Typical Teaching Day

Teaching

So teaching in Tanzania is so different to teaching in England. I think if ofsted came into the school they would have a nervous breakdown. But that is because we are a school of love not grades, a school of creativity not structure, a school of freedom not rules and regulations. Hope International School gives children the room and environment to explore, grow, be encouraged and learn through their own unique style. It has been an eye opener into the way I see future schools operating.

So here is an example of a typical school day.

I am up at 6 washed, dressed, fed, facebooked, cupper down my neck and see each of my housemates slowly get up (some later than others I must say) and wait for the honk, which means are ride is here (ahhh I just said ride and not lift.) So we get to school and the teachers and the aids all have a short devotion time where we pray for they day and encourage each other. Its then time to let my beautiful students in. Some of the missionary kids I have in my class have only ever been homeschooled so there perception of school is what they have seen in the movies. So a request I had was that when I do the register that they may answer with present. So that’s what we do. Each child angelically says present as if we are in a posh little school in an English village. My lovely student Mercy who is not English speaking, enlightened the whole posh little village school with her response to her name shouting ‘yeasssaaaa’ in her lovely Tanzanian accent. It always made the register so fun. (I couldn’t wait to get to her name) However she now puts on this posh voice that the other girls have adopted and says present as her name is called. But enough about the register we have the rest of the day to get through.

We start each day with a centering time, which is used for prayer, declarations, soaking, journaling and art. We then share visions, word of knowledge and dreams that we have had. It’s an experience that I had never been in before with children and it really does blow my mind. Some days our centering time goes on all morning. But with the freedom that the school entails, there is no problem in doing so.

A picture my student had during our discussions about being Royalty of God

So we then have maths, which my American children use to call math but they now too call it maths. Whoop. Although the pressure is less that an English school and there is more freedom, it was a real struggle to find where my children were all at. With no records from previous schools or level descriptors, I started from scratch with counting to 100 and number bonds to now looking into fractions. It’s an adventure and I am slowly starting to feel more comfortable with what I teach.

Maths wall

We then have Break/Recess. Snacks are provided which is something called Ugi, which contains soybeans, millet, corn and peanuts. I am not completely convinced on the whole idea and would need to add buckets of sugar for it to rest nicely on my tongue. In addition to this there is always another snack of either popcorn, peanuts, fruit or cutup vegetables which I great.

Eagerly awaiting snack

Ugi and veg

After the children are all filled up on ugi and ran around on the playground it is time for quiet reading and a chance for me to listen to them read individually. To be honest I could do that up until lunch but it then is Geography time. We are following a great curriculum that is focused on the world. Each child has their own passport (pretend) and every two weeks we go to a different country and explore their culture, climate, people, animals and anything else the children want to find out. At the moment we are ‘in America’ we are learning about the states, the North American forests and the children’s choice of topic is always the American food (my mouth waters every time the topic is brought up) ha.

We then have time for English in which we are all in the process of writing a children’s story. Each Thursday morning we have been making our way down to the preschool to read to the younger children, it is good to see my children read to them and I think they come out feeling encouraged. After our first session of doing this my students asked if they could write their own story for the children. So that’s where we are, children have their characters down to a tea and we are on planning the plot.

As my classroom is right next to the kitchen my nose senses when lunch is ready. There is always so much, with a Tanzanian and western option you are spoilt for choice.

Children enjoying their lunch

So yey now its afternoon time. Teaching stops! Yes that is right lessons stop in the afternoon and it what we call ART time. Each teacher teaches a different element of the arts. So we have music, dance, art, art history, Swahili, gardening, p.e, swimming and I teach Drama and Enterprise. It I so much fun and allows the children to shine in all aspects of learning. I love teaching drama and I have some real little actors and actresses among my midst. I can’t wait for the Christmas production. So if you were wondering what I do when I am not teaching Drama or Enterprise, I am usually drinking tea sat at my desk planning or preparing for the next day. Its great.

One of the companies in Enterprise class hard at work.

So there you have it a typical day teaching in my school. It has been challenging with language barriers, children at completely opposite levels, transitioning from homeschoolers to students in classroom, my transition from being trained to teach in a certain way to teaching in a school like Hope. But God is there every step of the way and as time goes the challenges will go unnoticed. So keep praying.

View of my classroom from my desk

One month!

One month! Wow, one whole month living in Tanzania. I can now say 5 Swahili words (I’m rather behind my fast learning fellow teachers)

Pole- sorry

Asante- thank you

Karibu- welcome

Jambo- hello

Mambo – I think it is some kind of greeting but just find myself saying it to fit in ha.

