Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe go, maybe no

I feel like today followed the script of a “Cat in the Hat” book. Thursday, tomorrow, is National Independence Day, so I decided to be proactive and ask if we had school. I have often said that my school is not disorganized, just no one tells me anything. This may actually not be true.

So far, I heard yes definitely off from a teacher, Headmaster told me he would listen to to radio and tell us “later” (it’s tomorrow) but that Friday the Minster was coming. Some students told me Friday was a Genocide memorial, but then the headmaster said that was Saturday. Then, the Dean of Studies said he knew nothing about a Minister or a  day off and the memorials were Sunday. Just writing about this is making me so confused and frustrated I do not think I can even finish the……………………………………….

Squeeeeeeee!

http://worldteach.org/programs/rwanda_year/  

 

I took two of the pictures!!

Social butterfly

So everyone in Nyanza thinks I am a hermit because I don’t like to be surrounded by people 24/7, but mostly I try to avoid awkward 4 hours visits, so I just stay home. Last Wednesday, I went to 2 different people’s houses, and had another social call today. (2 of these were to meet babies so you see where my motivation lies). And, I blogged about my whole special Sunday with Alodie and my colleague.  No hermit here.

Today I went to visit my Dean of Studies Eric. He and his wife just had a beautiful baby girl named Emma. Such a sweet baby, didn’t cry, just laid in my arms and napped on and off. I offered to babysit.

 

 

Baby Emma

Dictionary definition of wrong

 

This was not my idea and I do not sanction. But this blog is the good, the bad and the ugly. Whiteface being all of the above.

A wild bore

One of my favorite all time quotes from Joanna Copley (Joco) came in reference to teaching ICT (computer class). I texted her something about ICT being a pain and she responded “Teaching ICT is like trying to get wild boars to sit down to tea.” Amen. ICT not only turns my students in lying, deaf hooligans, it also turns me into a screechy wench.  No matter how many times I have a serious talk in the classroom before the lab (A.K.A. every time), the result is the same.

Discipline is not something I worry about often. My kids are pretty well behaved, and I feel confident getting them back in line when they aren’t. Now that exams are looming, when students are talking or sleeping I say “This will be on the exam. If you get a zero on the exam, I will not feel bad” or “If I was an English teacher and there were exams coming, I think I would put similes on it.” That usually makes students straighten up and pay attention. I haven’t lost my cool in an English class, the closest I came if when my S6 tried to steal my postcards. Now that the computer lab is up and running, I lose it pretty much everyday in ICT.  Like most teenagers, all their sense and reason leaves the equation when a computer is in sight. I have now resorted to taking 5 marks on people’s final grades (so if they got 20 on the exam, they would only get a 15/20 for the trimester).  “I said, Close your program NOW! Fermez votre programme MAINTINANT” “NOW!!!” “I am locking anyone who isn’t out of the room in 10 seconds in.” I also wander around the room muttering or saying out loud curses.

My students think CAPS LOCK is an acceptable way to type, so much of the time is spent with me erasing what they have written and saying “NO ALL CAPITAL LETTERS!.” I thought maybe they didn’t understand what I meant, so we spent 15 minutes in the classroom going over Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee, proper nouns, sentence beginnings, but THEY STILL KEEP THE CAPS LOCK ON.  its enough to make a poor teacher named jane give up capital letters all together.

I have ICT with 2 classes for 2 hours a week each. But every hour feels like it takes a year off my life. At this rate, I am just hoping to make it to 35. We spilt the class, so half goes for one hour and the other half the next. This way everyone gets a computer and there is a tiny glimmer of non-chaos. But, roughly 1/4 of the class tries to go twice and then lies when I catch them “Ah, Teacher, you said I could come back” Nice try. Today, after I had thrown 3 boys out  screaming “Get out NOW!” after they tried to sit down at different computers, I caught another boy turning his head away from me. Don’t get into a life of crime Martin, your poker face needs work.

“Get out!! Tugenda!! Aller!!!”

