I talk a lot about my experiences as a foreigner, about cultural differences that stick out in my mind, but not much about what I actually do as a Volunteer. So here’s a bit about that.
I teach math to Form II and physics to Form IV students. Beginning 3 October Form IV students all across the country will begin National Exams and my physics teaching will have more or less finished up for the year. To be honest, this is quite a relief to me as teaching Form IV is challenging: the headmaster at my school puts lots of pressure on all Form IV teachers to finish every bit of the syllabus, which I find almost impossible if you want to do anything more than write notes on the board, and it seems that all my Form IV students don’t want anything but for me to give them the answers to the exam. They don’t want to learn, they want to know what they need to pass the test. It’s incredibly frustrating, especially when I tell them time and time again they are more than welcome to come to me for help and not a single one ever does. It’s a huge contrast to my Form II students who I can’t seem to get out my office after class. Many of my Form IIs are bright, hardworking, and enthusiatic learners. They’ll ask me about math, and instead of going to their physics or biology teacher they’ll come to me with their questions. They’ll ask me random other things like why is it nighttime in America when it’s daytime in Tanzania, what does altitude mean, and then we’ll get into all kinds of other things like me trying to explain how Mt. Everest was formed and how we know the mass of Jupiter and how it’s possible to put a human being on the moon.
My Form II students are comfortable around me, and though it seems like a small thing it’s actually hugely important. Having someone they can talk to and feel free to ask questions to encourages them, makes learning fun, helps them to better understand the things they care about rather than the things the syllabus says they should care about. I’ve got something called “Maswali ya Siri,” Secret Questions, which is a little tea box wrapped in shiny paper where students can write down questions anonymously. About once every month or so I take time to answer their questions, and they ask some pretty interesting ones. Where does HIV/AIDS come from, and why did I hear it came from America? How many National Parks are there in America? What is malaria? Why was Osama bin Laden killed? Was he buried in the ocean because people are afraid he will resurrect? Do wazungu get their periods? Is it true that dinosaurs existed millions of years ago?
I also have a pen pal program with my Form II students. Peace Corps has a program, World Wise Schools, that sets up a PCV with a classroom in America. The teacher of my matched classroom and I decided to arrange pen pals — his 50-something kids with my 126. The first batch of letters we received came with a head shot of each student, and my students here went absolutley crazy. “My friend is so beautiful!” they’d shout as they all passed around their photos to share with each other. This program gives my students an opportunity to practice writing English and to learn about another culture. Many students ask how maize is used in America, if it’s true that it’s grown for cows to eat rather than humans, what other crops grow, what food is eaten, what classes students have in school. And each time we receive letters they get an opportunity to stand in front of the class and speak aloud, to read their letter and practice pronouncing words in English. They constantly ask me when we’re going to receive more letters from our new American friends, and even when they are coming to visit us.
English is quite a problem in schools nationwide so I’m in the process of creating a workbook and reader to use in an English club next term. I’ve found a few childrens books that we’ll start with, reviewing basic grammar and vocabulary which most students are more or less comfortable with, but adding in a speaking component to each topic. Many of my students can read English pretty well but are afraid of speaking aloud lest they make a mistake in front of the teacher. And I’ve seen teachers actually laugh at students who err. So I want to create an environment after class where students can come to freely speak English and build confidence in speaking.
Other future projects include planting Moringa trees at my school, the leaves of which the students can eat for lunch (something other than ugali and beans every single day). Moringa trees have seemingly endless potential and once the project gets going I’ll think about broadening the scope from school to the village. I’ve also been thinking about opening a school library and have been searching around for sources of free and/or cheap library books. Another project which has been done in the past by other Volunteers is painting a world map mural at the school, something that would not only be educational but would stimulate the student’s creativity. More on these last few projects as they develop.
