-School introductions
-Program meeting and research introduction
-Spend the day with team teachers
Last night we met with our partner teachers. I have been paired with a man named Mr. Okot David Oceng. He goes by David. I don’t know what happened to Mr. Yeko, but David is pretty cool. He is a father of two and one of his children is an 8 year old girl like Julia. To be honest, he seemed a little shy when we first met. In my teaching team there are 9 people. Four of us are from the USA and 5 are Ugandan teachers. My friend Michael is paired with a guy named James. He is a rapper and a math teacher. His most recent song is called “Division is bad”. Michael asked him if his next song will be “Multiplication is good?” We all had a good laugh. My roommate Matt is paired with an English teacher named John. Matt is one of those good natured people who really cares for others. John seems to have a puckish quality about him, but he is very nice. I’ve really looked to Matt for help knowing the right things to do because he has been a part of the program in the past. Annie is teamed up with William and Joyce. They look like they could be on the cover of Vogue. They are both very articulate and professional in there presentation. David seems to be a very bright teacher who cares for his students. He has not been at Gulu Secondary School long and I think this might explain why he seemed a little reserved.
I didn’t run this morning. I slept in until 8. It was good!!! Last night after the meeting we went out to the Bamboo club because one of the girls from group one was singing. Her name is Lisa Swetman and she has music on I-Tunes. I plan to download her stuff when I get home. She is very good. Taking a boda-boda home at night can be a little scary. The potholes come up pretty quick and I try to hope for the best. It’s an adventure.
In the morning I saw Opio Chris. I don’t think I have mentioned him. He is our server at Katrina’s restaurant. I spoke with him on the first night and he greets me warmly every time I come in. I really like him. He told me today that he would like to study to be a doctor. I showed him my finger and told him that perhaps he might be able to fix it someday. He does not have the money for school fees and I am thinking about ways to make that happen for him. He is 19 years old and he has a way to go before he finishes O level secondary school. I am looking for a way to pay his fees for school. I am really thankful for this relationship. I enjoyed some African coffee and headed down to Café Larem to post blogs and check Facebook. This café is run by a guy named Justin and his wife Ritta. It is the only place in town where you can get brownies and ice cream.
Our teaching team was schedule to meet together at Gulu SS at 11. In Uganda when you arrive on time it is called keeping time. Our teachers have been very good about keeping time. David was dressed up with a shirt and tie and cuff links. He rides in from Pabo in the morning. The trip takes about 20 minutes. The morning meeting was very good for us. We were able to discuss our expectation for the program with each other and with Amy. David showed me his lesson planning book. It is very orderly. We will be teaching about the geography of East Africa. This includes 4 countries, Uganda, Kenya, DR Congo, and Tanzania. We also discussed the teaching schedule here it is.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Arrive at 11:00
Teaching Times
1-F x2
(1:10-2:30)
1-G x2
(5:20-6:40) 1-E x2
(1:50-3:10)
1-D x2
(4:00-5:20) 1-F x1
(1:50-2:30)
1-G x1
(2:30-3:10)
1-B x1
(3:10-3:50) Early collaboration meeting
(9:00-10:00)
1-C x2
(1:10-2:30)
1-E x1
(4:00-4:40)
1-D x1
(5:20-6:00)
1-A
(6:00-6:40) 1-B x2
(1:10-2:30)
1-A x 2
(2:30-3:50)
1-C x1
(4:00-4:40)
This might seem confusing but basically it means we will be teaching 7 classes of students with 3 distinct lessons every week.
David and I discussed our expectations for the experience. We agreed that we will support each other in classroom management. We will assess student work together. We will wear ties only on Monday, all other days, no ties!!!! We will reflect on our strengths and weaknesses with open communication. We will use the Introduction, Presentation, Application, Conclusion model for our lessons.
After that we went out for lunch at Diana’s Garden for lunch. The food was pretty grubbin. David and I walked over to the book store and picked up a book about Geography. In Uganda, male friends often hold hands. I must confess that I’m a little relieved that David and I have not reached that level of friendship at this point. We walked through the market and then parted ways. I sensed that he was ready to get home and see his family. I understand that feeling 100%. Here I am back at the hotel.
One sort of funny story to share about the hotel is the story of the missing clothes. On the first day here some of our teachers turned in their clothes to be washed. The woman who washed them made a mistake. She thought we were throwing the clothes out, so she gave them to her friends. The situation was very difficult because some of the teachers, whose clothes were taken, were the very teachers whose luggage has been lost. The woman who gave away the clothing was in a panic. Lance noticed a guy walking down the street in his Chicago Cubs shirt. It was resolved by Amy, Katherine, and Katarina in a fair way. The clothes eventually made it back, but the undergarments were in the rubbish pile, so we decided to let them stay there.
I just returned from playing basketball and rugby with some local kids. Lance and I taught some boys how to pass the rugby ball and later we shot some hoops with the kids. I played with a tall kid named James, a girl named Lucky, and a boy named Geoffrey who attended Gulu SS. He was sagging his pants so I told him that he needed to pull them up or they may fall down when he is shooting the ball.
I’ve been challenged by the love and generosity I’ve seen in one of my team mates. The first thing people notice about him is his size. Think Jason Knowles with hair. However, there is a lot more to this muzungu giant that meets the eye. He consistently looks after the needs of other people before his own. For example, when one of our team mates lost her luggage he bought her a dress. He will often get a round of drinks. He bought water for the kids we played basketball with. He is really challenging me to wake up and be more sensitive to the needs of others. This is a lesson I want to take with me into the rest of life.
