The robots helped me teach!!

I kid you not, but the robot part is for later on. Off I went to the Kampala Taxi park, which even after having experienced for the better part of my life, still amazes me. As it turns out, today I was seated on a n Entebbe bound taxi, next to a lady with a cock. (haha! Dear perverts, I mean lady with a cockerel /rooster!) I was keen on taking a picture, but thought otherwise as her other hand clutched some sort of frying pan, that I felt sure would meet my head should I take a picture of her. (Kampalan's it turns out are suspicious of any picture takin fellow,unless you are white i.e tourist, otherwise taken for a "snoop" from an infamous tabloid, The Red Pepper)

The journey was quite memorable as for some reason, the darned chicken kept trying to poke me after every 15 minute interval. I was left to ponder if my quicksilver tee shirt or Boss cologne appealed to chickens! Hmm.

I finally got to the school, and when the obviously new gateman asked whom I was, I too didn't believe myself when I muffled "The English Teacher". None the less, he let me through as the kids were saying "Hello Teacher Charles!!".

I said hello to Mary and set off for class, and walked in to faces I could recognize, although I shamefully couldn't say the same about their names. After handing out the books I had marked, I generally asked how the week was to which I got a resounding cocktail of "good, bad, funny, long..." and God knows what else. Atleast they were in a jolly mood.

I set off to explain that I had gone through the books and was impressed and thankful for the effort everyone had put in. I stated that it was obvious that we all had our strengths and weaknesses (but not in those words!) and that I was henceforth diving the class into two main groups that will tackle different assignments. Upper and Lower primary.

I proceeded to mark the chalkboard into two sections and wrote out their work for the morning.

I had the older students do some more story writing emphasizing that I was on hand to help, as from their work I had noted that except for spellings, their sentence construction still needed some polishing. The younger chaps I "fed" with more of "fill in the blank spaces" work, to polish their tenses and verbs.

The class went well and was quite busy as I had to run here and there correcting spellings, tenses etc. I was rather glad that I was being "used", so to speak.I managed to keep track of the weak students and focus as much as I could on them and had a minor incident when I quickly had to refer to my notes to check the difference between a regular verb and irregular verb! haha

That took up the first part of the class and we broke off for tea recess.

It so happens over the recess, I popped out my laptop and was reading through my lesson plan that I somehow had forgotten to print.

One of the chaps came in to bring me my does, haha, of porridge. He asked, much to my suprise, what my "thing" (laptop) was?

To say I was taken aback is an understatement. I collected myself and went on to explain that this was a small portable computer and although he said he knew what a computer was, he asked what mine could do?

For a moment, I almost answered out my standard answer to such a question, when I meet my geeky mates who know and appreciate the power of my Dell XPS.

So there I was almost blurting out Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 (2MB Cache/2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB), 160GB HDD, 2GB RAM!!!

Haha. I stopped short and answered that it could play music, videos and I could write out my work.

He asked to see a video.

"Which one?" I asked to which he started naming many Ugandan artists i.e Bobi Wine Radio/ Weasal, Chameleon.

I hastily heard the teasing words of my sister, Bonita, at the last party I DJ'ed at, claiming I wasn't "Ugandan enough", because I had no Ugandan music, which all said and done, has honestly never really appealed to me.

I shamefully admitted to this chap that I had none and I offered to play an action movie, Bad Boys 2. I hit play and forwarded past the dialogue to the only part I bet he would enjoy, the action scenes.

By this time we were joined by 5 or so other students who somehow recognized Will Smith ... calling him "Fresh Prince"!! haha.

on the spot, I decided to let all of them watch a smaller 10 minute snippet of the movie and they would write me a dialogue about it.

I though twice about Bad Boys 2 as it was laden with profanity and extreme violence and opted for a more subtle "iRobot."

There was an immense collective sigh when I mentioned our next activity and everyone shuffled into place to watch the film.

So there we were, deep in sub Saharan Africa, watching Will Smith battle it out with robots, to save our world!! I can safely give technology a Hi five as today "the robots helped me teach my class!!

Naturally there was quite a groan as the snippet I had chosen ended and I'll write about the hilarious versions of the movie review in my next post!

