Sunday Oct. 9, 2011

COMPARISONS BETWEEN SCHOOLS BACK HOME AND HERE:

1.     At home, we generally only teach one grade each year even though our elementary certificate is good for first through eight grades.  Here, the teachers teach several different grades (standards) in the subjects they are most comfortable with.  There is the “Baby Class” – 2 year olds, “KG 1” – 3 year olds, “KG 2” – 4 year olds, “KG 3” – 5 year olds, “Standard 1” – 6 year olds,  “Standard 2”  - 7 year olds, “Standard 3” – 8 year olds, “Standard 4” – 9 year olds, “Standard 5” – 10 year olds, “Standard 6” – 11 year olds, “Standard 7” – 12 year olds, and “Standard 8“ – 13 year olds. 

2.     At home, kids might start preschool at age 3 and go for a few hours a couple of days a week.  They might continue this until they are ready to go to kindergarten at age 5.  This is not compulsory.  It is compulsory for students to go to school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, however.  Here, it is also compulsory, but based on their parents’ ability to pay for their schooling –public being cheaper than private – the kids still may not be able to go to school if they can’t afford the uniforms, school exams, or other materials.  They start at 2 years old and continue through Standard 8.  A national exam at the end of Standard 8 determines whether or not they can continue on in their schooling.  If they fail, that’s the end of their education!  This ONE test determines the rest of their life!!!  No wonder they put such emphasis on it, but what a huge burden and pressure that seems to be on the students!  If they go on past Standard 8, they go to Forms 1 – 4 (like our grades 9-12).

3.     At my last school, the teachers had to be there at 8:20 and stay until 3:35 (I never left that early, however!).  The students were there from 8:35 to 3:20 on Monday through Thursday, and on Friday until 1:15 so the teachers could have planning time.

4.     Here, the teachers arrive at school at 6:00 or 7:00 AM, depending upon their assigned schedule for that day and can be at school anywhere from 4:30 to 6:30 PM, also depending upon that day’s schedule.  That schedule applies only to Standards 4 – 8, however.  Baby Class, KG 1, 2, and 3 and Standards 1 2, and 3 leave at 3:30.  Standards 4 and 5 leave at 4:30, and Standards 6 – 8 leave at 6:30 PM.  All the students go to school on Saturday, but it’s a bit shorter.

5.     Standards 1, 2, and 3 have the same teacher all day long.  Standards 4 – 8 change teachers all day long.  At home, the students rotate from class to class if they have more than one teacher.  Here, only the teachers rotate.  A teacher doesn’t really have a “homeroom” or their own classroom.  A teacher could teach Class 5 math, Class 4 Swahili, Class 7 Social Studies, and Class 8 Science.  Each class period is 35 mins. long and occasionally a teacher will have a “double” - meaning 35 + 35 mins. back-to-back. 

6.     We could NEVER leave our students unattended – whether during classtime, at recess, or lunchtime.  There has to be someone supervising them at all times.  Here, the students frequently are left alone for a few minutes in a classroom up to 1 ½ hours for lunch, 45 mins. for “Break”, or 35 mins. for P.E.  (Sometimes the teacher will go out with their students to teach them a game or something, but more often than not, they just go to the staff room while the kids go play like an extended recess.)

7.     The only break teachers and students got at home is 12 mins. of recess twice daily and 20 mins. for lunch and 20 mins. for lunch recess (only 30 mins. duty-free lunch for teachers).  Also, planning time on Fridays for teachers.  Here, a teacher could have a break for 35 mins. when they don’t have a class, 45 mins. for “Break” in the morning (at this time, the kitchen makes tea for the teachers and they all eat tea and white bread – with or without butter – this is their breakfast since they go so early in the morning), 1 ½ hours for lunch, perhaps another break in the afternoon without a class.  The whole school has “Preps” from 3:10 – 3:30 (students are left to finish up any work they have), “Sweeps” from 3:30 – 3:45 (students literally sweep the rooms and clean up).  The students are on their own from 3:10 to 3:45.  The teachers feel this teaches the students to be responsible. They have “Games” from 3:45 – 4:30.   During this time on Monday they have “Good News” which is church related; Tuesday is clubs – scouting, wildlife, debate, or music; Weds. through Friday  teachers alternate teaching students basketball, soccer, netball, or volleyball. 

