Teaching

Monday was the first day of my teaching career and I was a nervous wreck!  Currently at GHTA there are 3 classes, English (Jenny is an ESL teacher in Belgium so she has that covered), Math (John is an engineer so he has that covered), and Business.  Erin is leaving on Friday so she is just helping the slower students keep up with their classes.  So I am the new Business teacher…and of course, I know nothing about Business.  The plan was that I would observe Monika teach the first day and then I would be on my own.  Definitely the sink or swim method!

Luckily I have a translator in my class since my Swahili is extremely limited.  Basically I know how to say Thank you very much (Asante sana) and Hello (Si jambo).  But wouldn’t it be my luck that the translator, who normally does the Business classes, Herman, came down with a toothache and hasn’t been in class since I started.  Instead I have a wonderful translator named Raheemu, who is in his mid-twenties, speaks excellent English, and has a great sense of humor.  Our first class together was a complete comedy show because I was supposed to teach the class using a complicated chart of products, selling prices, purchase prices, and inventory, and it was entirely in Swahili!  We muddled through but it was painful! 

 

My students come from the poorest of the poor in Tanzania.  Many of them live in one room houses with no electricity or running water.  They are mostly women, some as old as their late 50s, and as young as mid-20s.  There are also several men and most of them are between 25 and 35 years old.  They are all serious about doing well in school and work hard to understand what is being taught.  And they are all so polite and friendly. 

 

 

 

Just hearing the stories about their lives is heartbreaking.  Many of them were not able to go to school past the 7^th grade because their parents couldn’t afford it so it’s been many years since they have sat in a classroom.  Many of the women have husbands who drink too much or beat them.  Tanzania is a patriarchal society and beating your wife is an accepted practice.  It is a hardship for many to even come to class every day.  But they all manage to show up each morning with their homework done and ready to learn more.