Sounds dramatic, but that's a little like how it felt as Joelle and I watched our student teachers do their first full week of teaching, having written lesson plans and prepared resources and themselves. We watched more lessons than I can count, and got to know our students a little better each time. We were definitely rooting for their success, and in some cases, even found it! They were still very green and a little nervous, but it was gratifying to see them put things into practice that I know we taught them. A real sign of success came at lunchtime on Friday. A delegation of first graders came to see me to ask that Teacher Elijah not have to move from teaching them! Eljah had spent 6 weeks in their class, observing, then teaching math, English, and phonics. He really fell in love with them, too, and told me one day that he wants to be a first grade teacher. He had been taking extra lessons and even tutoring a couple of them on his own time. It was so special to know that they felt the same way about him, but, sadly, he had to move on to a middle grade next.
One of the things we did every day was give feedback to the students about all the positive and negative things we saw. Their attitudes were so good it made it much easier to tell them the hard things. One of them, Agaba, said, "Only tell me the bad things so I'll know what to work on." He has no idea how demoralizing that could be, so I told him that wasn't an option! At the end of the week when we were telling them how positive we felt about the week, they thanked us for our input in ther week and our feedback, which they knew would make them better teachers. We also gave all the Karanse teachers, who have been supervising our students through this, sodas and bananas at lunch as a thank you. That's how they celebrate really important events, and, as a result, when Agaba came in the dining hall and saw them, he said, "Is it Christmas?" He was joking, but what he meant was - this is a big deal! Gladness, one of the Karanse teachers said, "I knew you would do something like this." I asked what she meant, and she said, "It's the end of their first term and their first teaching week. I knew there would be a celebration." I loved that!
One of my favorite parts of the week was actually getting to be in classes every day. The biggest drawback of my job is missing time with children, so this really helped that. I got to help teach games to 5th graders, lead a group math game in frst grade, go around the classroom observing and looking over shoulders in 3rd, 4th, and 6th grades, listen to a story in second grade; the only grades I missed out on were pre-one and 7th!
I went back to Karanse just for the day Tuesday as we were getting 3 of our students settled in a new school (they had been at a school that didn't work out, then back to Joshua, and now a YWAM primary school, hopefully for the rest of the year) and it was close to Karanse, so I spent the day getting our guys settled in to their new classes. I'm sure they didn't need me, but it was also fun to surprise Abraham with his birthday cake! He thought I had forgotten, so it was more fun than usual!
In for the rest of the weekend, then back out to Karanse on Monday.
For those of you who remember my dad's past bouts with melanoma, he was back in surgery this past week, but we're praying they got it all this time, too. You can join us in that prayer, and that this is the last one!
Me with my sponsored children
Me with my sponsored children
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Power outages, government inspectors and (more) car repairs!
Yes, all in one week! Power outages have been worse than usual, sometimes only a few hours of electricity in a whole 24 hour period. We're told it has to do with lack of water due to not enough rain, but we don't believe that's all there is to it. It does, however, make us pray more fervently for rain! (Even as I wrote that, the power went off briefly!)
On Tuesday, Joanna got word that inspectors from the gov't would be coming to inspect the college the next 2 days. She asked me if I'd go with her and them if we made a trip to Karanse on Thursday. I readily agreed. The rest of the week I was planning to help William in his 4-year old preschool class, and I was also asked to look in on the student teachers here at JTTC for a couple of observations, group work, some work on planning lessons for next week, etc. Along with 2 meetngs and some essays to grade, it sounded like a well-planned week. How long have I been here and should have known better?! The inspectors did indeed come on Wednesday morning, just after I dropped my car off at our base garage for an oil change and general check-up (it had been making some extra noises and seemed rougher than normal) and just as I walked into William's class, Joanna appeared saying, "Can you go to Karanse...now?!" Sure enough, the inspectors wanted to see our students at their training school using our curriculum and talk with them about our course. So, we jumped in the car with the 3 inspectors and took the hour and a half trip to Karanse where I got to surprise our students. They were wonderfully candid and articulate with the inspectors, then pulled me aside to ask me "mentor questions" they hadn't thought it appropriate to ask in front of the inspectors. After much too short a time, we were on our way again.