8.     Thanks to No Child Left Behind, we test at home more than we ever have before.  Most teachers feel it’s an exorbitant amount of time spent on testing when we could be teaching instead.  Here, however, they literally spend the last three months either reviewing for tests or taking tests!  The one thing I can say about their system over ours is that once the students take a test, they go over every problem to help the students understand what they did wrong.  Not to say that we never do that, but there are many tests which our students take where they never get direct feedback as to what they missed or why, and they may not even find out how they performed on that test unless their teacher takes the time to tell them.  All the testing they take is literally preparing them for the Standard 8 exam, which they will take when they are older.

9.     Speaking of tests, any standardized test we administer is CAREFULLY counted out, must be kept under lock and key, and every test must be accounted for by the teacher when it is returned to the office.  Here, the students keep the tests with them (wherever that may be) until they are finished going through the review.  I’ve noticed many tests seem to get lost in the process.  I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming that’s not the case for the Standard 8 Exam.  They take the test right at the end of their school year.

10 .There is always a key to our standardized tests, and we don’t correct them manually.  They are scored electronically.  Here, even on the standardized tests, the teachers have to first create a key for the answers.  I’ve seen teachers debating over which answer is correct on various tests.  Then, they have to correct EVERYTHING manually!  To me, it seems there is far more room for error in their correcting process, to say nothing of all the time spent correcting.

11 .Our students have an answer sheet to fill in.  Here, they tear a small piece of paper out of their notebooks to write their answers on.  Here is an example of a math test as well as an example of their answer sheet.

            Side 1of 2 for a Standardized Math test for Class 5

   Teacher's answer key on the left (that they had to figure out themselves), student's test on the right

12. Public school is free.   Private schools have different prices.  I think the one I teach at costs about Sh 10,000/term or Sh 30,000/year.  That’s about US $98/term or US $294/year.

13. Teachers here make between Sh 5,000 – 15,000/month ($49 - $147) in private schools.  Public school teachers get paid less.  All teachers make the same amount of money, no matter how long they have taught.

14. To get a teaching certificate, teachers have to go up to Form 4 (which is equivalent to 12^th grade), then to university for 2 years.  During their two years, they will do something like our student teaching in-between terms for 2 months total.

15. School here starts in January (their summer).  They have three terms:  Jan. – Mar., May – July, and Sept. – Nov.  They may also have to go to school during the breaks between terms if they are behind in their learning so they can catch up to be more prepared for their exams.  Therefore, teachers really have very few breaks except for the Christmas time.

16. All students wear uniforms to school.  I’ve observed that, at least in our school here, they also wear other “play” clothes underneath their uniforms, which they wear for PE.  I don’t know where they change clothes or what they do with them.  They each have their own little wooden locker, so I assume their other clothes go in there.

17. The bathrooms are open stalls with a porcelain toilet in the floor.  That doesn’t seem like a very desirable place to change their clothes, but that may be where they do it.

18. I’ve mentioned this before, but they believe in caning, slapping, pinching, or whatever else the teacher feels they need to do to discipline their students.  I have an EXTREMELY difficult time with this aspect of their education!  I can’t even begin to comprehend doing that to one of my students.  They feel, however, that that is the only way they can get through to their students!

19. Because school is so long each day, six days a week, the teacher is really the major adult factor in the students’ lives, the house help (if they have one), is second.  By the time they get home from school, about the only thing they have time for is dinner, homework, and bed.  Many of their parents don’t even come home from work until after they are in bed, and the parents are asleep when the children go to school, so basically the only time they spend time with their parents is on Sunday.  Many have to get up as early as 4:00 AM to get to school on time!

20. I think I’ve mentioned school lunch before.  They have the same thing every Monday, the same thing every Tuesday, etc.  So there are basically six different lunches.  They will have either two or three things on their plates.  I’ve never seen them with a drink of any kind at lunch.  Students and teachers eat with their fingers.  They always have rice and then something like a cabbage dish or bean dish.

Well, for all of you who have asked me about the similarities and differences in the schools, I hope this gives you a better idea of what it’s like over here.

