Due to some extenuating circumstances I was out of my site for the first week of school. I was told it wouldn’t be a problem because all of the students don’t arrive on time anyways, so teachers generally sped the first week doing review, or ice breakers, or simply don’t show up at all. Just like with meetings, school starts on Africa time. When I returned to school on Saturday morning none of the other teachrs could be found. They had all left for the weekend and no one could tell me what the teaching hours they’d decided on were. Still not knowing what levels I was teaching or my hours I was left with the difficult task of designing a lesson that could work for any level. And assuming the week of bullshit icereakers was over I wanted to make it a somewhat valuable lesson. What I finally settled on was some introductions and then a basic overview of why it is important to learn English, where in the world English is spoken, etc. Sadly, the first day will probably be a lot of open mouthed staring at the Muzungu and trying to get used to my accent so anything too ambitious woud be a waste. I woke up bright and early Monday morning exercised to get the gitters out, and headed to the teacher’s room at 6:45 assuming assembly was at 7am. I was surprised to find, when I got there, the same schedule from last year still on board and only one other teacher – the English teacher – in the room. When I asked about the schedule he politely informed me that they had yet to make one, and no one had taught last week. He left out the implied undertone of, “because you were no here and we were not sure that you were coming back.” I felt bad for a minute and could feel the tailspin of guilt coming on that I had held up a whole school for a week with my departure when I realized that this was just an excuse. Any reason is used in this country to stall, or shirk work. Heck even at a boarding school – where everyone lives on campus - no one comes to school when it is raining . There were other ways to handle the schedule without me here.
-Let the other English teachers have all the hours for a week.
-Make my slots free periods.
-Use last years time table temporarily.
A lack of creative thinking is a countrywide epidemic here and I am not to blame for that. I decided to have a seat and work on my lesson plans until 8am so I could pick the brains of any teachers who emerged. I started by asking my counterpart a few questions, all of which he answered in a mumbled French that was very difficult to understand. I realized I may have misremembered which subject he taught. When I asked, in French, he confirmed he was the other English teacher. After going back and forth in French a few times we decided to go over lesson plans – his whole notebook was in French.
“That’s very impressive,” I said, “That you can translate as you teach.”
“I teach in French, “ He answered, “but write on the board in English.”
MY first reaction was anger, this was the man theyd deemed more qualified than me and he had only a paper understanding of the language he taught. But my second, and lasting, reaction was pity. Two years ago the Rwandan government decided all teaching would be done in English instead of the original French. (Teaching is only done in the local Kinyarwanda until 3rd grade). This naturally left a whole nation of teachers, who had learned and taught in French their whole careers scrambling to switch to English. (Universities have always taught in English and people would have had some experience studying it but still). The strain and confusion of this is still being sorted out but the prosperity of a significant portion of the country – students and teachers alike – who were caught tat the wrong time by this change is sad. The decision to teach in English makes a lot of sense. It will help Rwanda, but also It is just another sign of globalization and the people who got left behind in its wake. My anger at the schedule and the teacher dissipates, I sip my chai and remember that this is why I came here.
“I need a French tutor,” I say, “Could you help me with that and I’ll help you with English?”
“It is my pleasurably” he says.
Its going to be a long year.
** This teacher ended up becoming the French teacher and a woman who speaks very good English has become my counterpart instead. **
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