When we got back to base, I noticed my car was still in the garage, and since it was about 4:30 by then, that didn't seem like a good sign. Sure enough, the mechanic came to my house and asked me to come to the garage. My right front wheel was off, and there were what appeared to be random car parts lying around on the garage floor. One of the mechanics picked up a piece and sort of waved it around. I said, "OK. What is that, what does it do, where should it be?" It turned out my shocks were badly worn, something about a gearbox, rotors, alignment; anyway, 3 days and about $500 later, I got my car back. Thankfully, I get paid milage/maintenance for the use of my car, since I drive it on mentor trips to and from Karanse twice a month. I didn't have all of that on hand, but I know it's coming, so I can pay myself back over the next few weeks.
This coming week the plan is for the students to teach all week in the classes they have been observing, and for us mentors to watch them. I am looking forward to that, as it's our first real look at the progress of them after all this time. More on that next time!
On Tuesday, Joanna got word that inspectors from the gov't would be coming to inspect the college the next 2 days. She asked me if I'd go with her and them if we made a trip to Karanse on Thursday. I readily agreed. The rest of the week I was planning to help William in his 4-year old preschool class, and I was also asked to look in on the student teachers here at JTTC for a couple of observations, group work, some work on planning lessons for next week, etc. Along with 2 meetngs and some essays to grade, it sounded like a well-planned week. How long have I been here and should have known better?! The inspectors did indeed come on Wednesday morning, just after I dropped my car off at our base garage for an oil change and general check-up (it had been making some extra noises and seemed rougher than normal) and just as I walked into William's class, Joanna appeared saying, "Can you go to Karanse...now?!" Sure enough, the inspectors wanted to see our students at their training school using our curriculum and talk with them about our course. So, we jumped in the car with the 3 inspectors and took the hour and a half trip to Karanse where I got to surprise our students. They were wonderfully candid and articulate with the inspectors, then pulled me aside to ask me "mentor questions" they hadn't thought it appropriate to ask in front of the inspectors. After much too short a time, we were on our way again.
When we got back to base, I noticed my car was still in the garage, and since it was about 4:30 by then, that didn't seem like a good sign. Sure enough, the mechanic came to my house and asked me to come to the garage. My right front wheel was off, and there were what appeared to be random car parts lying around on the garage floor. One of the mechanics picked up a piece and sort of waved it around. I said, "OK. What is that, what does it do, where should it be?" It turned out my shocks were badly worn, something about a gearbox, rotors, alignment; anyway, 3 days and about $500 later, I got my car back. Thankfully, I get paid milage/maintenance for the use of my car, since I drive it on mentor trips to and from Karanse twice a month. I didn't have all of that on hand, but I know it's coming, so I can pay myself back over the next few weeks.
This coming week the plan is for the students to teach all week in the classes they have been observing, and for us mentors to watch them. I am looking forward to that, as it's our first real look at the progress of them after all this time. More on that next time!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Student teachers doing their first teaching
This was a great week in Karanse. After months of doing basic (and very necessary) curriculum on theory of Christian education and observation in the classrooms, several of our student teachers did their frst teaching of classes this week. No one has done a full lesson, yet, as we're easing them into this a lttle at a time, but it was great to see it begin to come together for them. One of my students, 6 foot tall, worldly-wise Agaba, said, the day before it would be his turn, "I think I'll faint!" He ddn't, and they all did fine. Still have much to learn, but a really good first step.
Because they're all working in pairs at different grade levels, I had some extra time to observe in the classrooms as our Karanse teachers taught, too. This is always one of my favorite things, and this week was no exception. I'm always so pleased (and surprised, I have to admit) when they do creative things, outdoor classes, group work, etc. They've been taught all of those things (some of them by me at JTTC the last time I lived here), but they're so counter-cultural that I love to see them going against the tide of their culture and actually doing it!
Hopefully, my downloading of pictures will work and you can see a couple of them for yourself! The look on their faces is relief! Elijah and Daniel taught in first and second grades and did wall dsplays with the children's work, so that's their pictures of that, too.
Finally got some Christmas and New Year's pictures loaded, too, so I'll include a couple of those, too.
