The Giver

As many of you know, I decided to have the kids in S2A read The Giver this past term. I'd like to shout out to Mrs. Bartlett of the St. Catherine's School library, Sherry from Seattle U, and my mom for helping make it possible. On a whim of mine, they hunted down 23 copies of the book and had them sent via Sue Jackles (also of SU -thanks for being the courier) to me. 

Not having ever taught a book before I didn't really know what I was doing, or what I was getting into. I love reading and remember being enthralled by The Giver when I first read it in middle school. My tackling of this project was solely based on my desire to pass a love for reading on to them. The textbooks the school has are awful, filled with moralizing tales of why it's important to study hard and be a good citizen. It leaves no room for creativity or imagination. They offer very little to enhance their minds or even capture their attention. I wanted to try a book, a real novel, one written especially for teens.

I am not sure how successful I was in the end. We took a term to read it. I had them read a few chapters each week and we had weekly discussions on the book, intermixed between grammar and vocabulary lectures so they wouldn't fall behind the national curriculum. 

A few of the kids finished the book in the first 3 days I gave it to them. One student in particular read it super fast. He proudly told me after a week that he was done, my response being "that's great, but we still have a lot of work to do with it." He is a student who was considered too "weak" last year to move on and is thus repeating this year. As the term progressed, he really stepped up his work and I realized that reading comprehension, summarizing, short answer thinking questions about the text were his thing. I was proud to see him go from the middle of his English class to the top, and while I don't necessarily think it had to do with English, I know the rest of his grades improved too. 

I enjoyed watching the kids struggle to think about the questions The Giver raises. Questions about utopia and dystopia. Questions about is having no pain worth the price of having no joy either? Questions related to the world in the book, that allowed us to reflect together upon our own world, it's similarities and differences. Questions about euthanasia and right and wrong. Questions about pain, suffering, and sacrifice. 

Some parts of the book I knew would be a struggle. For some the vocabulary of the book and the reading level itself were just too much. However, there were aspects of the book that challenged them In places I did not expect. One day about half way through the book I asked them how they pictured Jonas' world looking (Jonas being the protagonist). When I got a bunch of blank stares back, I asked if they could picture it at all. The response was "it is somehow difficult" (somehow being absolutely the favorite word of English speaking Rwandans). The first quarter of the book was mostly description and set up, though done subtly. I understood some that between the language of the text and subtulty of the description why there might be some confusion, but we had at that point talked for several weeks about the rules of the society, the lack of color, the "sameness" that existed in the world. I had, do have, such a vivid image in my mind of the world Lois Lowry describes that I didn't stop to think that perhaps the kids didn't or couldn't see it too. For many it was the first time they'd read anything remotely science fiction like, it wouldn't surprise me either if, for many, it was the longest book they'd ever read. They've had no practice and no reason to practice making the words come to life in their mind. They've not had to picture another world before, even when that world is based on our own. At Tim's suggestion I had them draw a scene to try to put them in the world. As the story progressed I could tell that they were still struggling based on the questions they asked: how can it be our world without color? How can you take the color out? How can you take away weather and hills? How come Father doesn't understand what he is doing? There remained a disconnect for many if them. For some however, it clicked. 

One student, the reader of the class who finished the book first in under 3 days, asked me when it was over if I could get him the other 3 books in the series. This is a common question I get from the few readers of the school whom I teach. When I told one boy who was reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for fun that it was 1 of 6 books he asked me if I could get them the other 5. What I mean though is that being asked for the sequel makes me think at least someone on the class got something out of it, even if it was the one student I knew going in who would appreciate it most anyway. 

Because St. Ignatius is a relatively progressive school we, once a year, have parent teacher conferences. It was a daunting experience for me because many of the parents don't speak English and so I am relying on gestures, pointing at grades, and the student themselves to translate for me. The best moment of the conferences was a conversation I had with one of the parents of S2A. Talking to the Mom of the boy who rocked at reading the book, I was excited to find a parent who understood what I was trying to do. I think she must be an educator, especially judging by the fact that she spoke English okay, and her general attitude toward us as teachers, but when I mentioned her son's improvement and said that what we were studying in English is legitimately his thing, the book came up. This mother expressed her appreciation for the fact we were reading a novel in class. She made it sound as if she herself had read the book (perhaps borrowing it from her son) and she heartily approved of the selection. She is one of my favorite parents, clearly very involved in her children's education. She thanked me for the questions I have asked the class and how I am trying to make them think critically, showing me she looks at their work. It was nice to be recognized by a parent for that.

Doing it over again, I would certainly change things. I don't think I did the book justice. I had to rush the  through the ending. I am not sure I allowed them to think enough on it. I am not sure what I was trying to do entirely translated. I am not sure I asked the right questions. I would do more with vocabulary and comprehension, I would do more with quizzes and summarizing. Next time, if there is one, I think I can do better. On the flip side though, reading a novel in class (they were shocked they got to keep the books for a full term and take them home to read!) was a first for all of them, so they are in no position to judge if I was successful or not....