So long for now!!

Underlying motives?

I opened my eye's to the Saturday morning and spent a few minutes pondering the happenings planned out for this day, from teaching my English class to playing music at Richards birthday party to visiting mom at one point. I haven't seen her in a while, and apart from a decent meal, I could also do with a bail out! Ha-ha. turns out I have enough money to get me to and from the school meaning my breakfast today is pretty much a pack of cookies I found comfortably snuggled at the back of my dry food cupboard. But even at such a financial low point, I thought of the kids I teach and how much more I seemingly have than them.

On a personal, and somewhat seemingly crass level, one can't help but be content with what you have when juxtaposed against disadvantaged students.

I'll digress as I ponder something somewhat personal that has crossed my mind.

Do I do this to make me feel like a better person ... a sort of ego boost or do I do it because I like it?

(Well, it certainly ain't for the money, because its volunteer work!)

I guess as humans when someone really goes out of their way to help, we kind of take a step back and question if there is an underlying sinister motive? Hmmm...

I've been asked this when I mention my this new career excursion of so sorts..."where's the catch, Charlie?"

Hmmm ... well I guess it is admittedly a little of both. Truth be told, yes, I do gain something. Like I noted to Peter my flatmate (read: roommate!ha-ha), when I get back from the school, I'm able to take note of how lucky I am to be able to wake up to a morning shower in a bathroom with white tiles and running water (but I still hate the fact that its cold water! ha-ha).

In a way I guess one starts to take such things for granted, forgetting to"smell the roses"?? I never knew I'd drive into what I've always considered dusty Kampala and stop to think how "clean" it is. I know I know, Kampala and clean really shouldn't be in the same sentence! !! haha. But therein lies what I'm talking about and further therein what I am chasing.

I wouldn't mind teaching in an urban school, but pay packages aside, I'm up for a school in a rural setting. It teaches so many small priceless life lessons.

But I digress.

Apart from the personal benefit of learning a few lessons myself, I must say I really do like what I do. Mostly stemming from the fact that after so many personal struggles with formal education, rather than seat on the sidelines and moan about how things should be, I'm taking the bull by it's horns and changing course. My classes are anything but traditional and using the Psychology I have studied over the times, I more than try to help students learn a language. I work hard to build strong characters, giving encouragement when needed, pointing out the right before wrong. I'm really up for education and it does have its benefits. But I think its about time people went to school and can fail the fact & figures but emerge as wholesome enlightened individuals who have the ability to see their true worth and exploit it.

That is really radical, but I cringe way too many times when I meet "educated" people who really can't think outside the box. I don't blame them. I blame some education systems.

Moving on.

Wait, I will blog about the actual class day (last Saturday) tomorrow. It's getting to 530pm and my new walk-from-work-to-home schedule demands that I leave the office before the sun sets.

Till tomorrow.

