Sunday, July 11, 2004
Sunday. Tomorrow is the start of the Nsumba Secondary second term, after a break of a month and a half that included, for me, the Peace Corps group reunion at Morogoro, the rushed trip back to the states for my Mother’s funeral and too brief meetings with family and friends and frenzied buying sorties for a potato peeler, dot matrix printer (unsuccessful) and camera, frantic attempts to bring Myrna to Philadelphia and the last minute disappointment that she did not come to Africa as planned, a week of visiting NGOs in Dar es Salaam and, finally, my return to Nyegezi to push Life Opportunity Club (now called Skills For Life Tanzania!) into existence.
After all this, I cannot get myself excited about again trying to encourage students to understand the difference between reversible and irreversible reactions and yet again fighting the battle of “No, a chemical equation does NOT tell you anything about mass or weight ratios.” I had a text message from Glory yesterday, and she admitted that she too is “experiencing lack of motivation about teaching.”
So I’ve been sloughing off. Taking long bike rides through the countryside instead of concocting lesson plans. Designing a tri-fold brochure and application form for SFLT! Inventing a “Credo” to use to open SFLT! sessions. I like it so much I plan to start all my classes with it this next term – sort of like US students open every day with the Pledge of Allegiance:
I am a proud Tanzanian
And my Country is rich with opportunity.
My life now is exactly how I have made it.
With planning, with knowledge, with hard work
And care for my health,
I can and will create a life that I choose.
I wonder if the real teachers – the professionals who come back year after year and define teaching as their career – resent the start of yet another academic year. My sister always seemed so eager for the summer to end. Always designing colorful illustrations and posters for her classroom, planning music programs for her classes in the new school year. It is now, in her retirement, that she would not want to gear-up again for another year of instruction and scholastic politics.
But this teaching is a good experience for me. It is a stiff challenge, gets me back in touch with the basics of the field in which I am certified to be an expert after lo these many years, and provides a reason for my immersion in this very different world of Africa.
So, bring it on!
After all this, I cannot get myself excited about again trying to encourage students to understand the difference between reversible and irreversible reactions and yet again fighting the battle of “No, a chemical equation does NOT tell you anything about mass or weight ratios.” I had a text message from Glory yesterday, and she admitted that she too is “experiencing lack of motivation about teaching.”
So I’ve been sloughing off. Taking long bike rides through the countryside instead of concocting lesson plans. Designing a tri-fold brochure and application form for SFLT! Inventing a “Credo” to use to open SFLT! sessions. I like it so much I plan to start all my classes with it this next term – sort of like US students open every day with the Pledge of Allegiance:
I am a proud Tanzanian
And my Country is rich with opportunity.
My life now is exactly how I have made it.
With planning, with knowledge, with hard work
And care for my health,
I can and will create a life that I choose.
I wonder if the real teachers – the professionals who come back year after year and define teaching as their career – resent the start of yet another academic year. My sister always seemed so eager for the summer to end. Always designing colorful illustrations and posters for her classroom, planning music programs for her classes in the new school year. It is now, in her retirement, that she would not want to gear-up again for another year of instruction and scholastic politics.
But this teaching is a good experience for me. It is a stiff challenge, gets me back in touch with the basics of the field in which I am certified to be an expert after lo these many years, and provides a reason for my immersion in this very different world of Africa.
So, bring it on!
