder arrives; the school puts up a fence and a new hostel building the year after that; most teachers have cell phones by 2006. What developments do you think might have occurred since then?<\/p>\n

7. The development projects of Americans and other foreigners in Lesotho are sometimes misguided. How? Can outsiders help Basotho?<\/p>\n

8. Tholang and Makhala do household chores for \u201cSir Greg,\u201d as Basotho youth are taught to always serve their elders. Is it different in your family or community? Is that good or bad?<\/p>\n

9. In the end, Alder has a feeling of belonging and not belonging at the same time. Why doesn\u2019t he totally belong? Do you think an outsider could ever fully fit into this place?<\/p>\n

10. Also in the final section of the book, Alder says that he at last feels a certain maturity, like he has passed through a second youth in Lesotho. How do you think this might affect him upon his return to America? Will any of his new skills translate to life there?<\/p>\n

11. What does the title of the book, The Mountain School<\/em>, refer to?<\/p>\n

12. What do you think Alder\u2019s goals were in writing this book? Is there a main message he\u2019d like the reader to take from it?<\/p>\n

\u00a0CLICK HERE<\/a>\u00a0for a downloadable version of these questions.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>by <\/span>\"feather\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A dozen prods about\u00a0The Mountain School: 1. If judged through most news stories, we get the impression that Africa is two things: a romantic land of wild animals, and a desperate place of war and poverty. What is the Africa you experience through The Mountain School? 2. Alder predicts early on that his proficiency in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-417","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8huLi-6J","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":417,"position":0},"title":"The Mountain School","author":"Matt","date":"December 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mountain School: Three Years Learning as a Peace Corps Teacher in Lesotho, Africa In a way, this book grew out of this website, on which I posted blog entries throughout the three years I lived in Lesotho. They had an immediate and hurried feel to them since I was\u00a0often\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"The_Mountain_School_Cover_thumbnail 15 percent size","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/The_Mountain_School_Cover_thumbnail-15-percent-size.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":648,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/books-about-lesotho\/","url_meta":{"origin":417,"position":1},"title":"Books about Lesotho","author":"Greg Alder","date":"February 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mountain School: Three Years Learning as a Peace Corps Teacher in Lesotho, Africa, by Greg Alder I'll use the Basotho poet Rethabile Masilo's description: \"Greg's book is true: it happened, and it depicts Lesotho as it is. I like the conversational and non-rambling style the book is written in.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":483,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":417,"position":2},"title":"Reviews of\u00a0The Mountain School \"Greg's\u2026","author":"Greg Alder","date":"October 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Reviews of\u00a0The Mountain School \"Greg's book is true: it happened, and it depicts Lesotho as it is . . . and I am from Lesotho!\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0- Rethabile Masilo, on Lesotho.blogspot \"He is brutally honest with himself and his readers and tells us even of things about\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":156,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/the-mountain-school-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":417,"position":3},"title":"Photos","author":"Greg Alder","date":"January 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/the-mountain-school-photos\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_1464.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_1464.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_1464.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_1464.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_1464.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_1464.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":299,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/resources\/good-reads\/","url_meta":{"origin":417,"position":4},"title":"Recommended Travel Writing","author":"Greg Alder","date":"February 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"These stories epitomize what the best writing of any kind can do: make you feel less alone. But more than that, they can make you go somewhere and do something new. \"Leap Year,\" by Mark Jenkins. Travel is one thing, but uprooting your family and moving them from Wyoming to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":226,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/the-mountain-school-three-years-learning-as-a-peace-corps-teacher-in-lesotho-africa\/videos\/","url_meta":{"origin":417,"position":5},"title":"Videos","author":"Greg Alder","date":"January 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Shepherds in Ts'oeneng stickfight. http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uyl6SY0ZBb4 \u00a0 Female hostelers at Ngoana Jesu Secondary School sing \"Pula ea na\" at night. http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ecRuevd8fcU \u00a0 Music and dancing in Motsie's Bar in Ts'oeneng. Ntate Motsie himself makes a cameo at the end -- he is the one who limps and is accompanied by his\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/uyl6SY0ZBb4\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417\/revisions\/420"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}