It's been raining off and on all day today.  I think this is the most dark and dismal day I've seen since I arrived.  It reminds me of the last several days I experienced last June when I was here, which is why I decided to come back in Sept. rather than Apr. – June (their rainiest season).  We've had several days of rain off and on, but this is the worst.  I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow, too.  I hope it clears up by Tuesday because the missionaries are coming to meet with me, Samwel (I found out today that I've been spelling his name wrong), and Grace; then the missionaries and I are going to take a matatu and maybe a motorcycle down to Louis'.  They will teach Nicholas, Henry, and Abraham, and I will teach Caroline and Evelyn swimming lessons.  I'd like to have good weather for that.

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend and are ready to face a new week.

Kadi

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Last night I had a very rewarding experience.  About two weeks ago, Samuel asked if he could borrow 500 shillings (a little over $5) because he had run out of money to feed his family.  He said he would pay it back at the end of the month when he got paid.  Of course, I agreed. 

Well, the first of the month came and went, and he hadn’t been paid yet by his sister who owns my house.  Last night, however, he told me he had gotten paid and he was happy that he could now pay me back the 500 shillings.   To make a long story short, I let him give me the 500 shilling note, thanked him, and then said, “Hold out your hand.”  He put his hand out like a high-five.  I turned it over and placed the money in his palm.  He just sat there staring at his hand and didn’t understand what had just happened. 

I told him that I appreciated his integrity and that I could see that I could trust his word.   I said I knew he needed the money far worse than I did, and as a gift, I wanted him to keep it.  He was literally speechless.  Then tears started to fill his eyes.  There was a whole other issue involving money that he hadn’t previously told me, but he was already short because of a kind deed he had monetarily done for someone else.   He apologized saying, “I’m sorry.  It is not good for an African man to show his emotions or to cry.”  I told him it was totally okay with me.

In conversations we’ve had, I know that he trusts in God to help him provide for his family.  He is doing everything he can to provide, but it is not much.  He has a wife who is pregnant, and three small children.  He makes only 7000 shillings a month, which is about $75!  Yet, he is thankful to God for all that he has and that his children have never gone hungry.  He is so humble!

I didn’t tell you this story to tell you have wonderful I am for giving him 500 shillings (which is nothing to me), but to show you how so little by our standards, can mean so much to someone here!  The way I see it, there have been so many others here who have helped me, I’m grateful that I can find even a small way to give back to someone else, even if it’s not to the person who gave to me.  It’s that “Pay it forward” principle, I guess.

Tonight, Samuel and I set up an appointment for the missionaries from my church to meet with his wife and us next Tuesday.   I’m looking forward to that.

Have a great day and be grateful for all that you have – you have so much more than most people on this planet!

Kadi

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Hi Again,

I think I spoke too soon the other day about the mosquitoes.  The very night that I wrote in my blog, I had somehow managed to corral a mosquito inside my mosquito net that buzzed in my ear several times during the night.  I kept slapping myself in the head trying to kill it, but it wasn’t until hours later that I finally decided to actually let it light on me and then slap it.  I got it!  In the meantime, however, I had inadvertently made myself a captive to its feasting throughout the night.  I had several mosquito bites in the morning, and I was very tired!

                    If you've never seen a mosquito net before, here's what it looks like.

Sunday turned out differently than I had planned.  Kenneth’s car broke down again, so he had to borrow one.  It was small, but he managed to fit three adults and six children in it.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t room for me, so I had to stay home.  I was tempted to walk down to the Pentecostal church on the corner, but decided to just sit out on my porch and read my scriptures.  They use a microphone there that is so loud I could hear the choir “singing” (it sounded more like shouting to music) and the preacher yelling out his sermon – and I’m over a block away!  I decided I was close enough to that.

That night, however, Samuel and I listened to several conference talks on my laptop, and I taught him some hymns that he wanted to learn.  I also taught him some of my favorites.  I found a site on the internet that actually played the music and had the words along with it, so we sang hymns for nearly an hour.  We had a discussion on several subjects.  It was a good evening.  Yesterday, he said he’d like to go to church with me and talk to the missionaries.  I hope there will be room in the car next week for BOTH of us.  I got the missionaries’ phone number today, and they are hoping to meet with us next Tuesday if that works for Samuel.