Because they're all working in pairs at different grade levels, I had some extra time to observe in the classrooms as our Karanse teachers taught, too. This is always one of my favorite things, and this week was no exception. I'm always so pleased (and surprised, I have to admit) when they do creative things, outdoor classes, group work, etc. They've been taught all of those things (some of them by me at JTTC the last time I lived here), but they're so counter-cultural that I love to see them going against the tide of their culture and actually doing it!
Hopefully, my downloading of pictures will work and you can see a couple of them for yourself! The look on their faces is relief! Elijah and Daniel taught in first and second grades and did wall dsplays with the children's work, so that's their pictures of that, too.
Finally got some Christmas and New Year's pictures loaded, too, so I'll include a couple of those, too.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Heri ya mwaka mpya!
Which, of course, is Happy New Year in Swahili! As soon as we learned that phrase, from a cashier on New Year's Day, we used it on everyone we could, for practice, and got great smiles from secrty guards, waiters, etc. Hopefully, they were smiling because they were pleased, not because mne and Shelley's pronunciations were bad!
It was a happy new year and a very merry Christmas. Christmas morning began with breakfast on the patio with Joanna, Simon, Neil, Janet, Shelley, Sarah, and me. We ate wonderful food, read the Christmas story together, listened to Christmas music, and watched Sarah open presents! She was the only one who had gotten packages and not opened them already!
Then several of us watched "White Christmas," whch I pretty much have memorized and no one else had even seen! Then we had to take a break and go eat a huge buffet lunch at Mountain Village, a really nice hotel overlooking a lake, up on a hill.
Resting and reading for awhile that afternoon, then we got together that night as a team/family for snacks and present exchange. was finally able to call home after that, as Christmas was just getting underway in the States. A really nice day.
The next week Sarah and I spent at Cradle of Love baby orphanage and loved on under-3-year olds, fed them, cuddled them, etc. We had a ball! We plan on going back on Sunday afternoons a couple of times a month so they don't forget us, and we don't forget them!
New Year's Day, several of us packed a picnic lunch and went to a lodge/resort hotel for the day for swimming, reading, eating, relaxing (except for Joanna who was doing MORE wedding planning!).
Started back to school last week and went out to Karanse last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week to get everyone settled back in. This is the term where they begin their rotations of observing in a set classroom, teaching small groups, leading various activities, and finally teaching for a whole week. They're excited and a little nervous, as I remember from my own student teaching days!
This week we picked up 2 additional students from the St. Dorcas group. That school just wasn't workng as a training school, so we had to (temporarily, we hope) split them up and send them to 3 different schools, including Karanse. They were happily accepted by "our" students, who knew them from their time together at Joshua in July and August.
FINALLY, this Saturday is Joanna's wedding! It really has only been in the planning stages since September, but since I live with Joanna and am in charge of many parts of the reception, I feel like it's been in planning for a lot longer! It will be wonderful, and we're all so excited for them both.Hope to have pictures soon.
It was a happy new year and a very merry Christmas. Christmas morning began with breakfast on the patio with Joanna, Simon, Neil, Janet, Shelley, Sarah, and me. We ate wonderful food, read the Christmas story together, listened to Christmas music, and watched Sarah open presents! She was the only one who had gotten packages and not opened them already!
Then several of us watched "White Christmas," whch I pretty much have memorized and no one else had even seen! Then we had to take a break and go eat a huge buffet lunch at Mountain Village, a really nice hotel overlooking a lake, up on a hill.
Resting and reading for awhile that afternoon, then we got together that night as a team/family for snacks and present exchange. was finally able to call home after that, as Christmas was just getting underway in the States. A really nice day.
The next week Sarah and I spent at Cradle of Love baby orphanage and loved on under-3-year olds, fed them, cuddled them, etc. We had a ball! We plan on going back on Sunday afternoons a couple of times a month so they don't forget us, and we don't forget them!
New Year's Day, several of us packed a picnic lunch and went to a lodge/resort hotel for the day for swimming, reading, eating, relaxing (except for Joanna who was doing MORE wedding planning!).
