Education and Weekend Extras

    My first week at Rwentutu Community Christian School has come to a close. When we arrived at school on Friday we sat down with King James and told him which classes we would like to teach in. I have chosen to teach in Primary 4, which is similar to fourth grade. While I would have loved to teach in any of the classrooms I observed (P4, P5, and P6), I feel that I will work well with the P4 students. I will be teaching Math and English, and then co-teaching for the other subjects. I begin teaching Monday, so I am excited to establish a presence in my classroom and get to know the students I will spend the next 7 weeks with.

Audreen, Joy, and I

A little bit about elementary school in Uganda…

     Students begin in nursery school. Nursery school consists of 3 levels; bottom, middle, and top class. After nursery school students begin the primary levels. This goes from P1 to P7. At the end of Primary 7 ALL students must take and pass the Ugandan national exams to move on to the next level of education. If they advance, they begin secondary grades. This goes from S1-S4 and then students take another national exam. They then prep for University and compete for merit scholarships. Based on their performances they will be assigned a placement. Most of the information we received about Uganda’s curriculum and system of education we got from Dr. Gillian when we were in Kampala. She also gave us general information about schooling in Uganda. For example, she informed us that there is a repetitive methodology and that the philosophy behind teaching is that teachers must make sure that students have things exactly right so they can pass their exams. So many concepts are drilled into the students heads from an early age. The system is basically driven by the national exams. And many of the schools here have little resources, so the teacher is the main source of knowledge.
     Because the success of a student is determined by their performance on exams, we were told we would likely see a different approach to education than we are used to in the United States. For example, they said that creativity is less valued than it is in the States because students might assume that fun lessons are failing to prepare them for their exams. However, Enoch also told us that creativity is required when teaching with few resources. Dr, Gillian said that student/teacher interactions are minimal. The teacher teaches, and the students write down what they say and listen. The “drilling” also intensifies around testing time because Uganda will release the concepts that will be addressed on the national exams some time before the students are assessed. I have heard it can be tense around those times in the older classes. Also, classes are supposed to be taught in English, however it is acceptable to teach a little in the local language for the younger students as they are still learning.
     Another big difference in practice between here and the U.S. is the use of caning. Caning is hitting a student with a stick in response to poor behavior or performance. The practice has actually been banned for some time; however we were told that it still takes place, and many families and schools support it because it teaches discipline and is consistent with some parenting practices. Even the woman from Kenya that I spoke with on the plane said she thought it was positive because it just seemed to work. I have not seen this take place at Rwentutu, and I have heard from some of the teachers already that they do not agree with it.
      I was actually surprised after my first week to see that much of the expectations I had about the pedagogy were somewhat inconsistent with what I was told was common practice. I can say that I have noticed that the methodology is very repetitive in regards to reoccurring concepts and repeating after the instructor; however the teachers I have observed employ strategies that are many times considered to be good practice for teachers in the States. I hadn’t expected to see teachers grouping students for brainstorming, including the students in the knowledge-construction process, using students as manipulatives for teaching various concepts, and using humor to comfort students. The information we were given gave me a ridged view of the education here, yet I see the instruction at Rwentutu to be much more warm and flexible than I had imagined. Things may also be somewhat different because Rwentutu is so rural. I will be curious to observe the public schools in Kampala when we return before our flight home.
      So the week went well and the weekend is off to a great start. Last night (Friday evening) the girls and I went to the White House hotel for dinner. We were able to have a few drinks and I had the goat stew. The broth was amazing and tasted delicious over a bed of rice. The others got chicken and veggie curry and a chicken and chips (Fries) dish. It was amazing to think that 2 large drinks and a large dinner cost me 14,000 shillings, which is about $7.50. You can’t beat that! The funny part about our dinner adventure though was the walk there. It had reined before we left and we figured it would rain again. We stated walking anyway. When we were about half way there it started to rain pretty good. Doreen turned back and the four of us continued on with only two small umbrellas. By the time we were walking through town it was pouring and we were the only ones on parade walking down the street. Everyone under their awnings watched, probably thinking we were just some crazy muzungus!

 Almost done….

      This morning we woke up early and left the house just before 7. Our goal was to hike to the top of one of the nearby mountains. We just didn’t quite know how to get there. We managed to get close though, and ended up walking through a small mountain neighborhood that was exciting to see. And of course, we were watched with interest as we passed by children and their parents outside of their homes. It was fun to see the homes and animals that lived on the incline. After almost reaching the top where the small mountain got steeper, we reached an end to the trail. The trail looked less public and more like trails into the homes. So we decided to turn back and take a different road. Shortly after we turned a 13 year old boy named Muhindo walked up and asked us if we were trying to reach the top. We said yes and he said he would take us. Muhindo was an awesome little dude and he turned out to be quite the tour guide. He took us up a steeper face and we were quite winded when we reached the top (and to think he led us in a broken flip flop!). Needless to say, the view was beautiful and he pointed out landmarks, told us a little about Kasese’s history, and taught us a little about the local plants. Interactions like we had with Muhindo are the things that value cannot be assigned to. They make it all worth it. I will always remember this kid and I am so happy that we had the chance to spend an hour with him. I hope his life is filled with opportunity and happiness based on his kindness.

Muhindo hitting us with some
 knowledge about Kasese

When the plant is split, you get a
glue-like substance. It also has plant parts
that look like big baloons. 

 

  So anyway, Muhindo then led us down a different way and showed us the outside of his home. I gave him a cliff bar to thank him and the girls gave him 3,000 shillings for his services. We had asked him how much new flip-flops cost and he said they were 2,000 shillings. Maybe he will use the money to but some new kicks. We are not back at the house (the electricity has been out since last night), and we will probably go to the market for shopping soon. This was a lengthy post, but I wanted to put some stuff out before more happens! That’s all for now. More to come soon!

Muhindo said that these little round parts of this plant are
used by many children to play marbles. However, if they are
broken and get in your eye they can blind you!