Uprisings

The P4 class has started protesting, well kinda. They just all whine and complain that I never take them to the library and can I please make another group with them in it. While I wouldn't mind making more groups if I had more opportunities to pull groups from class, this isn't possible. I'm limited to taking groups during English, Reading/Writing (which only happens like twice a week), or P.E. (since they don't actually do anything for PE). So, as it is, I only see each of my four groups 4 times a week, on a good week. I even got a very sad note from one boy who wants to come the library but isn't in one of my groups. I can't make everyone happy...

Hard to Swallow- Warning: not for the faint of heart

This last Tuesday was a particularly hard day at school. Not because I worked so hard, but because of what I watched. I walked into the P3 class prepared to take a group for reading. Instead, I found the Science teacher with the whole class lined up for their caning. Yes, the WHOLE class was being caned for their poor performance on their Science mid-term exam. Granted, two-thirds of the class had been sent home to retrieve school fees, but there were still 25 of them who received the beating. If a child screamed out or put up a protective arm, they were told to stop or the previous hit would not count. Yelps and crying ensued.

How does one sit and watch this? Yet, at the same time what could I do? The profuse use of beating in Ugandan schools is a common and culturally accepted occurrence. They truly believe it helps the child. And they truly believe that poor performance on a test is because the students weren't listening. The whole class? In America, the teacher would be questioned, not the students, if the whole class failed a test.

Ugandan teachers are baffled by the mere idea that in the USA teachers can actually lose their job or go to jail for hitting a kid. My own opinions and reasonings will not hold weight with these teachers. So, I've started to do my own research...Looking up scientific studies on the effects of corporal punishment in schools. Perhaps this will hold more weight...

I know I haven't painted a very pretty picture of Ugandan schools here, but it's the reality. I wish I could say everything is wonderful, the teachers and students work so hard, it's just the extreme poverty that makes things so bad here, but it's not. I'm up against a mindset, so ingrained into their heads, it's sometimes hard to hold on to the hope for change.

Class is IN session...

Many of you have been asking about school...so, here are some pictures!

I'm working at Marantha Christian School in Ggaba. The primary school goes from the baby class (which is like pre-kindergarten) up to P7 (which is like 7th grade). I'm meeting with several different groups of students from P3 and P4 each day of the week now. We work on reading skills, play word games, practice English, and work on grammar. I took a couple of pics, so you can see my students too...

"P4- Green Group"
"P4- Green Group"

"P3- Blue Group"

Yorkie- It's Not for Girls

So, there's this candy bar called Yorkie. Have you heard of it? It actually says on it that "It's not for girls." Kinda strange, huh? So, Josh decided to buy one- just to test it out.


After further investigation, on the internet of course, we found out that "In 2001 the Yorkie "It’s Not for Girls" campaign was launched because, in today’s society, there aren’t many things that a man can look at and say that’s for him." (from the nestle.co.uk website)

But, despite the warning, Faith and I were willing to take the risk of trying it anyway.


Basically, it's just a regular old chocolate bar. Unless something happens to us in our sleep tonight...

"Church"

Since arriving, I've been attending Gaba Community Church on Sunday mornings. It's the church associated with ARM and the school I am working at. It's a pretty big church. Many Sundays there are westerners visiting from all over. There's a choir, there's music, there's prayer, there's a sermon, and there's announcements. Seems pretty typical, right?

But, it still doesn't feel like my "home church." So, Renee and I decided to have "church" at home this week. We made a yummy breakfast of eggs and potatoes and then listened to a Mariners Church podcast as we ate. This felt more like "church" than actually going to church. There's just something about listening to a sermon that matches my cultural experiences in life. I even laughed a couple of times listening, something that I never do here because I just don't get what's funny when people around me are laughing.
I will probably still go to church at Gaba or maybe try some of the international churches around, but it definitely makes me appreciate church back home :)