Test 2 Frustrations

My first test frustrations dealt with my math classes. This was my second test in my science class, and I think my questions and the answers I received will be enough to suffice. I also included the number of students who wrote the answer (exactly as written here), my class has 62 students total.
Question: Name two ways to avoid AIDS.
Answer: We should protect our hands when helping a blinding person and not using one eraser blade. (11 students)
Commentary: (Translation: blinding equals bleeding and eraser equals razor!) I gave credit for this(???). We talked about AIDS for four periods spanning 160 minutes. AIDS is predicted to kill everyone in Lesotho by 2045. D-e-p-r-e-s-s-i-n-g! There is denial, lack of education, and the cultural right to promiscuity.
Question: Name the three body regions of the insect.
Answer one: Butterfly, Bee, Housefly (32 students)
Commentary one: I have NOT mentioned butterflies OR bees in class. Houseflies were discussed as an example of a vector for disease! I spent 40 minutes drawing, discussing, and lecturing about the body regions of insects. We colored insects and labeled the parts.
Answer two: Head, UPdomen, ________ (six students),
Commentary Two: These six students were closer to the four who actually got it right. The answer I was looking for was head, abdomen (code for updomen), and thorax. What is the point of learning English if you do not understand what the words mean?
Question: Name two of the seven characteristics of life.
Answer: die, evaporation (26 students)
Commentary: I guess I drink far to much water to experience evaporation.
Question: What is a conifer?
Answer: A conifer is an animal that eat both plant and meat. (16 students)
Commentary: That would be a omnivore, a topic we have not broached.
Question: What FOOD group is the main source of energy?
Answer: The sun (41 students)
Commentary: What does the sun taste like? Remember that beautiful nutrition lesson plan that took me so long to cover. Point.less.
Question: Name two of the five pathogens.
Answer: Scavengers and Prey
Commentary: No comment
Question: What group of arthropods live in water?
Answer: grab
Commentary: (Translation: grab equals crab)! Much to my dismay I also gave credit for this. The answer was crustaceans and not a single person got this right. I figured a “grab” was a type of crustacean so this deserved full marks.

Shocking, I could not go without my commentary being voiced. After this test I learned ALL 62 of the B3 students are repeaters. They are technically in their third year of high school explaining why their English is significantly better(!!!) than my eight grade classes. Despite my attempts at lecturing, classwork, homework, student presentations, outside activities they still look and claim to be bored in class. Can’t you tell, they have already “learned” the material? It does not help that I am adamantly opposed (slash not allowed) to beat so they have no problem chatting away and throwing paper planes in class.

I love surviving here. Think about it. How cool is it that I get to spend two plus years living in a country the postal workers do not even know about (with scenery in the picture above)? I am living in “a spec on the map” (according to my host mother). Although I would argue aren’t we all. What makes your spec better than mine, Moe’s excluded? Work is tough. As soon as I consider myself to be making progress all of my effort is blown away, by I this case, a test. There is no educational foundation, students do not understand concepts (they want to memorize without studying), their English is atrocious, and I feel less than supported. No one told me if would be easy. I did not know that meant it would be worthless.