My first class

After freshening up, I grabbed my teaching manuals and headed out my room, then it dawned on me that I was alittle light in weight! I had forgotten the shopping for the students (pens, books and chalk). U-turn, picked them up and proceeded to the school. 30 minute taxi ride and two 10 minute motorcycle rides later, I arrived at AirField View Primary School in Kajjansi.
I met with Mary, the Director, who was meeting with some folk from Sweden that were looking into starting a Swedish-Ugandan network of sorts to send volunteers over. My class was "prepared" for me by Teacher Juliana, who walked me towards the door and turned away.
I was on my own.
I took a deep breath and walked in, at which point there was a sudden shuffle of feet as all the students stood up to greet and welcome me. It was odd standing there infront of 50 or so little chaps looking up to me.
We exchanged pleasantries, so to speak and I went staright into a short introduction about myself, explaining who I was, what I was there to do.
I scribbled the date on the blackboard, and below that, my first name. I have always imagined this what a new teacher does? Haha. I need not say even by the end of the lesson, my blackboard handwriting was horrific, to say the least!!
I remember thinking how vain it was of me to make a fuss over what I should dress up in, only to realise some of the students didn't even have shoes, and inso could care less about the coordination of my tie and shirt etc. Hmmph!
I mentioned that I thought it would be great if we all got to know one another, and would shortly ask each individual to stand up and introduce himelf/herself, telling us alittle about who they are and their hobbies (a statement I soon discontinued for a more simplistic what games you like / what you like to do ) and to point out a best friend and future career.
I'll note that my lesson plan, of sorts, was to "grade" the childrens grammar and spoken English.
This I figured would be done coyly through my "get to know one another" strategy where I would write down each students name and a basic note on their spoken English capabilities plus a side note on something about them e.g Jane the Doctor with english 7 (My grades were 1-10).
For grammar, I would have them write out what they had said, i.e name, best friends, hobbies (best game) and a short one page story on theior best animal (favoourite animal).
The spoken section of he lesson, went fairly well and was quite an ice breaker as we all got to share a laugh/clap now and then when someone mentioned an odd future profession or a a best friend as the opposite sex. I was impressed by the spoken English, not that it was impeccable, buut it was betterthan I had thought it would be, save for three or four cases.
I also came to note that I had a mix of students from Primary Two up through Primary Seven (Ugandan primary/junior school is divided into seven classes). This was a good and bad thing, withthe good thing being the younger students were inevtably forced to catch up withthe speed of the older more eloquent students and a bad thing that sometimes the younger students felt too pressurised and closed up.
I plan to deal with this in later lessons, by diving the class into groups.
The class also had what I could call the safe class cocktail. The quiet one, the loud mouth, the joker etc.
At the end of this, I asked if anyone had any questions about me, seeing as I had asked about them. Hands shot into the air, asking about everything from my religous beliefs to my "best games" to my best songs/singers. That I hesitated on as I almost mentioned my rather odd (read: very white! haha) taste in music like the Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows or Blink 182 !?! Rather than endure odd blank stares, haha, that even my suI resorted to mumbling a more commercial 50 Cent and Micheal Jackson. At this point I was asked if I could dance like MJ, towhich I lyingly replied in the affirmative and was forced to perform a horrible signature crotch-grabbing-hand-in-the-air MJ move that lasted barely 15 seconds! haha.
From spoken, we moved into Grammar, I handed out the books and pens to happy-to-have-new-stuff students and we went into the writing session.
This was rather unevetful, with the class getting quiet as the students filled their books.
Tea break beckoned and we broke up, with the students going out and I staying in to review their work. Someone brought me porridge (liquid maize mill), which i hadn't tasted in nearly 6 years ... I took a sip that aside from burning me instantly teleported me back to the last place I tasted this drink...and where I happened to be now : School!
The students came back in and we moved on into each one reading out their story infront of the class (yes, I am trying to get them to speak English as much as possible) withthe class lsietening and asking questions / making corrections.
This went well, and was hilarious as some really odd stories had been penned, and the authors got bashed by the classmates asking how animals could speak, if all dogs wre vicious and other disrepancies in the tales. I made sure there was a nice handclap at the end of every one's story.
Lunch beckoned, and I had a small outro, because I felt the need (as was pointed out on some internet forum) to let the students see the need for them to take the oppourtunity and learn as much as they can.
I pointed out that they had all mentioned future plans / careers that all had one thing in common. English language. I noted that one would indeed need English grammar to pass test / interviews and spoken English to express themselves eloquently when at a verbal interview for the respective jobs. Lastly, I made note of the fact that I had travelled all the way from Kampala (the capital city) early on a Saturday morning to healp them learn (note the word play, haha, not to teach them but to help them learn!! hehe) noting that I could be cuddled in bed right now, but I had made an effort and they should see the oppourtunity and use me to learn. I concluded by thanking them for a being a great class and promised to see them again next weekend.
CLASS DISMISSED!!

Friday night plan? Chalk, pens and books!!

Hard to imagine that when asked what was up for the Friday night, I would oddly reply that rather than budget for Nile Special (a local Ugandan beer) I was going to catch some shut eye, but not before I went out for some last minute shopping for some chalk, pens and books for my first ESL class tomorrow morning!

My feelings range from nervous to being content with it all! I say, why not?

