JENNIFER
Exceptional Education
Undergraduate |
JENNIFER
Exceptional Education
Undergraduate |
Dr. Shandomo being a native from Zambia made the experience even better! It was awesome being a student learning from the school observations and teaching experiences, being a tourist visiting tourist sites, but most importantly it was AWESOME feeling like a member of the Zambian community. The conversations I had with the Zambian families (including the children!!) made me learn so much more about the culture as a whole. On the day of arrival the children taught me about the simple things such as the currency value. Thank you so so much Dr. Shandomo!
0 Comments
YUM YUM YUM YUM! We were able to spend a weekend at Mukambi Safari, a resort a few hours away from Lusaka. The food was different because it had a different taste but definitely delicious! The rooms were beautiful! It always felt like high-class camping! It was amazing to be able to see Zambia from a different lens. I loved being able to be a member of their community as well as a tourist! Best of worlds for sure! These words were painted on one of the walls in one of the schools. This was touching because it really made me think, "what is the key word in this painting?" What I instantly read was "affected". I noticed that this symbolizes that just because you aren't necessarily "infected" with HIV/AIDS, you are still affected once you know someone that is "infected" with HIV/AIDS. Personally, I always make it my duty to support AIDS Walks in both NYC and Buffalo so I was able to visualize my personal mission in a painting at a local school in Zambia.
One of the most memorable experiences was visiting the University Teaching Hospital Special School. I was able to visit different classrooms that were made up with students with special needs. The students were so loving and just had, what I consider, million dollar smiles! The cooperating teacher was truly inspiring. It was her first year of teaching and she was extremely young (mid twenties). She welcomed me with open arms and gave me a tour around her classroom while the students were on break. She also allowed me to work with a few students on a one-on-one level. Observing the teachers' teaching style was a great experience because I was able to compare those observations with the observations I've done in classrooms from the USA. I noticed a lot of similarities such as having to think on your feet and also working with what you have in order to effectively teach. The teacher also shared with me that she has a mentoring teacher from the USA that she emails different scenarios whenever she has questions on how to teach certain students, in order to meet their personal needs. That;'s what I call, using your resources to the fullest extent!
My fellow teacher candidates, can you imagine walking into a classroom with 82 fifth grade students and preparing all subject area lessons to teach.. everyday! I had never imagined being able to get this unique experience. Just like anyone else, I was a bit nervous to be teaching this many students. I thought to myself, how am I going to teach a lesson in such a way that all of my students will effectively learn all the material? Believe it or not on my first day of teaching at Libala Primary School, I taught a math lesson on quadrilaterals, trapezoids, and rectangles, a English lesson on how to write sentences using the word "because", and a health lesson about individuals infected by HIV/AIDS. This experience was truly exceptional and rewarding. I was able to learn so much from my cooperating teacher as well as the students. While teaching I ensured to speak a lot slower than I usually do, especially since I naturally speak very fast but more importantly because some students weren't fluent in English. I wanted to make sure that my accent didn't confuse them. In regards to classroom management, the students were so well behaved and attentive. I was worried about how anyone can manage student behavior in such a large classroom, but the students made it so easy! Overall, I also realized that teaching with a minimum amount of resources is extremely challenging. Although it was a challenge, I admire the work of my cooperating teacher. Some of my awesome silly students!On Monday 6/7, we were able to visit Libala Basic School! I anticipated this day for so long so of course I was excited but also extremely nervous! As soon as we arrived the pupils (students) were so welcoming in. Dr. Shandomo & Professor Wendy McLeish went inside of the school first to simply talk to the administrators and advice them about our arrival. As we waited for them in the van, the driver (Michael) taught us how to say good morning in there local language. It was so heart warming to see the faces of pupils when we would say good morning in their native language. Some of the students began to show off their cool dance moves and others were very shy to speak to us. Once we were able to enter the school, we were able to meet with the Head Teacher (Principal), Deputy Teacher (Assistant Principal), and Senior Teachers (Head of Departments). They were extremely welcoming and friendly!! During this meeting they informed us about the history of Libala, how enrollment works, how the school is funded, and also allowed us to ask many questions. This Q&A session was extremely informative! We learned so much about the school and staff members!! I was amazed to learn that each classroom is composed of 55-70 pupils per class!! I couldn't believe that one teacher had to teach so many pupils at a time especially without any Teacher Asisstants.
|
AuthorMy passion for education has led me to gain the desire to broaden my horizons. I hope to learn from Zambian teaching models as well as incorporate my own teaching philosophy while in the classrooms at Libala Basic School. I enjoy traveling and learning about other cultures. My goal is to travel to as many countries as I possibly can! ArchivesCategories |