Stay tuned for more on my 2 week end of term break in which Tim and I, to the absolute horror and confusion of ALL the Rwandans we know, spent 3 days trekking across part of the country aaaaaaaaaand sleeping in a tent (a truely appalling idea to every Rwandan we've talked to). It may or may not come before I leave for South Africa on Friday, but if it doesn't happen before I'll just have lots more stories to tell when I get back....

A preview

Break has officially begun for Tim and I! We have finished 2/3 of the school year, with only 11 weeks (of teaching) to go. In celebration, and in part because our Jesuit friends are all on retreat for the next few days, Tim and I are traveling to Gisenyi in the north where we will start a 3 day mini camino. We are planning to spend the next 3 days walking roughly 90 kilometers to another town called Kibuye all along the coast of Lake Kivu. In preparation, we bought a tent and gum to pass out to children we might meet. It is currently the peak of the dry season, but it still poured rain last night which is only a little concerning. The tent we bought.... Well.... It was the best money could buy here on short notice, but I expect to get very wet in it if it pours rain one night. When I return to kigali in a week expect more updates about the trip, the end of the term, finishing up the giver, etc.!

Construction... Rwanda style.

As the school year goes on, construction has begun on the piece of land behind the current two buildings of the school. They are building a new science lab, library, and computer lab for the students. Currently, there are no facilities to do science demonstations available to the students and it is hard to learn chemistry, biology, and physics without the ability to practice or apply your knowledge. Tim does a very good job holding physics labs and demonstrations in the classroom, but he faces many challenges in doing so (including a lack of materials). With classes like chemistry it is even harder. Without the proper tools and space it can be very dangerous to be mixing chemicals (that would be if we had any chemicals to mix in the first place). So I am excited that the school, in its quest to become a leading and transformative school in the area, is getting a science lab. 

The construction of said labs is a sience of its own though. Rwandan construction astounds me and occasionally terrifies me (in particular when electricity and they have exposed wires with current running through them left out in the wide open, or their welding, which is crazy). St. Ignatius is on a hill so the first task was to level the hill with a large backhoe and a steamroller. Then, they had to build support walls around where the foundation of the new building will be, that meant first digging a really big ditch... by hand. Everyday we'd arrive at school to see a swarm of day laborers working away on the land. After the ditch was dug, more day laborers were hired to build the retaining wall. All the work is done by hand. Dump trucks of rocks from a quary are brought in and dropped off. A group of laborers spend their days with mallets and hammers breaking the rocks into the right shape by hand.

The rock pile with workers chipping away.

They are then transported to the area of wall being laid by wheelbarrow or, for big rocks, on a wooden "wheelbarrow." By that I mean it is 2 pieces of longer wood laid parallel and nailed together by smaller pieces of wood laid across. They are loaded with rocks and 2 men then carry this contraption (one on each end) to the correct location. 

The wooden rock carrier.

While all this is going on, another crew is mixing cement with their one cement mixture for the whole operation. Then they shovel it into wheelbarrows which runners deliver to the people building the wall. The cement is used to hold the rocks together. First you build the outside of the wall with big rocks that have been chipped smooth, held together with the cement, then you pile smaller rocks behind them and build up. 

In this picture you can see the start of a retaining wall, the wheelbarrow for the cement, a jerry can for the cement, and the wooden rock carrier. 

The entire thing is measured, leveled, and made straight with string. There are usually at least 30-40 day laborers working a day in little groups. Once the rocks have been chipped and moved from the rock pile, other workers continue to chip at them at them to fit the needs of the wall at that location.

Some workers chipping away at rocks and then laying them down.

 

In these two photos you can see how they used wood to brace the end of the wall and the string used to make it level it. The face of the wall is smooth, but the rocks behind the wall are just piled on and somehow they fit. I have no idea how you get the face of be smooth to begin with though, I mean it's rock.

Another example of Rwandan construction.

The tools used in he work, again the string for leveling, they use trowels to spread the cement between the rock and metal discs to hold the cement when not in the wheelbarrow so they can go back for another load.

More workers.

These guys were muggin for the camera.

The work is very impressive, they way it is all done by hand, the tools they are limited to, and the fact that he final product turns out so well. And then..... There is this:

One of my favorite aspects of Rwandan construction is their use of shovels. They love their shovels. It is hard to see in is picture, but the workers behind the fence on the right are shoveling dirt from one pile to another pile a few feet away. Don't ask me why this first pile needed to move over a few feet, don't ask me why they did not use the machinery they have like a backhoe and dump truck to move it, but Rwandans really love taking large piles of dirt making 2 or 3 small piles, then going back to a big pile, at that point they may shovel it into a dump truck that will drive 10 feet away and dump it, so they can make 2 or 3 small piles from the big pile all over again.