Started back to school last week and went out to Karanse last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week to get everyone settled back in. This is the term where they begin their rotations of observing in a set classroom, teaching small groups, leading various activities, and finally teaching for a whole week. They're excited and a little nervous, as I remember from my own student teaching days!
This week we picked up 2 additional students from the St. Dorcas group. That school just wasn't workng as a training school, so we had to (temporarily, we hope) split them up and send them to 3 different schools, including Karanse. They were happily accepted by "our" students, who knew them from their time together at Joshua in July and August.
FINALLY, this Saturday is Joanna's wedding! It really has only been in the planning stages since September, but since I live with Joanna and am in charge of many parts of the reception, I feel like it's been in planning for a lot longer! It will be wonderful, and we're all so excited for them both.Hope to have pictures soon.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Holidays begin!
Exams are over and graded (all of our students passed their classes this first term -hallelujah!), and the holidays have begun!
Sarah and I left on Monday for our week in Paradise/Zanzibar and just returned last night. It was beautiful, fun, restful - all of the best parts of a vacation! We went snorkelling one day, and I kept thinking 2 things: I HAVE to watch Finding Nemo again, and wow! Isn't God an amazingly creative God?! I know that, but seeing some of those fish, I just would have laughed, if I wasn't afraid of drinking in too much (Indian) ocean water! I have always imagined Him saying to the angels about the stars, planets, galaxies, "Just wait till they see this one!" Or when He created zebras, "How cool would white with black stripes, all the way from their manes to their tails be?" Now, I could just hear Him chuckling and saying, "That black and white thing worked so well on the zebra, let's do it with fish!"
That day also included about 4 hours sailing on a boat to and from snorkelling and was just so relaxing. We had lunch on a private part of the beach, met people from Holland, the UK, Sweden, just very international. It also fit in with my theme of having seafood at every meal except breakfast (only because I couldn't convince them to make a shrimp omelette!)!
The next day, we took a spice tour and a Stone Town tour. I had done both before, but our guides were very good and very informative, and I enjoyed both of those again.
The next day, as Sarah said, we just "relaxed." That was so funny to me because that's what we'd been doing all week, in one form or another! I mean, we didn't sail the boat or drive the cars for our tours or even have to memorize dates and names of plants and sultans! So, relaxing was something we pretty much had down!
Every breakfast we ate at our hotel, since that was included, and most lunches we ate at little local places but with lots of different options (as long as you wanted chips-french fries- or rice as your sides!) and local prices, as well - under about $5 for seafood dinners! Some dinners we also ate at those or at one of the beach hotels. One part of almost evry day was a trip to a shop for ice cream! After all, we were on vacation, at the beach! Hmmmm... wonder if that's how I gained a kilo in a week! Good thing I also did water aerobics every day, walked, kicked my fin-encased feet for an hour snorkelling, or I'd have gained 2 kilos! (I dreamed in kilos one week at Karanse! We eat rice for every lunch there, have chapatis for morning tea, which are mostly fried dough, and have bread with our soup for dinner. But, one night I dreamed I lost 6 kilos in one week! Aside from being physically impossible, all of my Australian, British, and New Zealand friends thought the funniest part was that I dreamed in kilos!)
We just got our latest and final mentor today. Her name is Shelley, she's from NZ, and she will be Sarah's fellow mentor in Magugu. That puts our household at 6 women for now. Joanna gets married in just under a month, and she'll be moving out then. More on all of this later. I will try to download some picture from the last week soon.
Sarah and I left on Monday for our week in Paradise/Zanzibar and just returned last night. It was beautiful, fun, restful - all of the best parts of a vacation! We went snorkelling one day, and I kept thinking 2 things: I HAVE to watch Finding Nemo again, and wow! Isn't God an amazingly creative God?! I know that, but seeing some of those fish, I just would have laughed, if I wasn't afraid of drinking in too much (Indian) ocean water! I have always imagined Him saying to the angels about the stars, planets, galaxies, "Just wait till they see this one!" Or when He created zebras, "How cool would white with black stripes, all the way from their manes to their tails be?" Now, I could just hear Him chuckling and saying, "That black and white thing worked so well on the zebra, let's do it with fish!"
