Bweyogerere Multipurpose Primary School

So you'll notice that I'm spending a bit more time on here now I don't have Mari to talk to! I thought I would write a bit more about what I am doing at the school day to day.

Every morning at 7.10am I start the day with taking a lesson in reading with P2 (aged between 7 and 10. This has been the most challenging but rewarding responsibility they have given me, because some of those kids really were bad at reading! They learnt mostly by reading a story from the board as a class, and then doing a few comprehension questions about it, but I noticed very quickly that there were a few strong and confident readers in the class who everyone else followed when they read aloud, and there were many who just copied the answers from their friends when they were writing, so in terms of actually understanding what they were saying we weren't getting very far. Of course its all in English which is at least their second if not third language if they have a different local language to l'ugandan, so I haven't had it easy with these kids! I have been trying to utlise the few reading books that Millie the bursa had kept in her office, and allocate one to each kids until they completed it, but with 27 kids and only me in the room its so hard to get to hear them all read. Lately i've been pairing them up higher with lower abilities so they can read to eachother, but there are still maybe 4 who either hate me, can't understand a word of English, or just simply have never learnt the basics of reading. So we have fun! But on the plus side, this is the class i've really got to know the best and have learnt their names properly. They know my rules and they (mostly) respect them when they might hope that another teacher won't notice if they run out to the toilet, they know I will make them sweep a room or stay in at break if they do that. Also they have learnt that I won't cane them, and i think that's started to work to my advantage because they want to be my friend rather than just hate me. Even those of really low abilities want me to help them one on one rather than just disturbing the class like they used to.

So as well as P2 every morning for an hour and a half, I have been taking P3 and P4 RE most days, as well as helping with revision lessons for P5 and P6. It's not been so easy to take lessons with the older ones, as much as I had wanted to, because their teachers are... well just there and more committed than the younger ones I think. They appreciated my help in their lessons but they haven't just signed over whole subjects to me like P2 3 and 4 have. I have enjoyed getting to know those kids though, and even have been going into the Nursery every now and then to sing silly songs or do drawing or something that doesn't involve much English skills!

PE is a whole other experience, because what they do is take the whole of nursery (about 50) plus all of P1 and p2 outside with the 5 teachers to play big circle games or sing silly action songs. It is hilarious trying to control about 80 kids while they're really hypo cos they got to go outside, and when any bat and ball equipment that the school has is nowhere near sufficient so it just sits in the cupboard most of the time. I have helped with these lessons once and it was a disaster, so most of the time I just sit and watch as a bit of crowd control!

P7 have just completed their end of primary exams and spent two days of them at another local school where there are better exam facilities. They sat Social Studies (geography and history), Maths, English and Science papers. Most of them are aged 12-14 but obviously there is a range because you have to pass end of year exams every year to go up to the next class, which of course not all of them do and they have to repeat. And actually not all of them start school aged 4, some of them can even be 7 before they come to nursery if their parents don't have the money. The results come out on 24th January, in time for the beginning of term in Feb. If they pass they can go to secondary school, if their parents have the money. If they don't they will have a pretty good grounding in English and other basic skills but will prob just go back to their villaged to dig or work with their parents for a few more years until they can get a job.

On Weds eve (last night)they had a party and it was really nice to be invited and be a part of their farewell do. They worked allll day buying food and cooking it over wood fires, and they were cleaning the church to make it look nice, all of their own accord, but under the strict leadership of David the head boy! That guy is a teacher in a pupils body, and is the sort of kid who can never accept being wrong or getting 99% at anything, he will always argue his corner until he comes out on top. They say he is the next president of Uganda and i think i agree! We ate and all the teachers got up one by one to thank the kids and offer them a few more last words of advice. Some of the kids got up to say thank you too which was lovely, and the evening finished with a bit of good old silly dancing with boys on one side of the room and girls on the other! They were really good hearted and excitable, and I felt like although I haven't taught these kids much I have got to know a few of them.

So the P7s have gone, officially, but they will be back at 9am on Monday morning and Judah and I will be giving a few hours a day of free computer lessons, because the school now has 2 computers (!). The rest of the kids have the whole of next week before they have a few days of end of year exams, but after that they will all be offered basic computer lessons while I am still here. I'm not sure how exactly it will work, I might end up taking them a few at a time down to the internet cafe here, but we will see! its all fun though, and I am really enjoying teaching. I am starting to seriously wonder about it as a career, but I know that in Uganda it will be totally different kettle of fish to the UK so we will have to decide later.

Tr Beki signing out!