Going to School in Tanzania

You know, you’d think that in taking a summer and going to Africa, you wouldn’t have to wake up early and go to school every morning. But if you think this, you may be wrong. Sometimes, even when you think you are on a break from school, you still end up going to school four days a week at 9:00 in the morning. That’s true dedication right there.  J

A group of volunteers in the first month visited the Utukufu Nursery School, operated by one of our partners Goodluck Williams, and noticed that the school looked a little dark and dreary, and dare we say drab? The colorful ABC signs, animal posters, or colored shapes that line the walls of schools across our country were absent in this school house. So, some of the volunteers took it upon themselves to buy, draw, and craft a myriad of different posters to help the children learn both English and Swahili. Along with the posters, they also taught some interactive songs like “the wheels on the bus” and even made some playdoh to teach the children shapes and colors. There was just one problem: there was only one teacher and about thirty-five children of the ages 3 to 9.

By the time the “second wavers” flew in, the teacher had expressed a desire to be able to teach the children more English. However, not knowing very much English herself, she was not sure how she could. So… dun duh duh duh duh duh duuuunnnnn! Enter Caroline, Alysha, Emilee and Bailey. They decided to get an early English program started at the school. By splitting the children into two separate age groups and creating rotations, the littlest children got to color and sing, and the older children were able to practice writing letters and words and expand their English vocabulary through the use of homemade flash cards.

Currently they are working on making a detailed lesson plan telling the teacher what they implemented with the children, and helping give her advice on how to continue teaching English as the younger kids grow up.

Honestly, not everything works out like you want it to sometimes. Sometimes the children were crazy and out of control. Sometimes they just walked out of the room, and when you followed them you learned that they were going behind the school house to pee. Sometimes they would hit each other. Sometimes they would cry (okay, not just sometimes… most of the time there was at least one child crying or near tears). But when you get to the end of the day and they all look at you and say “Thank you Teacher! See you tomorrow!” you can’t help but go back. So in the end, the teaching was a success, and the planning keeps going… and going… and going… and going.