Oh lala

In Rwanda, French is heard as often, usually more so than English. While the government insists they are now an English speaking country, anyone above the age of 20 was educated under a French system, in French. Yesterday I had the pleasure of finally hearing a French phrase I had not expect to hear here, and hadn't heard yet. "Oh lala." Coming out of the mouth of a 20 year old male playing basketball, in Africa, was.... unexpected. So was the context however, as I stole the basketball away from, well, the oldest person playing in the game, who no one else would dare steal from because happens to be a priest... who is old. As the only girl in the game (me) and the oldest player (him), we were pretty well matched. The comments from the peanut gallery were just a perk. It is midterms this week and next at school. I gave 3 midterms today and now have a stack of 81 exams (including 240 short answer question -three per test) piled on my desk begging me to grade them. Stay tuned for another update soon (serious to all you non-belivers out there). I will post again next week when that pile becomes 81/81 graded and not the 0/81 it currently is. 

S2A Class Work...

It has begun! We will see how it goes in the end. Fingers crossed the kids like the book choice I made. 

A running coincidence.

Yesterday morning was one of the rare days in which I was actually able to pulled myself out of bed at the appropriate time to run in the morning rather than just sleeping through my alarm. I hit the streets for my usual 20 minute route at 7:15. Half way through my route, I passed another runner headed up the same hill as me. He asked if he could run with me and so we started chatting as we jogged along, even though I know my accent was hard for him and his English was good, but a little broken. I learned that he "used to be an athlete" and that now he coaches, I thought he said the 1800 which makes no sense, so I am guessing the 1600, at a sport club here in Kigali. He laughed when I asked if he was going to run the Kigali marathon next week and looked aghast saying "I'm a coach!" as if coaches are suppose to be retired from races. He asked if I was going to run it, and I said I was interested in doing the 5k fun run or the half, but it didn't know where to register. Enter chivalry. As we were running past the main entrance into the stadium, he offered to show me where the office of the Ministry of Sport and Culture is, because I can register there. So we ran in through the main gate, past a team of basketball players all sporting the same blue track suit with "Rwanada" emblazoned on the back, through a hallway and out onto the track inside the national stadium. Where he did not take me to the office, but instead we started running laps around the soccer field on the track in the presence of quite a few other runners. Some of people were clearly part professional or semi-professional clubs who meet on the weekends for practice, other people where there to just jog. My tour guide seemed to know many of the people there and was calling out greetings (or being called to) by all the other coaches. To be fair, he was running with a muzungo girl who seemed to be somewhat in shape (in comparison at least to other 2 muzungos at the track that morning), which probably got him more attention than he type ideally receives. I had no idea that the track at the stadium was open to the public (he had taken me there to show me I could on it) or really that a running community existed here, but I've finally found my people! Ever the coach, after jogging for 2 or 3 laps, my guide suggested we do a short work out. Yikes. I run for about 20 minutes a day here,which isn't much, and none of it is workout quality running, because I don't have the energy or daylight to run much more after a full day of teaching and I haven't done any sort of workout for about 6 months now. But I still found myself sprinting the straights and jogging the curves for a mile paced by this random guy. After the workout, naturally, we had to stretch which I've learned is always a production here. I have met 2 PE teachers and now a coach and they all seemed to learn how to stretch from the same person. For whatever reason, these guys all want to start stretching the head and neck after running or playing basketball with a further emphasis on stretching the arms and shoulders. What about the legs folks? Those things that propell you around the court or track? That's where I tend to focus my stretching energies, personally. Then he showed me the office I needed which turns out to be inside the stadium. In typical African fashion, the secretary who was on the phone, was forced off of it to greet me and even though I just wanted to know where the room was, a staff meeting was interrupted so that I could meet and get the business card of the National Technical Director of Athletics in Rwanda who personally gave me a map of the course even though I said I would be back on Monday to actually register because I didn't have any money with me. Then I had to head back home because what I had originally intended to be a 20 minute jog had turned into a 45 minute outing and I was late. The professional assessment of my random running buddy/impromptu coach: stick to the 5k next weekend, don't go for half. Something I already could've told him before my workout. I am not in good shape right now and I know it, though to be fair, the actually running part wasn't so bad, my breathing was just out of control which might have more to do with sprinting at 5000ft of altitude rather than being out of shape. He didn't know it, but I have been well trained in my past and know more about how to train myself and others than the average runner, but I was happy to be a trainee again. I was also happy because when I meet people I am always on the defensive here (more than at home) because I never know if they are simply being nice or if they want something from me (usually money). When he suggested we do a workout, the thought occurred to me that it is possible he might expect compensation from me for his expertise, but he never asked, it appears that he was just another kind running enthusiast who was helping a muzungo out. 

Legal.

It is official, my visa in my hand and everything!