My power went out again yesterday for most of the day, but eventually came back on before dinner.  I cooked a Kenyan dish (I think) that was sent to me by the owner of the bed and breakfast that we will be staying with in Cape Town.  I actually liked it better tonight.  I think it had time for the flavors to blend better.   Then, I tried to make chocolate no-bake cookies.  I was so excited to think I could still make a dessert without having an oven!  Well, between not having any measuring spoons or cups thus having to “eyeball” everything, having oatmeal that tasted like Strawberry Cream Oreos (I had them in the same plastic container), and maybe cooking it too long or something, they were AWFUL!!!  They had that strawberry flavor and completely crumbled.  I got maybe five cookies to stay together.  I was looking forward to giving Samuel and Grace some for their family and taking some to the teachers at school today.  Instead, I had to give a bag of crumbs to Samuel and didn’t even try to take any to school.    I’m going to find some measuring spoons and cups somewhere, get some new oatmeal, and try it again soon.

Today, I went over to swim my laps and teach Caroline and Evelyn again.  This time, I started at the beginning (upon Tayler’s and my water aerobics teacher’s suggestions).  We just blew bubbles in the water, got their heads clear under the water, learned how to float on their stomachs and backs, and even to turn over from the front to the back, and how to push off from the side of the pool and float across the small part of the pool where they could still touch.  They were awesome!  I was really proud of their progress today.  Last week they were both so afraid of the water, but today, they made great strides on feeling more comfortable.  Here they are in the pool after I was finished working with them, and they just wanted to keep practicing.

                                         Evelyn and Caroline just floating around in the pool

                                             Evelyn

                                               Caroline

I’m feeling very welcomed by the people here.  Nicholas who works for Kenneth, wants to come visit me tomorrow.  Ternet, a female teacher at school, wants to take me to her village and show me around in a couple of weeks.  Jane, the cook at Louis’, wants me to come to her home, Kenneth and Caroline say I’m welcome in their home anytime, Samuel and Grace have both gone out of their way to help me with things, teach me things, and take me for walks into Ukunda to show me around and to shop.  Peter, the Standard 5 teacher I work with, wants to come over to visit some time.  It’s nice to feel like there are people out there who care about me!

Probably on my next blog, I’m going to tell you a little more about the school system over here compared to ours.  Stay tuned…

Kadi

Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011

Hello!  I’ve had a nice couple of days.  Yesterday, I was quite proud of myself – I took a matatu and a taxi (instead of a motorcycle) because the taxi was going right by where I wanted to go to Shamba la Salama, so it was cheaper.  That was the first time I’ve ventured in that direction on a matatu and especially all by myself. 

I went there to give Caroline, Kenneth’s wife, swimming lessons in the pool.  I also ended up teaching Evelyn, Abraham’s wife.  Caroline has learned a little from Louis, but Evelyn has never been swimming.   I’m so used to swimming my laps, that I had almost forgotten how to START swimming.  I figured working on breathing and their arms was a good place to start.  They both thought they were “too heavy” and would sink to the bottom of the pool.  We worked our way up to a point where Caroline actually swam the width of the pool several times without help.  Evelyn did it a couple of times.  Granted, their style leaves something to be desired, but I thought we made good progress.  I had at least given them something to work on until I go again.

The ride home was less than desirable.  It had started raining while we were swimming, but that didn’t bother us.  However, I was about 40 mins. from my house.  I had considered calling a motorcycle to come get me for the dirt road part (matatus don’t go that far), and then get a matatu the rest of the way home.  It would only have cost me about  Ksh 130.  Instead, I decided a tuktuk was the only way to go because it was raining quite hard by that point.  It cost me Ksh400, but at least I had some cover from the storm.  (I DID, however, spend the entire time trying to dry off the seat on both sides of me and the roof and wringing out the rag into the back of the tuktuk because dirty rain water kept pouring in on me despite a “window”on one side made of plastic.  The holes in the roof were the biggest problem.)  I had several dark brown mud spots on my white blouse by the time I got home.  It didn’t bother me too much because I looked a mess from swimming anyway.  At least I wasn’t on my way TO somewhere.  That would have been a whole different story!

