Mwalimu

Hi everyone!!
I have only been in Ewuas for a week and a half, and it feels like sooo many things have happened in such a short period of time!
Alana and I gradually started meeting more and more people, most of them very interesting people! It is really amazing to become part of a new culture, discovering new things every day, making errors all the time and learning from them (I'm still struggling with all the greeting requirements, but I'm getting there!)
The highlight of the past week has definitely been the school, Elangata Wuas Primary, where Alana and I have started teaching. Last week we went to visit the principal, Solomon, and we planned to start teaching on Monday. However, we still hadn't had the chance to assist a few classes to observe, and we hadn't even gotten the school books to have an idea of what we would teach, so on Monday I decided to just sit in on a few classes and observe. I went to English and Science, because those were the subjects we had chosen, and realized how different schooling is from what I have experienced in Canada. Teachers follow exactly what is written in the book, without bringing in new ideas, examples, or improvising whatsoever. Classes only last 35 minutes, but they have 8 during the day. In class, the students were very quiet, listening to every word the teacher was saying and answering in unison when she asked a question. Not really the same as a class in Canada! :)
It also made me realize how little space there is, or perhaps how little space the teachers give themselves for creativity in their teaching. Equally, there is also very little space for critical thinking for the students. Everything is dictated in the books, and that is what they follow. So you can imagine this was quite hard for me to do when I started teaching on Tuesday, so I didn't. I of course followed what I was supposed to teach them, but I added my own examples, tried to make jokes (it's veeery difficult to get the students to laugh, or react at all actually) and improvised a little. I talked a little about Canada and Quebec, our culture and our education system, and I even ended up making a drawing of a moose on the board. For those who have seen how little talent I have in drawing, you can imagine how funny it was.
So I am now a mwalimu (teacher), and I'm teaching English to the two grade 8 classes (about 25 to 30 students), for two or three days a week. Although most of the material is pretty basic and easy to teach, certain concepts are very difficult to explain, and the language barrier (English is their third language) is an additional obstacle. I have to talk veeery slowly, and explain things in many different ways, hoping they will understand. It's also difficult to know if they do understand, since they all say "yes yes", but don't really react when I ask questions again. Furthermore, their accent is hard for me to understand, and they speak soooo quietly that they have to repeat about four times and I still can't hear.
But despite these difficulties, I think I will really enjoy teaching. It'll definitely be a challenge, but I think it will be a very good one. Alana and I decided to start a discussion group where once a week, we'll go sit outside under a tree, and I will give them a topic which they will have to discuss, all in English of course. This will also give Alana and I an opportunity to get closer to our students, and to get their point of view on subjects such as Maasai culture and identity, environmental problems, or sexuality. I think it will be very interesting to hear what they have to say, and to stimulate discussion outside class.
The teachers at school are very nice, although they seem to lack enthusiasm for their job. One of them, Anne, asked me yesterday if I went to Church at home, and couldn't believe I didn't attend mass every Sunday (I didn't mention I'm not baptised, I think she would've freaked out). So she invited me to go with her to Church one Sunday, and when she told me they all sang and danced, I was convinced! :) Most teachers are welcoming and pleasant, but their relationship with the students and their attitude towards teaching in general is somewhat depressing. Yesterday, Alana and I were sitting in the staffroom, when a young student (he must have been 7 or 8) came in to talk to one of the teachers. I don't know what he had done and I couldn't understand their conversation, but she brought him in a corner and started hitting him on the bum with a long bamboo stick. She hit him several times and very hard, until he started crying, and then she let him leave. The other teachers just kept on with their work, and some of them were even laughing. I really couldn't believe I was witnessing this, and it was very difficult for me not to react, but I knew it wasn't my place, or at least not right now (it was my first day of teaching). This is the kind of situation which makes me very uncomfortable, when something goes competely against my values, but is accepted and even normal here. Later in the day, another teacher came to talk to us, probably having noticed we were very uncomfortable with the beating. She explained to us that although it is illegal in Kenya, it's still quite common in schools and in households. She also explained that for teachers who are in charge of a class of 60 or 70 young students, discipline is very difficult, and hitting them on the hands or on the bum is the only efficient way to have some authority. Although I could understand how difficult it must be to keep that many children disciplined all day long, it is still inconceivable for me to hurt a child. At the same time, I think of schools at home, where there is hardly any discipline and it's very difficult for teachers, camp counsellors, or even parents, to have authority over children... I guess there is not perfect situation... Despite this, my first experience in school was very interesting.
That was only my first week at school, and there are many more to come! I'll keep you posted on all the funny (and probably humiliating) anecdotes and events which are bound to come up as time goes by.
I hope everyone is doing great, I'm sending all my lovin' to everyone!
Take care,
Julia xxxxxxxxx