Uniforms + kids = cuteness

I know why the caged bird sings

Today, as an example of figurative language/metaphors/etc I did “I know why the caged bird sings” by Maya Angelou in my classes. I promised that if everyone did a good job and listened we would “interpret” Waka Waka-This Time for Africa (The Official WorldCup song) next class.  I explained the context and a little about Maya Angelou and life in the USA for African-American’s while she was growing up so that when I asked “Who is really the caged bird” I wouldn’t get blank stares. All my classes were great and ended up asking questions about civil rights instead of about metaphors. The best singular question award goes to Charlotte in 5MCB who asked “Why do all African-American’s like hop-hop and do drugs?” This prompted a response from me on how Pop Culture does not represent the majority of Americans and devolved into a conversation about why “bitch” and “nigger” can now be used in positive* ways.

My 6PCM class ended up grilling me about a variety of topics related to civil rights.  The questioning was lead by a boy who has not looked up from his chemistry homework since the first day when he asked me what “Nigger” meant. He was on fire today, and if the whole class wasn’t already set on being doctors, I would recommend law school.  In the tradition of every good child/ young lawyer, they refused my attempts to turn the discussion back onto them. I usually tell them what I think AFTER they give their own opinions, but this time, they kept saying “We don’t know. We don’t know America…”

The following is a paraphrased discussion that ended up going 20 min past the end of class. I kept saying I would answer one more question before the next teacher came…but that teacher never came.

‘But Teacher, so now everyone in the United States has equal rights?”

“Yes, that is correct”

“So nothing bad ever happens to black people?”  (kid trapped me! total leading question)

“Well, discrimination and equal rights are different. Everyone has equal rights but people can still be racist”

“So, you can be mean to black people”

“Well….yes, you can stand up and say I hate black people, but you cannot keep anyone out of your school or be violent”

‘But, Teacher, what about the trauma of people?”

“Sorry? Trauma?”

“What if what I says makes someone else feel the trauma, is that okay?”

“Oh” {long pause} “Yes, it is possible with free speech that you could say something that might traumatize someone else. But it is only illegal if you break a law, for example hit someone”

“But your actions, can they traumatize?”

“Um….It would depend on the action, I could wear a t-shirt that says I Hate White People, and that is okay but if I hit a white person, then I go to jail. This is one of the side effects of Free Speech, people can and will say things you don’t like.”

“Teacher, teacher, teacher”

“Yes?”

“For you, you have lived in the United States and Rwanda, what advise’s would you say to us about this. Racism”

{Long pause} “In the United States, school children read Maya Angelou and learn about civil rights so they can learn not to be racist. We try to teach children to choose their friends based on being kind or honest instead of skin color”

“And what would you advice to us?”

“Hmmmm, well, in Rwanda you do not have black people and white people who are native but you do have different tribes” {meaningful eyebrow raise} “that I am not allowed to identify, but I would say the same…. you should decide who you like and don’t like based on how they act, instead of their tribe or who their father was”

“Teacher, I have a question”

“Okay, but then I have to go”

“What would you say to American’s about freedom in Rwanda” (Several people giggle and look at each other)

“Well…..As we have said before, right now Rwanda’s top priority is safety. So I would tell American’s that right now, safety is first and freedom of speech is second.” (Many nodding heads)

“And what would you advice us about this?”

“Ummm” {pause and fidget} “What do you think?”

‘We don’t know, it is your advice to us”

“Well, the USA had its civil war many years ago, so now when people speak their mind, it isn’t scary. For Rwanda,  now, the idea of people saying they don’t like other people is scary for the government. But, in 10, 20 years, it may not feel so scary anymore, and then Freedom of Speech and safety can be equal.”

“And Teacher, what about Peter Elright” [the US Lawyer arrested in Rwanda]

“Huh?”

“The man, arrested…”

“Oh, yes, right, well, what about him?”

“Who made the mistake? Did he do bad, what do you think?”

“Well, in the USA he probably would not have gone to jail but when you travel you must obey the country’s laws”

“So did he make the mistake or the government?” (Shocked glances)

{Long long pause} “Well, what do you think?”

“We don’t know, we need to read more about it. You? Who make the mistake?”

{pause} “Ummmm, well, I didn’t live in Rwanda during the Genocide so I don’t think I get to decide who made the mistake. If he broke Rwanda’s laws- even if they seem unfair to an American-then he can go to jail” (plus, I don’t actually understand if he did what he is charged with, which is denying the genocide)

“What would you advice to him?”