That day also included about 4 hours sailing on a boat to and from snorkelling and was just so relaxing. We had lunch on a private part of the beach, met people from Holland, the UK, Sweden, just very international. It also fit in with my theme of having seafood at every meal except breakfast (only because I couldn't convince them to make a shrimp omelette!)!
The next day, we took a spice tour and a Stone Town tour. I had done both before, but our guides were very good and very informative, and I enjoyed both of those again.
The next day, as Sarah said, we just "relaxed." That was so funny to me because that's what we'd been doing all week, in one form or another! I mean, we didn't sail the boat or drive the cars for our tours or even have to memorize dates and names of plants and sultans! So, relaxing was something we pretty much had down!
Every breakfast we ate at our hotel, since that was included, and most lunches we ate at little local places but with lots of different options (as long as you wanted chips-french fries- or rice as your sides!) and local prices, as well - under about $5 for seafood dinners! Some dinners we also ate at those or at one of the beach hotels. One part of almost evry day was a trip to a shop for ice cream! After all, we were on vacation, at the beach! Hmmmm... wonder if that's how I gained a kilo in a week! Good thing I also did water aerobics every day, walked, kicked my fin-encased feet for an hour snorkelling, or I'd have gained 2 kilos! (I dreamed in kilos one week at Karanse! We eat rice for every lunch there, have chapatis for morning tea, which are mostly fried dough, and have bread with our soup for dinner. But, one night I dreamed I lost 6 kilos in one week! Aside from being physically impossible, all of my Australian, British, and New Zealand friends thought the funniest part was that I dreamed in kilos!)
We just got our latest and final mentor today. Her name is Shelley, she's from NZ, and she will be Sarah's fellow mentor in Magugu. That puts our household at 6 women for now. Joanna gets married in just under a month, and she'll be moving out then. More on all of this later. I will try to download some picture from the last week soon.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Seasons they don't tell you about in Tanzania!
Everyone knows about the "rainy" season, and most people not brand-new to TZ have heard the difference between the "short rains" and the "long rains" (we're having the short rains now, FYI), but there are actually several other "seasons" I have found out about!
Back in September, just as we were coming into spring/summer, the winds really picked up, and so did the dust. Especially since we live just over the hedge from a dirt road that is used quite frequently, everything in our house got covered with a fine layer of reddish-brown dust. One week when I was heading to Karanse, I closed my bedroom windows in an effort to minimize the dust, but the wind blew so hard that dust came in through any available space where windows weren't sealed properly. When I got back, I had to wash bed linens, wash window sills, sweep my closet, of all things, and vacuum my floor. This was the "dust season."
We pretty much always have our windows open; thank goodness for screens! We also have several doors to our house that someone is always leaving open, and they don't have screens. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a big increase in our fly population in our house. Joanna said this was "fly season," the weeks before the short rains come all the way up till Christmas! Today we had team lunch at our house, and I was so irritated by all of the flies that I gave Janet a job (since she was here early). I told her she couldn't eat until she had killed 10 flies! Joelle got in on that as well, and between them they killed about 30 flies!! Yuck!
I was telling Joanna last night my new discoveries of the seasons, and she said, "Just wait till locust season!" Oh, boy!!!
Back in September, just as we were coming into spring/summer, the winds really picked up, and so did the dust. Especially since we live just over the hedge from a dirt road that is used quite frequently, everything in our house got covered with a fine layer of reddish-brown dust. One week when I was heading to Karanse, I closed my bedroom windows in an effort to minimize the dust, but the wind blew so hard that dust came in through any available space where windows weren't sealed properly. When I got back, I had to wash bed linens, wash window sills, sweep my closet, of all things, and vacuum my floor. This was the "dust season."
We pretty much always have our windows open; thank goodness for screens! We also have several doors to our house that someone is always leaving open, and they don't have screens. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a big increase in our fly population in our house. Joanna said this was "fly season," the weeks before the short rains come all the way up till Christmas! Today we had team lunch at our house, and I was so irritated by all of the flies that I gave Janet a job (since she was here early). I told her she couldn't eat until she had killed 10 flies! Joelle got in on that as well, and between them they killed about 30 flies!! Yuck!
