School!

So, my dad gave me the idea to blog about what school is like here in Tanzania. It is VERY different from school at home. Here are a few questions my dad asked me, and my answers. Enjoy!

-- Do you do a lot of oral exercises? What are they like? I am assuming you don't have much in the line of books and paper.

A typical class period usually consists of the teacher (me or whoever) giving direct instruction. AKA: the teacher will talk and write on the chalkboard while the students take notes. For some reason the students love taking notes. (My guess is that a lot of that has to do with the fact that all instruction is in English, and it’s easier to understand when you are able to see it written down).

Personally, I like to actually make my students physically do something during the lesson (along with the taking notes part). For example: standing up to demonstrate something, or working together on an activity in groups. Today I made my students act out a sentence from the book we are reading. (I made this poor student stand up and demonstrate “She started cultivating the land. Her hoe went up and down, up and down, up and down”) Haha!

There really aren’t many “school supplies” that are available in the classroom. There are chairs, desks and a chalkboard … that’s it. The students have notebooks for each subject, and pens. If a teacher wants to read a book for class, there usually aren’t enough copies for everyone. For example, right now we’re reading a simple, 6-chapter book called “Mabala the Farmer” in my Form II classes. There are only 11 copies for the entire class (about 25-30 students) – so, they have to share.

-- What kind of things are you studying? Is it basic grammar like tenses and pronouns, or maybe everyday conversion like hello and how are you? Or maybe topics like colors or numbers? Current events? Books like A Prayer for Owen Meany?

Because I’m teaching the younger students (Form I and Form II), they started off with the introduction stuff (hello … how are you), and are studying mostly grammar … tenses, pronouns, articles, etc. My job is to focus on “spoken English” with my students … so we try to work on our speaking skills using the grammar they’re learning.
Because I haven’t done anything with English grammar since high school, I’m learning probably just as much as the students are! Haha … ok maybe not … but a lot of the “grammar” stuff I’ve forgotten, so it’s nice to get a little refresher.

-- How well do the kids know English already? Do most speak at a 5 year old level or high school level or at a PhD level like dear old Dad? Are they very varied in their abilities?

The ability of my student’s English really varies. Some speak English really well, and understand a lot. Some, however, don’t understand anything and really struggle. I’d say on average they speak better than a 5 year old … maybe 10 ish? I’m not sure, it’s hard to gage because it varies so much from person to person.

-- What do you do for fun in the class? Do you teach outside or play games or sing English songs?

Like I said, most of the teachers just give direct instruction in the class, but I’d rather have the students do something. I haven’t taught outside (but I’ve thought of it)! I haven’t sung songs (yet), but James has! I have played games, though!
One of my first lessons we played Simon Says with the basic classroom instructions we learned that day. (i.e., Simon Says sit down, Simon Says close the door, Simon Says write this down … etc). The students LOVED this game once they got the hang of it. It was a little difficult communicating instructions in my horrible Swahili, but the caught on. Not all my lessons have been that fun, though. Haha, we don’t play Simon says every day.

-- Do you ever explain things to them in Swahili?

Yes. I usually start explaining something in English, and then just to make sure they understand it try to say it in Swahili as well. Most of the students are still shocked when I start saying something in Swahili, or using the Swahili word instead of the English word. Haha, so that’s fun.

-- Is there homework? Report cards?

Homework and grades are very different here. Yes, the students have homework. For example, sometimes they might be required to write a paragraph, or memorize a passage, but most of the time they are just supposed to study what they learn in class. Teachers often collect the student’s notebooks to go through and mark them, making sure they are taking notes and doing their assignments.

To be honest, I haven’t quite gotten used to the grading here. There are National tests at the end of the school year for Form II and Form IV students. These tests are really difficult, and many students struggle. Because of this (I believe), the grading here is very hard (to prepare them for the hard National tests). On average, only one or 2 students per grade get “A’s” on the tests, a handful get “B’s”, and most get “C’s” or “D’s.” I’ve kind of had to switch my thinking to the idea that getting a B for most students is an accomplishment.

So, there ya have it! Obviously I’m not an expert on these things (I’ve only been here 5 months), but those are just my opinions on what I’ve noticed/picked up on during my time here. There are some things I will miss about school here, but overall it’ll be nice to get back to teaching in America where I understand everything completely!

Back in Sumba

Last Saturday I was reminded yet again why I am here in Tanzania. The past few weeks, since my parents and Allison have been here, I have been feeling more and more ready to go home and be with family and friends again. Having my parents and Allison here made me realize how much I miss home. Part of me wanted to jump on a plane and be back with everyone again. On Saturday, however, God once again reminded me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and it’s not my time to leave yet.

On our way from my place to his place, James and I stopped outside the girl’s hostel to say hello to some of the students. Beth, Adrophina, Maggie, and Kaboga were all there. We sat outside on the grass in the sunshine for over an hour, just enjoying each other’s company and enjoying life. While we were sitting there, and I was looking at James and Adrophina, I got that feeling again that “life is so good here.” Then I started to think about leaving, and saying goodbye to the students. I am really going to miss some of the students, and I am going to miss being a part of their lives.