As I’ve mentioned to a few people that I was going swimming, they all seem to want me to teach THEM or their children how to swim.  It still amazes me that so many people can live so close to an ocean and not know how to swim!

Today, Grace and I walked up to Ukunda.  We stopped at a little grocery store, and I checked out what they had.  They are a little cheaper than Nakumatt, so I may go there a little more often.  It’s just that it’s several of our blocks away from my home, so I wouldn’t be able to carry much.  It would be too heavy, and I’d be afraid anything that needs to go in the refrigerator (milk, etc.) would spoil even faster than it already does by being out in the heat the whole way home.  My refrigerator doesn’t get very cold, so my food doesn’t last long, anyway.

We walked quite a way further and checked out all the little open shops that Samuel and I saw the other day.  I ordered some jewelry to be made.  We bought a few vegetables then walked back home.  On the way, we stopped back at the Samrat store for a couple of things.  By the time we left there, I was dripping wet from the heat!  The couple of fans they have in the store were hardly adequate to cool anything off!  When I got home, I ate a little lunch then took a nap.  The heat just drained my energy!

I took some pictures of the “computer lab” and “library” at school the other day.  The computer lab has only 7 donated, used old computers.  The only thing the kids can learn on them is basically keyboarding skills.  The kids go during their lunchtime one day a week to do computer and share one computer with 3 other children. 

 This is the best the computer lab has looked since I've been at Word of Life.

The library books are all donated, but they are in a deplorable state!  I wish so badly that I could have found a way to get the 16 paper boxes full of my school books (novels, science, math, history, etc.) that I’ve bought over the years to the school.  I ended up giving them to a friend who works in a low-income school, so I’m sure they are getting good use, but it still makes me sad.  I actually had more books to donate than the whole library at Word of Life has!  There is no librarian or system, that I could tell, to check out books.

 These two pictures are the entire library!

Some kind of lizard resting on the rafters at school.  He's about the size of a gila monster.

Latest observations:  I have basically three sizes of ants in my house – the teeny ants (about the size of 2 pinheads) that are EVERYWHERE and who literally ate the coating off one of my medications in a sealed packet with a tiny hole in it; the middle-sized ants (about ½”) that enjoyed my shower with me; and the big loners (almost 1” long) that don’t care for friends or family.  They have a mission to achieve, are VERY fast, and are always by themselves.

Too hard to see, but these are the "teeny ants" taking a drink at their current watering hole - my bathroom sink!

The mosquitoes here are fast, small, and quiet.  I’ve only heard them two times that I can remember (buzzing in my ear when I was asleep), but they still manage to feast upon my body unbeknownst to me until it’s too late.

Geckos (small lizards) are really cute and very helpful.  They eat mosquitoes and other bugs, but it’s beyond me how they can ever fill up on the mosquitoes around here – they’re way too fast!  They do have their drawbacks, however.  They always make me jump and let out a little scream when they are hiding somewhere (like in a cupboard or under a door latch) and they take me off-guard.  The other thing is that I’ve decided I don’t like gecko poops – especially stuck to my walls or falling into my dishes!

I have to admit that I’m getting more than a little tired of everyone asking me for money, to sponsor them or their child, donate money to set up a school, food, etc.  I don’t mind giving to people who truly have a need, but there are so many people here who spend their lives looking for the next mzungu (European or Caucasian) to plead their sob story to because they think if you are white you have lots of money  (i.e. “I just fell out of a coconut tree and hurt my shoulder.  Can you give me some money to go to the doctor?  It’s so painful, Mamma.”  Or, “I have 20 children coming over to my home today for my daughter’s birthday  - I think he said.  I’m not asking for any money, but could you please buy me some rice for the children, Mamma?” )  They always try the “for the children” card if nothing else works.

This is Conference weekend, and I’m so sad that I can’t listen to it.  I may be able to get it on the internet later, but it will take up so much of my internet modem stick time, so I’ll have to listen to only a little bit.  Tomorrow will be “church as usual” because they have no way to broadcast it and no satellite system.

Hope your weekend is a good one,

Kadi

(By the way, if you are one of my former students and would like to know a specific thing about the schools or people here, please feel free to add a comment at the end of my blog, and I’ll try to include that in one of my blogs.)