Days at school

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Webale Muno to all those who have sent messages via the blog, it is really great to read them when I log on.

There's so much to say that it's difficult to know where to start! Sorry if I seem to jump around a bit!
School is about 500m from the house. Usually there are children waiting outside, or at the end of the lane, to carry our bags for us. My host Nastwa and I walk in arriving at about 7.50. Some children are already there doing 'communal jobs' sweeping, putting the flag pole up, bringing firewood, collecting water from the bore hole ( about 750m away). There is a water tank that collects the rainfall from a roof, but it is running low. There has been quite a few rainy mornings this week, so attendance is down. Parents keep the children at home to help with planting (beans currently). Some children arrive soaked through, others may have a jumper or a skirt worn as a coat. Most are barefooted. If the weather has dried up then the children assemble in classes, the flag is raised, the national anthem sung, a prayer said and any notices given. By 8.50 classes begin. the classrooms are concrete structures and a fairly secure with barred windows and locks on the doors.

I have spent most of the first week observing lessons. The class sizes average about 60. There is a range of teaching standards, the lower classes seem to have very dedicated teachers. The most frustrating aspect is that the curriculum seems to be way too hard for the children and consequently the children struggle to achieve. P2 class, for example, were doing HTU-HTU, and yet all were using counting sticks to work out each column, there didn't seem to be basic mental maths knowledge. Morning school ends at 12.50, and the lower classes then go home for the day. Many of the others go home for lunch (as we do) returning for afternoon school from 2.10 until 3.30. At 3.30, it's Games, well, it's basically an extended playtime. I have seen one teacher who was out with the children, planting beans. At around 4.40, the children ( who haven't sloped off) meet for a closing assembly.
The Games session is great for me as the children are often playing singing games ( they thought it was hilarious when I asked to join in!). I also taught them non-stop cricket yesterday as there were some trees that were ideally placed! We use our hand as a bat and the ball was a bundle of rags. I think I'll try rounders next week!

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Comments

[Nassanga]

i know
am from Uganda am proud that i went to school there. i went to Gayaza junior