Basics About Rwentutu Christian Community School

After three weeks at Rwentutu Christian Community School this blog post is long over due.

This is Rwentutu Christian Community School.  The building with the red roof is the staff room, library, bursars office, ect.  To the left out of the picture is a clinic.  The buildings straight ahead are the classrooms and the building to the far right barely in the picture is the student dormitory.

School moto:
Wisdom comes from God.

Schedule:

Period	Time	What P2 does at that time
1	7:30 – 8:30	Remedial – catch up or fluency work
2	8:30 – 9:30	SSI or Literacy with a science focus
3	9:30 – 10:30	Math
Break	10:30 – 11:00	Borders get porridge, others can play or catch up on work
4	11:00 – 12:00	English
5	12:00 – 1:00	SSC or literacy with a social studies focus
Lunch	1:00 – 2:00	All students and staff eat lunch made at school
6	2:00 – 3:00	Library or Religious Education
Games	3:00 – 4:00	Students can play games of their choice
7	4:00 – 5:00	Remedial – catch up or fluency work

This is the general schedule at Rwentutu.  On the right hand side I listed the different activities my primary 2 class usually participates in.  A student from P4 is responsible for ringing the bell, keeping classes on track.  Once the bell rings students wander back to class, followed by the teacher.  It isn’t the same type of strict time keeping routine that I am used to from teaching in the U.S.  Things are very flexible at Rwentutu and the schedule shifts as needed.  For example our first week at Rwentutu the water pipe supplying the school with water broke which delayed the schedule because breakfast and lunch were significantly delayed because students and staff had to walk and drive down to the nearest water source to haul water back to the school.

Additionally different days of the week bring changes to the schedule:

Wednesdays are early release after games so students can clean their uniforms.

Thursdays the whole school assembles for chapel during 4^th period.

Fridays after lunch there is usually a special event, this week it was a school wide debate where students and staff debated the statement “Dictatorial leadership is the best way than democratic.”

This is me and an elephant we saw on the way home from school!

Jenna and I arrive at school sometime between 7:30 and 9:00 and leave sometime between 4:30 and 6:00 depending on the day.  We both are responsible for teaching at least two subjects everyday.  I am teaching Math, English and have taken over library while my team teacher has been out sick.

We drive to Rwentutu everyday; the drive is about 45 klm, that takes between 30 – 40 minutes.  We get to drive by Queen Victoria National Park for the majority of this trek.  So far we’ve seen kob, elephants, many types of birds, and other unidentified mammals.  It must be one of the most beautiful commutes in the world.

Teachers:

The teachers at Rwentutu are amazing.  They have made us feel welcome since our first day.  They are always willing to chat to us about problems we are having in the classroom, ideas we want to try,  what they are doing in the classroom and our adventures so far in Uganda.  Their passion for education, our students and their subjects undeniable.

Some of the teachers live at school with the students and only travel home on the weekends or for special occasions.  This is because the teachers are paid so little they cannot afford to travel back and forth from home and school if they do not live near Rwentutu.  School fees fund teachers salaries and currently in Rwentutu there is an economic crisis and payment of school fees is very difficult for our students families.  The teachers at Rwentutu are paid what ever is available at the end of each month.

I feel like a special shout out needs to be given to many of the teachers at the school who are teaching while caring for their young children who are present at school but are not students.  The teachers with young babies amaze me because they are able to teach while carrying and caring for their own children.  I’ve had the opportunity to teach while carrying one of my cooperating teachers baby, one of the cutest babies ever, and I don’t know how they are able to do it on a daily basis. 

Students:

The students are helping to take the kernels off of dried
maize. The maize will eventually be ground up to make
their porridge.

One of the things I’ve been most amazed by at Rwentutu is my students.  My students have a passion and ownership of their learning.  They are excited to be in school everyday because they know it is their opportunity to learn. I’ve walked into my classroom many times when my students have not been given any formal directions as to what they are supposed to be doing and all of my students are engaged in reading over curriculum texts, books, or reviewing their own work. 

Additionally my students sense of ownership does not stop at the curriculum or taking care of their classroom building but also with each other.  When there is a problem my students usually solve it themselves, not getting a teacher but working with each other to solve the problem.  Sometimes this means finding an older student, but still solving it within themselves.  I think this is directly related to the strong sense of social security present in Uganda. 