“I don’t know, what would you----“

“Tell us what you would advice”

“I would explain to him that you do not have the same rights as you have in your country, and you must obey the laws of Rwanda. I really HAVE to go, I will go look up the article on him now and we can discuss next time”

“Teacher, will they close the American embassy like they did with the France”

“No. Obama and America have a mostly positive view of Rwanda, even though we disagree on Free Speech. They are not going to close the embassy. The side effect of Free Speech is that you are going to hear things you don’t like. So even if Obama doesn’t like that Rwanda jailed an American, they will not close the embassy. Now, I have to go, I will get you an article on this”

“So you will bring us an American view”

“Yes, okay, BYE!”

“Teacher, Teacher, Teacher…..”

* The idea that these words can be used with positive connotations is highly controversial and debatable, but since I am the teacher… I get to shape their minds with MY view*

Sunday, Sunday

I spent Thursday and Friday nights in Kigali, watching football and getting my hair done. My friend Susan is living in Kigali now and stays at St. Paul’’s mission, where is we had our orientation was back in January. St. Paul’s is basically a hostel run by the church and has the advantage of being clean, cheap and very centrally located. The downside is that people staying there tend to arise at 6:00-7:30am and apparently w-40 is not an expense the church is willing to incur. So, Susan generously lets me me share her twin bed, which is amazing for me, but it does mean that no matter what time we go to sleep,  by 7:00AM doors have been creaking for an hour and the room is hotter than the surface of the sun. I decided to spend Saturday night in Nyanza to catch up on some sleep and get things ready at home for the week.

Sunday morning 10:00 AM. I was woken by a knocking on my door. I dragged myself out of bed, singing praises that I was able to sleep so late, and saw Alodie my house girl at the door. She came in,  clearly shocked that I was still asleep and started speaking in rapid kinderwanda. I didn’t understand what was going on, but it was clear I was supposed to go with her. So I dressed quickly and followed her out.  Basically, I do whatever Alodie tells me to do. We ended up at a church where one of my colleagues, Leticia, the only other female teacher, was arranging flowers. Her English is not great, so I was made to understand that I would go with Alodie to Leticia's house and then something……

So Alodie and I walked out of “town” and into the hills of Nyanza. My town is hardly a bustling metropolis but the hills surrounding “town” are quite rural.  Part of the strangeness of living in Rwanda is that the genocide pops into your mind at random moments. Although we aren’t allowed to say “Hutu” or “Tutsi” you still think them. As we walked along the dirt path, I realized that the vast majority of the people we saw must be Hutu, and all the implications that go along with that.  We sat down in Leticia’s house and were served Fanta by her daughter. Then, she came home and we went through the family photo album (number one visiting activity in this country). It became clear that she has 4 children, all of whom are alive. I started thinking that they must be Hutu, because there is no way they could have lived in Rwanda during 1994 and not lost anyone. I asked her what her husband did and she explained that after the war he had gone to prison and now he could not get a job so he worked in the fields.  She also talked about how she was trying to learn psychology so she could work more and earn more money for the family, and admitted that life was easier before the war. 

Then her husband entered, a gentleman in a blue button down and black pants. He seemed perfectly nice, spoke perfect French and tried to speak to me in English, and the entire time I spoke to him I was thinking You hacked someone to death with a machete. As he had gone to prison for “many years” this was confirmed…. not even speculation. But he seemed so nice. This is the topic that many of the books on the genocide deal with, how can perfectly nice people suddenly start killing their neighbors? This was the first time this situation happened to me. Usually,  someone asks me about my family and when I reciprocate, they say “Oh, I had 8 brothers and sisters but they died in 1994” leaving me feeling like a giant heel.  Sitting in the living room of a smiling, cheerful convicted killer is a very different kind of feeling.

One of the many many things I adore about Alodie is she is a quick visit kind of person. She will actually tell people to leave my house (Amazing!) and in this instance, after the cake and Fanta, she explained I had work to do and that we must leave.  I was given an entire cake to take along and we said our good-byes. We walked down a different dirt road for 10 minutes and then Alodie announced “Inzu, me” (My house). Yay!