I was telling Joanna last night my new discoveries of the seasons, and she said, "Just wait till locust season!" Oh, boy!!!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
7th grade graduation and Christmas preparations...
and end of term, grading exams, etc.!
Last Wednesday was such a long-awaited day: Standard 7 graduation, our second at Karanse. This is such a monumental thing for this community, to have so many students graduate with the hope of secondary school before them. Before the coming of our school, something like 7 children had ever left Standard 7 and gone on to "high school." Now, we have 2 classes and something like 40 students from our scxhool along going on to "further education." Many important dignitaries were on hand, lots of parents, the whole school, even though they were technically on holiday, our students teachers, Godsave and Isack from Imara, and Joelle and me. The skies went from blazingly bright to drizzling over the couple of hours, but it was well worth it. Lots of food was served to everyone later, and a good time was had by all. I took video, not pictures, but I know Joelle took pictures, so I'll see if I can get some to put on here.
Then Thursday and Friday the student teachers took their exams, and Joelle and I (with Perimeter paying) took all of the teachers from Karanse out to lunch on Thursday to thank them for a job well done this year. That was a big deal for everyone, and we enjoyed it, as well.
Back to En Gedi on Friday, running errands on Saturday, church and the pool on Sunday, then it was time to start "marking" exams. It's hard to get used to the grading scale (we consider 50 passing!), so it was easy to feel a little discouraged seeing all of those 60%'s, but that's like a C, so they'll be fine with it!
Last night I went to my friend Isack's house for a visit and dinner since I haven't been there this trip at all, shocking as that is! Of course, the power went off just at dark, so we ate and visited by the light of one candle and 2 flashlights! However, I love his family, and have known them since before Ebenezer, the oldest, was even born. Now there are 2 of them, just live wires, and we had a wonderful time.
Today is the staff Christmas party for our workers and their families: 40 workers, maybe 80 children, spouses of many - it should be a big deal! Games, food, presents, a proper party!
Have I mentioned I'm off to Zanzibar next week?! Sarah, a fellow mentor, and I leave Monday and get back Saturday. We're so looking forward to it! It's summer here, though not as hot as it will be in January, so going to the beach is perfect for December! I hear it's very cold at home, so maybe this sounds good there, too!
Last Wednesday was such a long-awaited day: Standard 7 graduation, our second at Karanse. This is such a monumental thing for this community, to have so many students graduate with the hope of secondary school before them. Before the coming of our school, something like 7 children had ever left Standard 7 and gone on to "high school." Now, we have 2 classes and something like 40 students from our scxhool along going on to "further education." Many important dignitaries were on hand, lots of parents, the whole school, even though they were technically on holiday, our students teachers, Godsave and Isack from Imara, and Joelle and me. The skies went from blazingly bright to drizzling over the couple of hours, but it was well worth it. Lots of food was served to everyone later, and a good time was had by all. I took video, not pictures, but I know Joelle took pictures, so I'll see if I can get some to put on here.
Then Thursday and Friday the student teachers took their exams, and Joelle and I (with Perimeter paying) took all of the teachers from Karanse out to lunch on Thursday to thank them for a job well done this year. That was a big deal for everyone, and we enjoyed it, as well.
Back to En Gedi on Friday, running errands on Saturday, church and the pool on Sunday, then it was time to start "marking" exams. It's hard to get used to the grading scale (we consider 50 passing!), so it was easy to feel a little discouraged seeing all of those 60%'s, but that's like a C, so they'll be fine with it!
Last night I went to my friend Isack's house for a visit and dinner since I haven't been there this trip at all, shocking as that is! Of course, the power went off just at dark, so we ate and visited by the light of one candle and 2 flashlights! However, I love his family, and have known them since before Ebenezer, the oldest, was even born. Now there are 2 of them, just live wires, and we had a wonderful time.
Today is the staff Christmas party for our workers and their families: 40 workers, maybe 80 children, spouses of many - it should be a big deal! Games, food, presents, a proper party!
Have I mentioned I'm off to Zanzibar next week?! Sarah, a fellow mentor, and I leave Monday and get back Saturday. We're so looking forward to it! It's summer here, though not as hot as it will be in January, so going to the beach is perfect for December! I hear it's very cold at home, so maybe this sounds good there, too!
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