Curriculum:

The curriculum of Rwentutu is very closely aligned to the national curriculum which is thematic focusing on the areas of English, mathematics, science, social studies, and religious education.  The only big discrepancy I’ve observed between what Dr. Jillian’s overview of the Ugandan curriculum and what is in place at Rwentutu is in English language development.  At Rwentutu students in the Nacarema, or baby classes, begin learning the curriculum in a English only classroom.  Dr. Jillian identified that the language of instruction should be the students home language until P4 when it switches to English.  This is something I am curious about and will hopeful have the opportunity to talk to King James about next week.

The school participates in the national standardized tests.  These tests start in baby class, similar to a 3-4 year old kindergarten and continue until P7 where they determine the quality of secondary school the students will attend.  Our 2^nd week at school our students participated in mid-term exams, these tests are written by the local Kasese district Ministry of Education.  These exams allow teachers to assess themselves and their teaching strategies before the end of term exams.  The end of term exams are administered from Kampala and all schools receive the same exams.

And then we climbed a mountain...

On Saturday Jenna and I decided to go for a hike in nearby Kilembe.  Kilembe is nestled in the Rwenzori mountains.   We were expecting a nice little hike, not to climb a mountain, but as usual things don't go as you expect them to.... :)  In the end we climbed about 1,500 meters up and back down again in about 3 1/2 hours.

Our journey in pictures:

Before our hike, we wanted to show off our sweet hiking apparel.  

A view on the beautiful drive to Kilembe. 

More views from our drive

Jenna and I before our hike.

One of the many coffee plants we passed on the way up!

Avocados!

The mountains are hard to photograph, there is always a haze,  they blend into the clouds...

About a 1/4 of the way up.  The town below is Kilembe.

This is matoke! 

The glittery soil we were traversing.

Rucoohi Falls!  (Our destination) 

I was happy to have reached our destination.  Next time we will go swimming!

We knew we were back down when we found a herd of long horn cattle.    :)

We are going back to Kilembe this weekend with one of our school aged friends who goes to school in Kasese but whose family lives in Kilemebe.  He is planning on taking us hiking.  Both Jenna and I are hoping its a little less intense than this hike...

Going to the Market

Our Itinerary: 

Kasese –> Rwentutu –> Bwera –> Mpondwe -> Bwera -> Kasese

Today (Friday) we skipped school and left our lovely town to venture to Mpondwe, home of a large market on Tuesday’s and Friday’s.  The market is on the Ugandan side of the Uganda-D.R.C. border.  The market is huge with many different items for sale including fabric, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, dried fish, grains, salt, home wares, shoes, ect.  The market draws a large crowd of both venders and customers from the D.R.C.  Venders come from the D.R.C. to sell fabric and customers come from the D.R.C. to buy food.  Salted fish is a popular item because it keeps well and it has salt, something difficult to access in the D.R.C.

Bwera

Before reaching the market we stopped in Bwera, where we went to the government hospital to get a better view of the layout of the town and geography of the region.  Bwera is where both Enoch and Edson are from.  Enoch explained how you could see the growth and history of the town just by looking at the roofs type and condition.  50 years ago Bwera was just a trading center and now it was a town.   

Mpondwe

Once we reached our final destination of Mpondwe I was overwhelmed.  The traffic getting to Mpondwe was very bad.  Enoch, Jenna, and I hopped out of the car and walked to the market eventually meeting up with Edson and Janet.

A view out of our van.  A long line of big trucks driving straight at us makes for a bad traffic jam.

At the market Jenna and I drew a lot of attention, as it seems we do when we go anywhere.  People we very kind and were very excited that Jenna and I could greet and carry on limited conversations in Lhukonzo. 

The hills and homes in the background are the D.R.C.

At the market our main goal was to buy fabrics to get made into skirts, dresses and shirts.  Most of the fabric is brought to Uganda from the Congo.  It was very overwhelming choosing which fabrics to purchase; there were so many options, colors, and prints! 

This is a small sample of some of the fabrics available.  The one on the left is my favorite!

After being in such a busy place I was happy to be heading home to quiet Kasese… Until I realized I was sitting in the back of the van next to Enoch’s thanks giving Sunday lunch, a few chickens he had purchased at the market.  They were not happy about being packed in the van, and sporadically made loud squawking noises.  I was convinced they would escape from the back and come peck my feet.  Fortunately they stayed put, however they did manage to exact some revenge by pooping on Edson when we dropped Enoch and the chickens off at his home.