Saturday, when Maggie saw me, she came running around the fence and hugged me, not letting go for a long time. She was just longing for that love and attention you feel from someone you can look up to. I was happy to give it to her. So many of the students here (especially the girls) have a small support system, if any at all. Many girls are lacking the positive, strong, confident female role model that they can confide in a really open up to and trust. I am going to miss trying to be that friend for them.
I got that sad feeling again when I was looking at Adrophina. She is so beautiful and strong, and so intelligent. When she comes up to me and hugs me for a long time, I wonder if she gets the attention and encouragement and praise she deserves. I try to tell her and all the girls “umependeza” as often as I can (which basically means “you look beautiful”). They look at me (and Allison when she was here), and play with my hair, and say it to me all the time. I hope they realize that they are beautiful, strong women as well. It will be really sad and hard to leave some of these students.

In other news, it’s good to be back here in Sumbawanga. After pretty much being on the go for the last 5 weeks, it’s nice to feel settled again. Tomorrow I’ll start teaching again. They moved me from Form I to Form II (I don’t know why). I will only be teaching a few periods a week because the students are preparing for national exams. I only have about 2-3 weeks left before the end of the term, so I am sure it’s going to go by fast.
Hope things are going well at home!

Here's a picture of me and Adrophina taken a few weeks ago!

Glogging for Sarah

WHAT'S UP SARAH'S BLOG SPOT... THIS IS A GLOG (Guest-blog) brought to you by Allison Wenino and James Slagle.

You may be asking yourselves, why would Sarah post a glog today? The answer...She is taking a day off for birthday tidings and we have the honors of glogging for her. So, without further adooooo, enjoy the glog!

We left Sumbawanga a week ago in tears and fear of lions because we knew that Al was leaving Sumbawangan soil for good and we were about to encounter the kings of the jungle. To Mikumi National Park we went, bouncing along by way of a bus that unbenownest to us was broken (HEY O). We parked in a small village and some people got to fixin' her "real quick" (aka, not quick at all). 7 hours later we were back on the road...but not for long.

SCREAMING CHILDREN AND ADULTS EVERYWHERE ALONG THE ROAD!!!! "Oh no," thought Sarah as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh snap," thought James as he saw all the crying onlookers. "Is it a riot?" questioned Allison as we rolled up to the site of a rolled over school bus. "ALL the men get off the bus to help the injured," shouted the bus conductor. James rolled up his sleeves, took off his watch and prepared himself for the worst. Little did he know that this was just a group of overdramatic people and there was not one scratch or bruise in sight. The bus did bring the students to the nearest hospital and we all did appreciate the help that people were instantly ready to give the people involved in the accident.

After a brief jaunt in Mbeya, we made it to Mikumi National Park for a little animal gazing. We left early in the morning with our guide Benson and spent the entire day driving around the park and seeing all that the Tanzanian National Park had to offer. Some of the highlights were; giraffes intermingling with zebras, elephants charging our car, lions attempting to reproduce, and a pride of lions enjoying a impala feast. All in all it was quite the safari and we enjoyed the animals, God's creation, and the time spent together. After the safari we checked in to a new, 5000 shilling a night hotel ($3.20) and attempted to get some sleep in the waterless, ant infested, holey mosquito net room. It really wasn't that bad, but it was bad.

ON TO ZANZIBAR...yes that is a real place and an awfully fun and relaxing island to travel to for a couple of days. We started with a rainy spice tour and ended on the sunny north beaches. There are two parts of our Zanzibar trip that should be noted. First, our time spent in Stone Town, the southern port city of Zanzibar that is home to quite a large amount of Arabic influence, history and spices. We went on a tour of a spice farm jungle, wandered around the windy streets of the town and slept restfully in a brand new hotel with an amiable owner. We scooted up north to the beaches of Kendwa, Zanzibar on the third day. After James negotiated prices at four different hotels (and at the hospital the night before) we picked a bungalow at White Sands Beach Hotel ("it was the cutest thing ever," says Allison). A little rain for the first couple of hours was the only thing over the course of the next 2 days that could keep us away from the white sands and turquoise water of the Indian Ocean. We were incredibly blessed by the weather and spent most of each day sitting at the beach, swimming around, and hammocking (tough life, huh?). It was quite the relaxing adventure and, once again, the time spent together was a major highlight!

Now, we are here...it is us...do you see us? We're back in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and enjoying Sarah's birthday at the Dar Es Salaam Guest House. We woke up, ate breakfast, spent an hour shopping for touristy gifts, took a nap, ate lunch, went back for a relaxing lounge time, and are preparing for dinner. Oh, what a day! Happy Birthday Sarah, we love you. Mwalela!

Keep it real all of you back home and around the world. We're peacin' out.

Al and James