Poa – good

So as you can imagine communication between the non-speaking Tanzanians and me is slightly limiting. I feel a big cheesy smile speaks for itself.

Ooo so what have I been up to. Well we travelled to a small village in which two of the scholorshipped children live and went to their church service. It was all in Swahili but it just didn’t seem to matter. It was such an amazing experience and seeing them worship couldn’t help but bring you joy. As lovely as this was, knowing me, I needed the toilet. I was taken by a lovely lady (no English) to what couldn’t have been more than 4 panels of wood each side jammed in the mud to stay up. Yes, unfortunately this was the toilet. The rickety little door was opened for me and there was a dark black hole in the middle. I wont go into to details of the smears of substance around the hole, or the long tailed squeaky friends that were in the hole. But as I stood there in my Sunday best holding my breath (and no I did not go to the toilet) I was wondering how long it was before I could come out, not allowing them to think that I didn’t actually go. I think the worst thing was when I asked my friend why there is no toilet paper. Cough. So just to be on the safe hand be careful when shaking hands to shake peoples right hands in Tanzania, I will say no more.

Ryan leading worship at the village church

Mercy my student with the african version of nail varnish. A plant you put on your nails that stains them a colour.

Moving on, we were all invited to an art exhibition. Got to be honest this wouldn’t really be my first choice of ‘fun things to do’ but hey there’s a first time for everything. It was also a chance for a lot of the westerners in Moshi to get to know each other. Okay so if you haven’t been to an art exhibition, you must. Okay so yes the art was good etc. but the real treat is the array of glorious food. That in itself was art. The beautiful cut up fruit, bacon wrapped dates, dips of all varieties (I better stop as my mouth is now watering) So I signed up for the next art exhibition in October, whoop. The same day we also went over to Ruths house and cooled down and relaxed in her pool, not before we had a little game with the kids.

Most excitingly we had a new addition to our little Tanzanian family yesterday and that is our lovely dog. We decided to call him Hodari which means brave in Swahili he is a beautiful golden colour but unsure of his breed? It is new to me having a dog that is not spoilt and sleeps in bed with me. But I am being mature and what helps is thinking of him as a pet fox that has to sleep and stay outside, it makes it easier on my emotions (such a drama queen) 

Bekah and Melissa giving him a wash

Welcome to the family

 Every Sunday we all go out to a lovely restaurant after church. The food is great depending on whether you receive it or not. Ha. The fellow teachers and me devised a plan of all ordering together and sharing the food amongst us. This means that whatever comes out at least we all have something to eat which is lovely. Sunday lunches are a lovely time of just being with family.

Language barrier

So I live with one other English girl and three girls from America.

Its funny that although we all speak English, the differences between American English and British English is very different.

I have grown up on American pop culture my whole life, from watching Sesame Street and Barny as a child I grew to love Friends, Ugly Betty and a little something called Glee. However watching American shows is completely different to actually living with them. I can hear myself already start to say certain words (really trying hard to keep hold of my Yorkshire accent) whereas the other girls are slowly starting to put on an English accent (when I say put on I mean trying to put on and there trying to put is a mash up of an old English/cockney/Yorkshire twist.

We joke how we will all come back home with a strange American/British accent, so apologies in advanced for all you back home who will have to listen to me. Ha.

Confusion really did hit in, when school supplies started to be discussed. Pencils, Pens and rulers cause little but no problem at all. It was when a certain object that we Brtits call the rubber came into question. So Rubbers in America do not mean the thing you use to correct your work by rubbing it out. Oh noo. So let me tell you a little story of how this confusion can cause quite a kafuffle.

So a guy in our Church has a business selling Church supplies. If I recall correctly my Dad had asked him to order some Stationary personalized with our Churches name on and with our slogan “bringing heaven to earth’ to hand out to visitors etc. So the businessman ordered the usual Pens, Pencils and rubbers. So I guess he imports these things from America as when he opened the parcels he had a shock when there was one of the boxes jam packed with Rubbers but not what we call rubbers, but what Americans call rubbers. All individually marked with Harrogate New life church, connecting Heaven to Earth. (If you do not know what a rubber is in American I suggest you go find out to make the story comprehendible)

I haven’t experienced anything quite so embarrassing, except when I asked to smell one of my students cocacola flavored rubber, my fellow teacher had to hold it in to laugh. I will remember to call it an eraser soon.