Setting the Tone: On Teaching My First Course in Rwanda

The American girl in me was antsy because I certainly did not want to make a bad impression by being late on my first day. My director wanted to personally introduce me to the class I would be teaching.  When we finally arrived, some of the class was waiting outside while others trickled in one at a time. The Director instructed them to go and get chairs for the classroom so that they could sit. This was new to me and was just a quick reminder that I had to be prepared for things to be a bit different.  Don’t get me wrong---students are students everywhere and are always subject to being hot mess; that doesn’t change. However, there was a new set of challenges presented to me on that day. Even though we had been forewarned of the challenges we might face in the classroom, it doesn’t become real until you enter the classroom. I was ready to enter the battlefield of white dust, also known as chalkboards and chalk, but fortunately, we have whiteboards at my school. We were told that the likelihood of having books to work with was slim to none. Thus, I prepared a lesson plan with tiers in case I needed to escalate or de-escalate depending on their levels. Thankfully, I hit it right on the nose.

While some students missed the customary first day of class speeches, on the second day more showed up of course and when I asked why they were absent, some had the usual college-kid-i-had-a-problem-clears-throat-excuse. Others, and most, had real life excuses, like being chronically sick, or having to take care of a parent, or issues with their passports since many cross the border from Goma town in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Even though I had planned to be a bit firmer than I usually am because of the closeness in our ages, I had to readjust my approach because of the nature of the challenges.

Not too long into the course, I asked them to write a biographical essay so that I could learn even more about their lives, while gauging their level of writing fluency and assessing what holes we would need to focus on during the course of the module. As my eyes perused their notebooks in the way that teachers do the infamous casual teacher stroll, I read snippets of their essays. No matter what the structure of the sentence was or what grammar lacked, the message was clear: that some of my students were without parents because of a terrible event that many of us only remember because of a film. Even though I studied African politics and conflicts extensively during undergraduate, there is never really any talk or advice that can prepare you for the feeling that engulfs you when you read, in an essay, that it took you 10 seconds to explain, that your students do not have parents because they were tragically killed in 1994. Some referred to the year 1994 that has a clear connotation in this cultural context and others wrote out the word ‘genocide.’ The word is the same in French and English; no matter the grammatical errors, that word and that reality are clear.

I encouraged them to talk, but I also expressed to them that they do not have to share anything they do not wish to share.  In the two weeks, however, they have been open with me and our classroom has the warm embrace of a family at a dinner table. I have looked forward to sharing ideas with them every day and to challenging them to speak even when they are feeling self-conscience about language errors.  We have bonded over lessons, conversations about each other, debates on hot topics, and have laughed at jokes that occur while learning. They are my first class in Rwanda and probably the smallest group I will ever have in a module, so they will always have a special place in my heart. Even more, something about this group made me feel like not only their lecturer, but also, a nurturer, friend, and sister. I can imagine that they see a piece of me in them, as I see a piece of them in me.

Their humble demeanors, shy smiles, eagerness to learn will be etched in my heart.  I am grateful that they let me in and allowed me to impart just an ounce of knowledge on their already brilliant minds. 

Preparing their arguments for a group debate on technology

The boys and their lecturer

One of my three special girls :) #girlpower #powergirls 

:) Business Information Technology Year 2 Students

Outspoken and passionate about everything he does

The next social entrepreneur---more on this later :) #girlpower #powergirls

A leader amongst leaders

Turn to your partner and talk because language is produced and not memorized!

That moment when your point is so critical

When she talks, we ALL listen

The Honorable himself

Because pictures are necessary

Break time and we still want to be together!

*This blog (Bee's Backseat) is not an official Fulbright Program site.  The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.

Bee's 3 Step Guide to Going Abroad: Step 1

Step 1: Getting Back to Y.O.U.  (Your Own Unfilled Promises)

So you say you have always wanted to travel, teach abroad, and see the world. This is what you say. Ever since you went on your last vacation to the Caribbean, or visited your family in some foreign country, or took the road with some friends on a spontaneous backpacking journey, you promised yourself that you would come home and start saving because you really enjoy traveling. Then you met someone who told you that they have taught in South Korea or if you live in the Washington DC area, you have met all the recent graduate non-profit workers who volunteered with disabled children at a camp in some far away land. Either way, one of these things peaked your curiosity, and you thought about how cool of an experience that was. But, you never thought it could be YOU.

But, yes it can be you. No you don’t have to volunteer in a village in India, Nicaragua or Kenya. You can actually do anything that you want to do, in any part of the world. You just have to be true to yourself. I have heard that phrase before, but it didn’t really understand the depth of that until last January.

I have known that I wanted to teach abroad since June of 2008.  I always had it in the back of head, but from time to time, my passion for the unknown and the need to get away would creep back up on me, usually as I was tired and driving to my second job.  

In January of 2012, per recommendation by a sister, I created a list of things that I wanted in the year and what things would be unacceptable for me. Unacceptable for me was still being in the DMV by August. I was determined to go to either Venezuela or Panama, practice my Spanish, and explore.  When the first opportunity didn’t work out, I started working on my plan B, which was Panama. Plan B, to date, has been a blessing. Everything happens the way it does for a reason.

Without being “true to myself,” I would have never been able to take this step. I had to first accept that fact that I was not comfortable with the way I was working, I adored both of populations that I was serving at both of my jobs as a youth development worker for county recreation and as a call specialist on a hotline assisting victims of human trafficking; yet, I wasn’t totally fulfilled and happy about where I was in my life. 

When Plan A didn’t work out, I started on plan B right away. I made the decision to register for the TEFL class. I couldn’t really afford it but was willing to make the sacrifice. I stayed home for about a month just being broke. But when the class started, I felt like I was getting back to myself. I love learning actually. Most importantly, I knew that I was actually taking a REAL step towards doing what I wanted to do. I was listening to my heart. 

Next, I started researching the teaching market for English teachers in Panama and possible job opportunities. Though, I had my heart set on Panama, I still made sure to consider many other teaching locations and opportunities including South Korea, Costa Rica, Indonesia, to name a few. But since Spanish was important to me, I narrowed it down to Spanish speaking countries. I knew that I wanted to be in Central America because of the tropical weather. Wasn’t quite ready to make it back down to South America yet. I also knew that I wanted to be in a place that was thriving and safe. Based on the little research that I found, it seemed like Panama had a good economy, demand for English teachers, and lots of places to see! Panama was a go.

Find out what steps I took before leaving after I decided on Panama. This next blog post is the how-to on teaching abroad, basically, before you leave! Stay tuned. You even learn while riding on Bee’s Backseat! :)