The week went by in a blur and here I am, on a Sunday, trying to remember everything that was. Hmmm…Jeremy and I had workshops in Zaza at the TTC Centre and it was a blast. The days were long as we had to be on the motorbikes by 6:30am and didn’t return home until after 5pm. Mary, a Canadian from PEI, joined us for the first two days and Jason for Tuesday. We’ll repeat the two day workshop three more times before I’m finished here. Once again at the TTC and twice in Kibungo for beginning teachers. Our focus of the workshop is to shift the thinking in the classroom from focusing on what the teachers will teach to what the students will learn. We spend a lot of time on assessment for learning and having the teachers realize that their sole purpose for being in the classroom is to help the students learn. We have moved away from the “child centred methodology” mentality that exists of fancy lessons full of group work, games, songs and resources. While these things do increase student participation, they do not necessary lead to increased student learning and achievement. At the end of the day, if a teacher cannot recognize understanding, they will not be able to teach to the child. When we focus on these things, we put the cart before the horse, so to speak. Schools are not there yet.
Instead, we want teachers to understand that if they can assess for learning, only then do they see the importance of finding new methods to improve the learning. As it is now, many teachers use great games, songs and group work only to find that at the end of the lesson the teacher will ask “Do you understand?” to which all children loudly, and proudly respond “Yes, teacher!” However, when you ask them to perform a skill or answer a question, they have difficulty demonstrating any real learning. In the end, this focus will allow teachers to develop Rwandan methodologies to achieve the learning that they want, which is best for their country instead of adopting ideas that work where we are from. So, child centred methodology, in our view and in this workshop, is moving from a focus on the teacher (“In this lesson I will teach…..) to the student (“In this lesson the students will learn….”) Seems like a small shift to Western teachers, but it’s monumental here. It’s simple but effective. At least, that’s the hope!
It was nice to have the added help over the course of the workshop. But Mary and Jason prefer the motos to drive on the cautious side (read: slowly) so Monday we rolled along the beautiful landscape and a decent but safe pace. We entered Kibungo that afternoon riding three abreast through the streets and I did have a moment of thinking “This is what Charlie and Ewan must have felt like.” By Tuesday afternoon, though, we were all tired and wanting to get home to a “shower” so we could meet up again later for beer and brochette to say good bye to Amy. Jeremy and I headed off first with Mutoni in the lead and Patrick, at the start, following closely behind. Mutoni turned to Jeremy and proudly said “I’m number one!” Mary and Jason were further behind taking in the view at a safe pace. Not to be outdone, Patrick shifted and we took off like a bullet coming up behind Jeremy and Mutoni and from behind, over took them with a wave and a smile and leaving a cloud of dust in our wake. Jeremy, recalling the story later, said “Then I said the dumbest thing I’ve ever said to a Rwandan.”
Jeremy leaned over and to Mutoni said, “Now you’re number two.”
Mutoni, wasting no time, roared past Patrick and I again and I was left feeling dirt and dust pelt against my legs and on the visor of my helmet. Patrick sped up a little until I saw a large beer truck coming towards us and, realizing we were about to enter a cloud of dust, asked him to slow down – but just a little. Jeremy and Mutoni disappeared into the zero visibility cloud of red dirt ahead of us and they were off. We both made it to our homes (in one piece) in enough time to wash and relax before Mary and Jason made it to town.
We then headed to Moderne again to say good bye to Amy who’d been here for three weeks already. I tell you, though, it seemed like she’s been living here for months. Perfectly capable of heading out to buy bread and bananas and telling the women banging on our gate to “mu gende!” It was so great to have her here and I realized how much it is nice to have company on the long dark nights fighting spiders, cockroaches and other visitors. I was sad to see her get on the bus on Wednesday afternoon. As it turned out, she needn’t have rushed.
Her Ethiopian Airlines flight was cancelled that night because “there weren’t enough passengers to make the flight worth it.” So, with no phone and it being the middle of the night, I didn’t hear from her until the following morning. In the end, she made it out Thursday afternoon and – from the email I got – made from Frankfurt to Rome to Vienna with lost luggage and 36 hours in airports. She was planning to spend two days in Vienna where she was hoping to meet up with a friend and spend her birthday. So, now I think she’s probably on a flight somewhere over the Atlantic.
Thursday I, too, was in Kigali to attend the Leavers’ Forum – a day long “So…now you’re leaving Rwanda” workshop. There were a handful of us there and even though we were to focus on the challenges that lay before us as we journey home and re-adjust into social and working life back home, it still hasn’t hit me that when I board that plane in August, I won’t be coming back. So….since it hasn’t hit me, I’ll just do what I normally do and … not talk about it! :)
Friday night we all met at Papryus to say good bye to Karen, who was heading to Tanzania on her way home to Ireland. The food was amazing and, after polishing off an entire pizza, realized that I hadn’t eaten that well in weeks. I’ve hit a wall with the food here and am having hard time eating mélange and brochettes. So thank goodness for Margherita Pizza! I am fighting a cold so I took a moto back to the hotel early and crawled into bed. 4:30am came too quickly and we were up to take a taxi down and send Karen off in style as she boarded the famous 30 –hour Taqwa bus bound for Dar es Salaam. (Remember: our trip to Zanzibar). Back to the hotel to eat and head over the VSO program office where were sleeping that night. I turned on a movie and dozed in and out of sleep for the rest of the day before we went out – again – to Handee (well, what used to be called Handee) for Ruiari’s going away dinner. Yummy Indian food washed down with Primus beer. Life in Kigali is easy street!
And so, here I am, looking around at the sun coming in through my window and the gecko on the wall that is missing part of his tail. I hear water boiling so I can take a nice warm “shower”. I’ve updated my blog (pictures coming soon) and am beginning to think of that thing that I’m not talking about – the fact that I’ll be leaving here soon. :(
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