:(

Week 2 Highlights

This week was Jenna and I’s second week at Rwentutu.   Last week we decided which classrooms we wanted to be in and this marked our 1^st week of being in the classroom we will be with all term.  I chose to be in the P2 classroom. I will be focusing on Math and English.  This week I focused on getting to know my students better, the specific P2 Math and English curriculum and tried to create engaging lessons.  English is going to be most difficult for me because in Uganda English is taught more like how I learned Spanish than how I’ve been taught to teach literacy. 

This is a photo of one of my students helping me draw a picture of a doctor before an English lesson.

This week for the first time I got to see my students participate in Library.  Library is a time after lunch where my student have one hour of focused reading time.  This happens about three times a week.   Students select books and read individually.  The biggest problem with this time is that most of the texts available at the school are above my students reading levels.  I spent some time in the limited library collection and found small printed on paper books that are more accessible to my students current reading levels.  I would like to use during this time to help students continue to develop reading comprehension skills.   I am very excited about library the opportunity to work with my co-teachers to help develop a daily five like literacy experience during library.

This is a photo of my students and our chalk board after library.  When students come across a word they don't know they write it on the board in hopes that another student will be able to read it to them.  

During our morning break one of my students came and asked me if I eat maize.  When I told him I did he whipped open his backpack and pulled out a boiled ear of corn.  It was a great addition to my breakfast!  I think I prefer getting maize to getting apples….

One day on our way home the van didn't start.... 

This is Edson jump-starting the van.  Luckily it worked, all it took was three batteries, 20 students and a few teachers... :)

We push started the school truck Friday morning! 

ps.  A post with more general information about Rwentutu is coming soon, stay tuned.

Language

I will use this page to keep a running list here of the Lhukonzo I have learned.  Lhukonzo is the local language of the Kasese District and my students.  Janet and Edson speak and write in Lhukonzo, they are helping me create this page.

The most important phrases to know are those of greeting.  When ever you come upon someone it is polite to greet them.  In English this is a usual greeting:

“Hello, how are you?”
“I am fine.  How are you?”
“I am fine.”

Greetings in Lhukonzo

Lhukonzo spelling	(My pronunciation)	Meaning
Wabuchire	(Waw wo chire)	Good morning
Eb wabuchire	(Eh waw wo chire)	Response to good morning, also meaning good morning.
Wasibire		Good afternoon
Eh wasibere		Response to good afternoon, also meaning good afternoon.
Yiriwahi	(Err eh why)	How is there?
Nibuholh	(Nebuhal)	There is good.

Other words:

Lhukonzo spelling

(My pronunciation)

Meaning

Wasingya	(Wa Sin Ga)	Thank you
Buchayi	(Muchai)	Bye bye

Food!

I am going to use this space as a running entry where I will log and share the many different great foods I am trying and learning to cook while in Uganda.  This is what I’ve tried so far:

Obunvu or tapioca is a dish made out of cassava flour and water.  You simply mix the cassava flour and a small amount of water together over a medium to high heat while stirring.  It rises into a large mass of Obunvu.  This is a traditional meal to make for friends to show you care for them.  Also when in-laws come visit it is tradition to make obunvu.  Stew is served with obunvu, these are the kinds I’ve tried so far:

Talapia Stew – This stew is very simple, just a few pieces of whole tilapia from near by lake George, water, cooking oil, onions and tomatoes.  It is delicious.

            Goat Stew – Very similar to the tilapia stew, just substitute goat.  Also very good.

To eat the obunvu you take a piece from the community plate with your hands, roll it into a ball, dip it into your stew and then swallow it whole, without chewing.  It is delicious and stretches the flavor of the stew.  I will be bringing cassava flour home with me to make this dish with my friends and family.

Matoke Since arriving in Uganda I have eaten a lot of matoke, prepared in many different ways.  Matoke is a fruit, somewhat similar to a banana or plantain.  It has a green peal which reveals a light yellow fruit inside.  I’ve been working on my matoke pealing skills and I am getting better, but it is very sticky business!

Grilled Matoke – I tried this from a street vendor, it is simply pealed matoke that is grilled.  A great snack for when you're on the go!

