I finally got to visit my little brother in boarding school. we drove for two and a half hours, both ways, to spend 25 minutes with him. If you have been reading my blog you, you already know that i don't like the Kenyan education system. Schools are ridiculously strict for no other reason then to just be annoying. Of course i believe that you need to teach young people discipline, but i believe that you need to give them enough freedom to make their own choices, and to be self-disciplined, not just fallow the rules like a zombie. When Ruth and i arrived at the school, first we had to go ask permission to see him. Then he had to ask permission to see us. When we were finally allowed to see each other we were only given 15 minutes. I was angry then, and still am, about this. What the hell? The parent of the child who is paying tuition is there to see their child. It is their child, not the school's. And it was a Saturday. We can't see him for as long as we want? We also were not allowed to take him off campus. I seriously almost blew up. I know that it is not my child, but all of my former education, both as a student myself, and from the little psychology that i studied, was outraged at their stupidity. 15 minutes? we haven't see him in one month. Do they know nothing of how important a child's bond with their family is? Or maybe all of the studies that talk about how important play is for the brain. No. They are just stupid. They also cannot have any kind of food from home, sweets, chips, anything? is this somehow going to effect their learning? Oh yes, and they are only allowed to send letters two times during their term, and all mail, going and coming, is opened and read. No phone calls home, no leaving the compound, no Internet, the list goes on and on. It is seriously Little North Korea. there is no other description for it. It is making me angry just typing about it.
Ok now that my ranting is over, i will get onto more serious things. It is now my third week of teaching English and it is going pretty well. My new name is Mwalimu (teacher), even outside of school. The gap between what they should know and what they do know is pretty big, and i am not quite sure how to tackle that. They are not the best writers, and this is what i have decided to work on first. I have bought them small composition books and am making them write every day, whether it is a diary or short stories, i just want them to write. They are taught how to write, but they don't actually write that often, so i am hoping that with occasional corrections they will begin to make that connection. They all come from pretty poor families, and some have a hard time raising tuition, which is about 50 US dollars, a term (3 months). It is very humbling to see how much they want to learn. They are excited to be in school, they want to become better students. They know what is in store for them if they drop out or don't do well on exams, and they want better for themselves and their families.
Speaking of better ones self, i visited the School for the Mentally Challenged last week. I was a little nervous, not knowing how in control of themselves or respectful of me they may, or may not be, but it turned out to be a great experience. Most of the students that attend this school have pretty severe mental challenges, including downs syndrome and other birth defects. Earlier in this post i was very harsh towards boarding schools, but in this instance it is a wonderful opportunity for these children. Unfortunately most of these kids would be locked up and forgotten about at their homes so they really enjoy school. the first class that i entered was the advanced class. They were learning how to pronounce things correctly and going through the alphabet and coming up with words that matched the letters. The next class that i sat in on repeatedly went over the days of the week and what they did on every day. These children were so precious. they were just so happy and filled with joy. When it was time for me to go they were taking a tea brake, so i walked with them to the cafeteria. They all gathered around me and wanted to hold my hand or touch my skin. A lot of little children are very curious about the color of my skin, but are usually too shy to touch it. These kids didn't have that same inhibition, and a few were rubbing it trying to see if i was black underneath. It was really funny! i am going to be doing art with them once a week, i am really excited!
The next day in my English class there happened to be a story in the lesson book about a girl who was physically disabled. After reading it with my class we discussed the perception of disabled people in the Kenyan culture. At the end i told them about myself. If i would have gone to school here i would have been a class 8 drop out. But i have graduated college, and maybe someday will get another degree. They were shocked, they had never heard of other styles of learning, and weren't really sure that people who couldn't pass exams could also be smart. It was a very interesting lesson.
Last but not least, yesterday was my niece's Birthday. I love her so much and wish i could have been there to celebrate with her. She is so near and dear to my heart for many reasons, but mostly because she is a kind and loving little soul. I love you and miss you more then you know. - auntie
love to you all!!
Ok now that my ranting is over, i will get onto more serious things. It is now my third week of teaching English and it is going pretty well. My new name is Mwalimu (teacher), even outside of school. The gap between what they should know and what they do know is pretty big, and i am not quite sure how to tackle that. They are not the best writers, and this is what i have decided to work on first. I have bought them small composition books and am making them write every day, whether it is a diary or short stories, i just want them to write. They are taught how to write, but they don't actually write that often, so i am hoping that with occasional corrections they will begin to make that connection. They all come from pretty poor families, and some have a hard time raising tuition, which is about 50 US dollars, a term (3 months). It is very humbling to see how much they want to learn. They are excited to be in school, they want to become better students. They know what is in store for them if they drop out or don't do well on exams, and they want better for themselves and their families.
Speaking of better ones self, i visited the School for the Mentally Challenged last week. I was a little nervous, not knowing how in control of themselves or respectful of me they may, or may not be, but it turned out to be a great experience. Most of the students that attend this school have pretty severe mental challenges, including downs syndrome and other birth defects. Earlier in this post i was very harsh towards boarding schools, but in this instance it is a wonderful opportunity for these children. Unfortunately most of these kids would be locked up and forgotten about at their homes so they really enjoy school. the first class that i entered was the advanced class. They were learning how to pronounce things correctly and going through the alphabet and coming up with words that matched the letters. The next class that i sat in on repeatedly went over the days of the week and what they did on every day. These children were so precious. they were just so happy and filled with joy. When it was time for me to go they were taking a tea brake, so i walked with them to the cafeteria. They all gathered around me and wanted to hold my hand or touch my skin. A lot of little children are very curious about the color of my skin, but are usually too shy to touch it. These kids didn't have that same inhibition, and a few were rubbing it trying to see if i was black underneath. It was really funny! i am going to be doing art with them once a week, i am really excited!
The next day in my English class there happened to be a story in the lesson book about a girl who was physically disabled. After reading it with my class we discussed the perception of disabled people in the Kenyan culture. At the end i told them about myself. If i would have gone to school here i would have been a class 8 drop out. But i have graduated college, and maybe someday will get another degree. They were shocked, they had never heard of other styles of learning, and weren't really sure that people who couldn't pass exams could also be smart. It was a very interesting lesson.
Last but not least, yesterday was my niece's Birthday. I love her so much and wish i could have been there to celebrate with her. She is so near and dear to my heart for many reasons, but mostly because she is a kind and loving little soul. I love you and miss you more then you know. - auntie
love to you all!!
I can't believe how strict those schools are! Whoa. That is crazy!!! That is so cool you are doing art at the school for the mentally challenged. I love hearing about how you are doing and what you're up to!
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