Alodie and her mother

I met her mother, father, sisters and some random teenagers who I couldn’t quite figure out the relationship. Alodie’s family speaks no English or French so they are clearly uneducated, and its hard for me to get more details than that. Their house was similar to mine, but smaller and shabbier. It had concrete walls and pictures from the 70’s featuring white babies and phrases like “God is love and people who love are beautiful” (in English).  There was one toddler in the house, who started to scream bloody murder when I tried to wave to him. One of the girls took him out and calmed him down. When they came back, Alodie motioned for me to hand him gum. I did, and he took it, looked at me for 2 seconds and then threw the gum back at me, hitting me in the chest, and started to scream. Alodie’s family gave me a plastic container of milk from their 2 cows and then Alodie walked me home. Now its 2:00 PM and I am left with more milk than I can drink in a week and a cake. Coupled with the fact that I am now completely helpless with out Alodie’s cooking, it seems I am forced to consume these today and put aside my pre-bathing suit season healthy eating intentions.

Sylvie, gum thrower and Alodie’s mother pre-photo op clothing change.

Rwanda is a sea without waves

Today I taught my kids about smilies and metaphors then had them come up with their own. Here are a few of my favorites. I might add to the list later in the week so check back

Rwanda is a sea without waves.

Jane is an angel. (The Jane=Angel theme recurred fairly often in boys work)

The pen's ink was as red as blood. The pen's ink was blood. (same student, his smilie and then metaphor)

You are my heart.

Paulin plays basketballl like Kobe Bryant.

Her lips were Angelina Jolie's.

She sings like a bird.

You are my backbone.

You are my sun.

Opening Weekend World Cup!

Pre Game at Sholoka- home away from Home

Inga and Joco read letters from home

Cute Couples! Jaques and Claire and Loren and Evan

Jaques Claire and Inga watch game, Susan watches the camera. Smile!

Critical thinking (reprise)

I washed my hair last night and it is now straight up purple. No brown about it.  On a more positive note, I had an amazing discussion with my Senior 4MCB class. We spoke about the different types of Foreign Aid which I classified as

1. Individual (people giving to people… i.e. texting money to Red Cross after earthquake)

2. Foreign Development Aid (governments giving money directly to governments)

3. NGO (Non-governmental organizations) (Groups giving money, medicine, teachers to people, i.e. WorldTeach, Save The Children, Clinton Foundation etc)

Today we spoke only about foreign aid to governments. I introduced the idea by Dambisa Moyo (A Zambian woman who wrote book “Dead Aid) that governments should stop giving money to African governments. Her arguments are essentially that the funds are misused by corrupt governments and that it keeps the countries from becoming self-reliant. Then we covered the opposing side, that HIV and medical clinics, schools would have to close because of lack of funds. Paul Collier (Harvard Economist)  said that Africa has unique historical, geographical and tribal challenges (i.e. Colonialism) Everyone then wrote 5 sentences on their view. Most of the answers were that foreign aid is good, but my few star pupils (Franck, Laurien, Mirelle, and Gaston Fils) took the No Aid side.

Mirelle, Franck, Laurien)

We had an amazing debate before I told them what Kagame thinks.  Critical thinking may be a problem overall in Rwanda but this one class really stands out. The yes answers were well-thought out (money needed to buy materials, exports don’t make enough money) as were the no (governments need to be self-sustaining, Africa was once independent before colonialism). I wish I could video the debates (it would NEVER upload) because they are such skilled debaters. They answer direct points, defend counters, and come up with really thoughtful smart arguments. Senior 4MCB is amazing. One good point from the same debate in my 6MCB class “No one helped America, they developed on their own.” That in itself is debatable, but I liked that he recognized America was not “born” with computers and technology.

In theory, Kagame agrees with Moyo, but in reality 70% of the Rwandan budget comes from foreign aid. So while they are making steps to move in the direction of independence from aid, it may not happen in the immediate future.  Then of course, “Teacher, what do you think?” I agree that reliance on aid is a difficult issue, and that funds are definitely misused and that perhaps more reliance on NGO’s would be better as the help doesn’t go to the government but the people.  But I also introduced the idea of “You break it, you bought it” in relation to colonialism, and said that it would be wrong for the countries that created so many issues in Africa to walk away without trying to help rebuild. Thoughts? Also, I would love to hear from teachers (or anyone) on the 2 schools of thoughts I addressed in my mid-service post. Who is in charge of making students apply themselves? The teacher or the student?