Let me start by saying, what my friends have heard me utter countless times. I will forever be indebted to the internet. Everyday I seem to learn something new thanks to this vast connection of computers (but thats for a blog of its own) as today, I shamefully admit theft of the incredible book, who's cover page lies by the side. Jim Scrivener, when I get my first credit card or pay pal account, I will legally download your book from amazon for it has helped me immensely. From knowing pretty much nothing about the world of teaching, LT (Learning Teaching) has opened up a whole new world (page!?!) for someone who is yet to comfortably call himself "a teacher".

So far, I have trolled the net, and I'm also indebted to about.com's section on ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching, having learned ALOT about ESL. Barely 24 hours prior to my first class, I am readily armed with some flimsy excuse for a lesson plan (haha!) and a belief in thy self. Pardon the cliche, but "Yes I can!!".

Lesson plans aside, being an orphanage, ( and as noted by Scrivener), I figure I have to carry my own chalk, books and some pens for the students. All this has taken up my Friday night beer budget, leaving me with no option but to spend the night in. Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to come across as some Mother Theresa of sorts, no...not yet. Tomorrow I am DJ'ing at a house party, where and after which I will be getting heavily intoxicated or to put it more bluntly, drunk off my ass!! haha. It's been three weeks off of alcohol and my first week as a teacher so I see no better reason to celebrate!!

I'll digress abit here on with some random rumbling as I ponder on my learnings / feelings so far, mainly for my own reading later, many years down the road.
During the week I also me with Gillian Chapman, a local private English Language tutor, who didn't "follow the book" and attend University, opting instead for a CELTA course ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CELTA ) . Pretty much the first person I have talked to about CELTA and I was enthralled to learn that it is indeed a very intense course, with actual teaching starting on the second day!!! My delight roots from the fact that I had considered sneaking into a teachers course at the Makerere University, but a chat with one of the students left me a tad disheartened when I learned that they don't per se teach you how to teach. From what I grasped they do alot of theoretical lectures, which I consider pathetic? I say, you can only read so much about swimming but the instant you in the water its a whole new ball game, isn't it? So I'm glad CELTA actually throws you in the deep end of the pool, so to speak. Less Talk More Action makes more sense to me. I am extra keen on enrolling. The only downside, is that the nearest centre is in CapeTown (South Africa), so I have to wait until I have saved up for an overland (I hate air travel) trip into the rainbow nation.
On my first visit to the school, I must say I was drawn to the kids. Mary, the director, has instilled alittle sweetness in them and as they walk past a visitor, they stop and say "Hello, how are you?" in pretty good English. Although, with Mary being American born, I was alittle taken aback, as I cheekyly mused that she would have made the greet with "Hi" inlieu fo the very British "Hello"!!
:))

Till next week.

Cheers.

It all begins with...

...my first volunteering as Santa Clause at a local junior school for orphans?Plausible!

I recall once talking to my sister (Rita) and she was giving me some "life lesson" (haha) about how if one wanted something so bad, the world would conspire to give it to you. There is a half truth to that, for she failed to note (or she presumed I should know!?! Rita - Do clarify), that you must keep a sharp eye for the little bread crumbs that lead you , Hanzel or Grettel, to this something-you-want-so-bad.

Teaching? I wish I could say this was a life calling, it was mean't to be ... blah blah. Not quite, I'm afraid. In between my search for a purpose and path, I was able to pen down afew of my "reasons for living", of which along the path to the purpose, teaching happened to be the "bread crumbs". I have always loved to travel and to see the world, and what better way to do it than whilst leaving little blessings, in the form of lessons, along this path that I tread? Plus it took alittle outside the box thinking for the epiphany to dawn on me and I realised that my passion for psychology is deeply related to teaching. Especially language teaching.

So the Journey has began, and the world did indeed conspire to push me on my way as I was reading a local noticeboard ...lo and behold, there was a posting requesting for volunteer teachers for an N.G.O funded school 30 minutes out of town.

I called up Mary, the director, set up a meeting, met with her and she agreed to take me for Saturday classes, with me promising I would push in possibly two midweek evening classes, if my schedule let me. (I am already swamped with my Psychology and Portugues and Learning Teaching classes. Don't even get me started with the assignments from the two jobs that I somewhow juggle!!)

Here's to a new life! Mazel tov mazel tov!!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step - Annoymous Chinese saying.