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 12th 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