Another aside, I apologize for my TERRIBLE grammar and sometimes spelling (even though I spell check here). Twice in class yesterday a student to correct my spelling on the board.  And one of the words was foreign, which I had apparently been misspelling all week. Go Teacher Jane.

All I wanted was lighter brown/dirty blonde hair

My mother’s friend Joanna said the bravest thing I did in Africa was get my hair cut but I think actually the bravest/stupidest thing I have done was try to lighten my medium brown hair just a tad.

                                                    

First Result: Orange with blonde roots (Light brown dye)

                                                          

Second:                                                                                         Third:

Strawberry Blonde (Bleach + light brown)                    Redhead (brown wash-out  dye)

I finally sought professional help who said red is remarkably hard to get rid of. The plan was dark brown and and the result….

 

Dark brownish purple

Mid-Service conference

It is officially the half-way mark! I got together with our lovely director Kelly Jo and the rest of the World Teach crew and we spent the weekend in Kibuye on Lake Kivu.

The point of the weekend was to assess how we are doing and what we can do moving forward. Many interesting discussions resulted (including the whole critical thinking issue) but I won’t bore you with all of them.

Critical Thinking: Many people thought to start small, give them 2 view points and ask to decide which one they agree with. Others (moi) suggested having them write on topics close to home as that is how I have gotten my best answers. Another view was that if you grow up in this culture, critical thinking isn’t a skill that is totally necessary. You can copy notes in Secondary and University and then go on to do menial work where you copy what comes from the top.

Work in class: One big problem that plagues almost everyone is students (esp. senior 6 who have national exams coming up) doing other work during English class. Most of our English classes are not the standard “Chalk and talk” format, and so students are not used to the different and more open structures. 2 schools of thought emerged.

1. Students do English in English Class or leave. Teachers take other books away and/or inflict punishments (bad grades, standing at the blackboard, sitting next to the teacher) to enforce.

2. Let them make their own choices. If you don’t pay attention then you fail the test. Personally, I belong to a middle school of the divisions. If senior 6 kids do chemistry in my class,  fine, but if they talk about it and disrupt others, then I take away books. They must always participate if we are doing group work (“Don’t be a bad group member”) My friend Joco shared an interesting anecdote about her own upbringing that I think plays into the second school of thought. Joco’s father told her that a bad teacher was no excuse not to get an A. No matter what happens in the classroom, it’s your job to learn and make the most of it. (but in a country with little critical thinking…. you can see why there are no easy answers).

This is what my small group (Loren, Emma, Chelsea and me) drew as a “Map or Representation” of our year. The good is supposed to be inside the heart, bad out. Rice and beans made it halfway in between.

This is what Evan, John and Joco’s group drew as their map.

The rest of the time was mostly fun and good ol’ dance party, DJ-ed by Kelly Jo’s fiancée Camble and group member Hewsan. We were also joined by Mitesh’s Dad who happened to be visiting during this time.

DJ Kjamble

 

KJ dances with Mitesh’s Dad      KJ, Inga and Kim

Camble tries to teach Kyle his moves

I did not go in the water! No shistosmiosis for me!

 

Swimmers play catch the rugby ball

Lake Kivu

Mid Service Pictures

Here are all the pictures from Mid-Service (smaller album on FB). I am crafting my post about this jam-packed weekend and it will be up shortly.

In preparation for mid-service

This weekend is our WorldTeach mid-service conference and this letter was written bv one of my fellow volunteers, Zach Fox. I thought it was well written and raises many good questions. Please note: NOT written by me, I can take no credit.

Dear friends and fellow volunteers (and KJ and Camble!),

We are nearing the midpoint of our service here in Rwanda, and I think we all have a great many anecdotes about and insights into education in Rwanda. As we are in a developing country, I also assume we have faced a great many unique challenges inside and outside of the classroom.

As part of our mid-service conference, I petitioned Kelly Jo to discuss one of the most salient challenges in my classroom.  Put simply, I am interested to learn about the critical thinking capacity of your students.  As a group we teach a broad spectrum of students in a variety of subjects.  However, the single most limiting factor Evan and I have faced (if I can speak for Evan) is the genuine lack of critical thinking skills at every level and in virtually every context.    

