Week 8

Week 8 (Week 6 Mulandi)

So instead of writing about each day this week, I am going to write about what I have learned thus far in my Kenyan adventure.

The first big thing that I have learned is how thankful I am that I don’t have an easy placement. After the visit to Rosslyn Academy, it looked so nice and clean and American, I was feeling like I wanted to be doing my work there. They use strategies that I have heard of, books that were familiar, and almost everyone I met was from Ohio, Texas or Wisconsin. Those are my people right there. It would have been an incredible experience to student teach there, with some of the best teachers I have ever seen.

However, I would not have thought of half the things I have thought of being at my placement. I have different views on education. I know the kind of teacher that I want to be. I know what I think about student learning. And most importantly, I know how I view the children of God as learners and as students.

Firstly, my views on education have changed. In Kenya, education is one of the only ways to get out of the circle. I only say circle because I don’t know what else to call it. Basically the circle is not having a job, and living in poverty. Having an education can change your life. Learning English and doing well in primary school can get students in the Kenyan School System into high school. Doing well in high school can get them into a University. There is one test to take to get into high school. If you pass, then you can go. There is one test to take to get into a University. If you pass, then you can go. Kenyan students can tell you their high school grade with one letter.

This right here is hard for me to conceive. One test determining your future? Telling you if you can go to College and get an education and have a chance at a job? That is something that I almost cannot fathom. I know there are tests like this in the states, but its different. There are options in the states, such as community colleges, online Universities, and other training options for specific jobs. Here, if you don’t go to a University, then most will continue to live where they are farming cattle or sheep or have a motorbike and drive people. This is not a bad thing, and I have met some people here who love their role. The thing that is still hard to wrap my mind around than the one test, is the fact that I can see the effects of this in third grade. Eight year olds know that they need to work hard in school because it is their future. If they fall behind, teachers won’t help them catch up, they will just take the students who are more gifted and work harder to get them into high school and universities.

This leads me to what the teachers actually teach. In Kenya, teachers teach students how to repeat things. They teach rote memorization and that is pretty much it. Obviously, in any school students are also learning social skills and life skills, but in classes they are taught straight out of the book with not a whole lot of extra thinking involved. It is interesting to see, and it is fascinating to see what the students pick up. The ones who can speak English really well speak the same diction the books are written in. This language is sometimes incorrect and not very common talk. I think that it is interesting to think about how we teach students – if we are teaching them how to repeat what we tell them, or if we are teaching them to be independent thinkers who can develop their own ideas.

This leads me to what my calling is on earth, and the kind of teacher God has called me to be. I believe that every child can learn if they are given the chance. It makes me want to give each child a chance. They are all created by God and I think that it is heartbreaking to see some of them not get the chance to be loved and taught in an environment that is safe. Being there first hand and seeing all of this happen, I can understand that the school simply cannot serve the need. There is so much need, and the students who aren’t going to make it through high school get less attention than those with potential. I have a lot more thinking to do on this topic, but for right now I am just praying for these kids.

All this being said, I know that no education system is perfect. I understand that there are flaws in probably every system in the world because we are not perfect people. I can only pray for my students. Seven weeks is not enough time to change anything. If all they remember is the crazy Muzungu who taught us how to do the alphabet in sign language, then that is all they remember. I hope that they know that I care about them. I hope they know that I believe they can do it. I hope they know that I want to teach them how to think, and have opinions, and believe in themselves as individuals, not as just part of the system.

All in all, I am thankful for this school. The teachers do their best working with what they have. The students (usually) try their hardest. God is in that place, just as he is in Hoover Elementary back in Calumet City, Illinois. The systems are what they are, in America and in Kenya. I have grown by expanding my thoughts, and trying to figure out what I believe about God’s world and all the diverse people living in it. I was put in this placement for a reason, and I am only just starting to see all the good that can come from it.