The Typical Day at School

"Travel is a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from the travel's immediate rewards....the inevitable new sights, smells, and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way."
--Unknown

This quote seemed quite fitting to remember and reflect upon as I gain more responsibility at Naledi Education Centre. My day starts out leaving the hostel at 7am, hoping on a combi to the combi station, hoping on another combi to Naledi, and getting there sometimes around 7:30 or other times not until close to 8. It's hard to estimate how fast the combis will fill up or how often we stop to let people off or pick people up.

School officially starts at 7:50, but in the Standard 7 classroom, or probably any classroom for that matter, class has yet to start at that time. Mma Rugwe, the Standard 7 teacher, lives in a neighboring village and depends on public transportation so she gets to class as soon as possible, which is usually around 8:15 or 8:30. But, this is normal for Botswana. It has been referred to as 'Botswana Time' since it is a much more relaxed time schedule here. There are no set bells or rigid schedules. However, the students use their time wisely before Mma Rugwe arrives, as they usually work on homework from the day before or read from notes or quietly talk amongst themselves.

With the mock examinations finished, this week lessons resumed. On top of marking papers and assignments, Mma Rugwe handed a few of the lessons over to me! Literally! She handed me the text book they use and the book of education standards to plan the lesson and told me to go with it! Yesterday, I went over writing compositions. On top of taking the 7 different multiple-choice examinations (Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Moral and Religious Education, Agriculture, English, and Setswana), the students also will write compositions and letters in both English and Setswana for their PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination). The students do know spoken English fluently, but written English is somewhat difficult for them.The composition topic was about weddings and it was neat to read about the cultural differences regarding weddings here! In most cases, the man gives 8 cattle to his future wife's family!

Today, I was given the lesson of science and technology to teach. I haven't quite figured out which subjects are taught on which days or if there is any schedule to follow. But, the lesson begins with me writing the text book on the chalkboard for the students to copy down in their notebooks, since students do not have their own textbooks. This is quite the lengthy process at times---both for me and for the students! I then went over the notes and discovered that I have quite a few adaptations to make...slowing down on instructions, asking direct, clear questions, giving ample wait time for responses to those questions, and defining hard vocabulary terms. Then, review questions are written on the board for the students to copy and complete. This is the way that Mma Rugwe teaches. However, Mma Rugwe has given me the freedom to teach however I see fit, so hopefully I can gradually make changes to implement some strategies to the lessons that I teach to help the students learn in a different way. It is a bit frustrating at times because it seems, from the outside looking in, that the students are simply copying the notes and filling in the blanks, without any real direct instruction.

There's not any of the technology that I have used in my teaching experience in the States. The classroom is simple and a hand bell is even rung for break times. This simplicity is a testament that learning still happens, even without fancy computers or elaborate technology. Teaching in the classroom has definitely given me ample opportunities to experience firsthand a typical day of school in Botswana! Since the school day ends around 1 or 1:30, I usually end up playing and talking with the children that ate at Tlamelo, which is on the same plot as the school, until it's time to head back to the graduate hostels for the day.

Volunteering at the school is definitely challenging me to experience how different the material is taught here. It can be a bit frustrating, as it is so different than they way I was taught or the way that I teach, but thankfully, no matter how different the lessons may be taught here, the purpose of education here, there, and everywhere still remains the same---that students learn! And that is what matters!