Janet's Matoke – Janet makes the best matoke around.  Her matoke consists of matoke, onions, tomatoes and cooking oil.  Combine all ingredients over a medium heat and stir regularly.  Cook until matoke is soft. 

No Oil Matoke – At school I tried a bit of Edson's lunch, which was matoke, cassava and beans with no oil.  It was good, the cassava root is a little dry by itself so make sure to have a scoop of beans to wash it down with.

Pineapple Juice - Take ¼ of a pineapple, cut it off the skin, cut it into strips, put the strips in the bowl then mash up the pineapple by hand.  Once it is juicy and mashed add a bit of sugar, fill the rest of the bowl up with boiled water, strain and vola, fresh pineapple juice!  Delicious, easy and fun to make.

Irish potatoes - Another staple meal at our house in Kasese is Irish potatoes, tomatoes, onions and cooking oil.   Start with hot oil in the pan, test it with the onions.  Add the onions for a few minutes before the potatoes, then add the potatoes and tomatoes.  When you are done you have a huge plate of potatoes for dinner!  We recently purchased some ketchup to supplement the potatoes.

Porridge – Another treat Edson and Janet have introduced me to is porridge, which we make out of fresh whole milk.  Bring the milk to a boil while in another pan combining maize flour with a small amount of water, just enough water to make it liquid.  Once the milk has been boiling awhile add the maize flour water mixture to the milk and stir.  Continue heating until porridge is well mixed then serve with sugar.

Another fresh whole milk treat is simply hot milk mixed with sugar.  This is my favorite before bed treat.

Chapeti – Chapeti is a warm flat bread which I tried for the 1^st time after Edson purchased some for Jenna and I as an after school snack.  It hit the spot.  Edson told us we will learn to make it, so hopefully more information is coming soon!

In general the food has been great so far. It has been difficult getting used to eating large meals, many of which are mostly starch based without many vegetables.  The meals do a great job of filling me up and keep me going until my next meal.  Most of the meals we make in the Kasese house use  a lot of cooking oil and salt.  I was shocked to see how much cooking oil goes into each meal.  Thankfully a large portion of this oil is reused, however the amount that stays in our food is still much more oil than I am used to consuming.

"Do Not Teach In Tears"

One of my personal goals while in Uganda is to figure out how I can be a sustainable teacher; by this I mean a happy, life long teacher.  During my student teaching placement in Madison I repeatedly asked myself if teaching was something that I would be able to do forever.  I felt that everyday I gave my classroom, my students and my school everything I had and yet when I left at the end of the day I was still bogged down by things that still needed to be done or situations I couldn’t change.  I was always thinking about my classroom and my students.  The time that I tried to take for me was usually effected by what was going on at school.  This intensity influenced my personal health and the health of my relationships with others.  I felt as though I had no time for anyone but my students. 

On Friday Jenna and I met with our supervisor Enoch.  Enoch outlined his expectations for us during our time at Rwentutu.  His expectations were similar to all of my past supervisors except for one thing, he emphasized that while we are here we should “not teach in tears”.  Enoch explained that we should take time to enjoy ourselves and enjoy Uganda while we are here.   The ability to create a balance between teacher and self is something I feel that I must learn in order to be a life long teacher.  My experience here in Uganda gives me the perfect opportunity to focus on developing professionally but also the ability to separate my professional and personal selves.  

My First Lesson!

Today (Wednesday) I taught my first lesson!  I taught Math and English in the Primary 2 classroom today. I thought my math lesson went pretty well considering I am still getting to know my students, the curriculum and their prior knowledge.  I was focusing on fraction names, like one-quarter ect.  I called up groups of students and had the rest of the class make fractions out of the students based on how many of the group were girls and how many were boys.  My students really responded to this.   After students worked individually to draw different fractions and identifying them.   The tools my students are used to working with are slates, workbooks and the chalk-board. 

My English lesson didn’t go as well.  I was less prepared, because I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do before I left on Tuesday, but I was able to plan during break.  After the lesson I really realized how much I am going to learn about teaching ELL students while in Uganda.  For all of my students their 1^st language is Lhukonzo.  They are all learning English at school.  

I received support from both Madam Pamela and Madam Ziporah before during and after my lesson.

The highlight of my day was my students.  I have a lot of fun with the P2 students, they wrote me a bunch of notes telling me how excited they are that I am joining their school.   Here are a few:

This drawing might be my favorite.

ps

On our way home from school today we stopped at the Equator!