Working hard

I’ve started writing this post from Mihingo Lodge at Lake Mburo National Park. It’s a little bit of luxury. We came here in October 2010 from Bukoba – quite an adventure at the time having to ‘export’ our little Suzuki then having money issues because of Ugandan Independence Day and empty ATMs in Lyantonde. This morning’s trip was far less eventful and the road has certainly improved though some of the driving we saw was just as appalling! See here for a report on that trip.

Crossing the Equator

Steve is writing his bird list for the day and I am reviewing the last week and a half – it has had its ups and downs.

Saturday a week ago we drove into Kampala to pay rent and buy stuff we can’t get in Buloba. As always it was traumatic – Steve says each trip takes another year off his life. We bought a fridge but could not get a convertor plug to make the stove with a Chinese plug that we’d bought the week before useable. Fortunately we found an electrician in the compound on Saturday evening and he cut off the offending plug and replaced it with the correct British one for an exorbitant fee. (Nothing new there!) We still have very little furniture but life in our new house is fine. Sunday we had a day at home – we are still cleaning up after the builders but an afternoon scrubbing ‘neat’ detergent into the bathroom tiles has made them good as new.

I started the working week at Mbazzi school. The director of Schools is based there and I had some things to run past her. Mbazzi school currently only has ECD and pre-primary classes.  Next year it will increase in size and go up to Primary 3 but at the moment there are just eighty tiny wee things who spend a lot of time singing the rhymes and nursery songs we sang as children. I have been getting together a resource of words and tunes of useful children’s songs for the ECD and early primary teachers at Mbazzi and at Katuuso. If you have any ideas let me know.

Zebras en masse

Wednesday we also spent the morning at Mbazzi school. Part of the reason was to spend time with the Director as I knew I wouldn’t see her again until the following week and there were some things I wanted to share, mostly concerning Bill Rogers but more about that later. The major reason was to have internet access as we followed the US election saga unfolding. We just couldn’t believe what was happening! In the afternoon we had the adolescent behaviour workshop at Katuuso. I haven’t had enough feedback on it (not a good thing) so may need to rethink workshop strategies. It’s difficult to know was it pitched too high, too low or just in the wrong place. Next Wednesday we have part 2 – management strategies. We’ll see where that gets us.

Thursday morning the Head Teacher asked me to lead the Primary 6 class in their review of the year’s work. This was my first classroom teaching experience here and done with no preparation! It was fun. It was not the way I would normally teach but everyone seemed pleased with my efforts.

African Pygmy Kingfisher

Also on Thursday Steve and I began typing up the ‘holiday packages’ the students will receive in the last week of term – only 4 weeks away! This is a review of the year’s work in the form of questions to be answered over the holidays. Every one, right down to the ECD class will get one for each subject! As with text questions and exams it is all low order thinking. Closed questions with one answer.  No room for creativity.  It is one of the things I am constantly railing about in the Ugandan (and Tanzanian) education system. There is no room for student led or project based learning if the curriculum is content dense and examined by memory of facts. Helpful ideas from Chalkie friends on what I can do on this problem also gratefully received.

Friday we went with the Head Teacher to visit some Teacher Training Colleges.  We met with some very enthusiastic young recent graduates, told them all about our schools and invited them to apply to work with us.  This week some have shown initiative and come to visit. They must have liked what they heard and saw as we have had many applications. Exciting times for us all.

Uganda's national bird - Grey Crowned Crane

I am still writing this post 4 days later and have had part 2 of the Adolescent Behaviour workshop on Bill Rogers’ consequences based discipline strategies (rather than the “Please don’t do that” strategy that isn’t working) and differentiation of the curriculum (rather than we all learn the same thing at the same time and they really don’t get bored strategy) The mouths said “Thank you” but the faces said “Really! Won’t happen in Africa!” Steve says it sounds like Uganda 2 / Jenny nil so far! We’ll see. I have promised to demonstrate what differentiation in a lesson looks like using a P4 Science class as a model.

Spotted green Bush-snake

I also was able to see the exams the Primary 7 students had sat the previous week. These exams and the performance of a school’s students in the exams seem to be what defines a school. Their reputation is based on it! The teachers are solely focussed on getting the most Division 1 results possible out of the students, to the exclusion of all else. The Ugandan government has ceded provision of education to the private sector.  There are private schools, many of them boarding schools, everywhere. There are boarding schools even down to nursery and pre-primary level! They are mostly “for profit” and reputation is very important to getting students through the gates and collecting fees. Government schools are few and far between, particularly in urban areas, and are managed by the churches and mosques. A government school may be Church of Uganda or Roman Catholic or Islamic. It’s a weird system!

Taking the all school photo

My schools are private but “not for profit” and very low fee but teachers still have the obsession with exam results and so currently most classes (including ECD!) are doing practice exams to be ready for the “promotion” exams to be held in two weeks time. Then we’ll have the frivolity of the House music and dance competition and the talent show before the final party and school closing in mid December.

I’ve put in some pics to decorate the post – not really relevant but will brighten it up! More soon, love Jenny