The impetus for this letter was a set of notes dutifully recorded by an average Senior Six student in his ‘General Paper’ course (although truthfully my students’  ability to critically think has long been on my mind).  GP for short, General Paper of course introduces various contemporary topics from politics, world affairs, public health, environmental science, social issues, and culture, among others.  These particular notes discussed “Moral Decay.”  Before you scoff, the notes were actually quite intriguing, if not exactly intellectually rigorous.  

The causes of moral decay in Rwanda were plentiful and some were expectedly wildly off target, but there was not a single description of the words moral and decay.  Being the English teacher I am, I proceeded to question my most capable students about the meaning of the two words, both in isolation and together.  They went to great pains to provide the worst half-baked canned recitations before I stopped them.  In short, my students were unable to accurately or adequately define moral decay, and thus I seriously doubted their ability to understand the lackluster notes provided to them.

The purpose of this short anecdote is to highlight what I suspect many of us already know, see, and struggle against everyday in class.  So, I’d like to pose some questions, food for thought if you will.

For the sake of clarity, what do we consider critical thinking to be?  Is the definition flexible, and if so, in what contexts?

For the sake of argument, accept my broad definition and consider these questions: How do we learn to ask relational, abstract, theoretical, or metaphysical questions?  How do we develop the ability to interpret, to analyze, and to problem-solve?  How do we learn to extrapolate and estimate?

Perhaps most central to this discussion, how important is critical thought?  Where and when is it most important? Least important?  How does it shape our daily lives, our careers, our relationships, etc.?

Okay, now let’s expand the discussion.  What is or should be the role of critical thought vis-à-vis education methodologies and curricula in promoting human development and security?  Let’s assume we all have a general awareness of the role education plays in development (I’m certainly fuzzy), and I know we all have a genuine interest in Rwanda’s development.

Is critical thought a key component of developed countries’ education systems and societies in general?  Does critical thought make developed countries more ‘successful’  on basic human development indicators than developing countries?  In other words, if we accept there is an educational disparity, generally speaking, related to critical thought does the disparity actually account for gaps in development?  (Don’t get caught up in absolutism; obviously it would be immensely difficult to actually measure the impact of critical thought.)

What role does critical thought play in various parts of development-related activity?  The finance, banking, commercial, industrial, medical/public health, transportation, education, and communication sectors, for example, all require some degree of critical-thinking capacity by my reckoning.

If we assume or accept that critical thought is vital to development , what avenues are available to increase critical thinking amongst students.  For example, what methods are best implemented at local, regional, and national levels to prepare education professionals for critical-thinking oriented curricula?

Are we suffering from a purely language barrier problem, or something deeper, more systemic, and…at the risk of drawing charges of racism, cultural?  In other words, is rote memorization, for example, a characteristic of Rwandan society at large?  I cannot answer this question, but I believe it is an important one to ask and answer. 

If one part of the equation is cultural, what exactly is at play?  Also, can and should we reconcile ‘clashes’ between a culture and a more student-centered, critical thought-centric education, if such a clash should exist?  How does our status as white foreigners affect any decision on this issue.

Are there alternatives to Rwanda’s education system elsewhere in Africa or the developing world?  If so, what are they and do their students also struggle with critical, independent, creative, original thought?

Thanks for bearing with me, if you managed to do so.  I’m sure we have all tossed these questions around for the past five months.  Now I’d like to discuss them (hopefully everyone is amenable to that!).  Preferably over multiple beers and a beautiful view across Lake Kivu.  See you soon!

Cheers,

Zach

My brother and I share more than DNA

We also share a love of duct tape. Aaron started the trend when he duct taped his shoes together in high school (and then wore then for another year). Now I am catching up and using the handy-dandy stuff on my electronic appliances and entire house.

Sleepover!

This is Joco and I after our British office marathon last weekend. Snug as 2 bugs in a rug.

Heavy reading

So smart

All the teachers at my school wear lab coats to protect their clothes from chalk. Someone finally dragged me to get measured for my very own hand-made made to order lab coat.