A visit to the primary school

Today I visited the primary school to watch a class and to talk to Irma Rita about a new program PC is starting this year.  The program is about engaging communities to improve early grade reading by having after school tutoring sessions as well as a community library. The application is due this May and 25 PCVs will be able to participate in the program starting in July. I even found a counterpart today who will help me start the program (if selected) and would continue it after I left. Tomorrow I’m going to talk with the 3^rd grade teacher, Cristina, about her students’ reading levels so I can get more information before filling out the application. The school has no library or any other resources for that matter and I think it would be a great help to the students to have some books to read. 

My visit to the school went really well—I sat in on a 3^rd grade class in the morning and was able to see what a typical school day looks like. Boy oh boy was it different from elementary schools in the U.S. The younger grades go to school from 7am until noon and the older students have classes from 1pm until 5pm. I thought this was pretty different than in the States when elementary students have classes from 8am until 3 or 4pm. But there just are not enough classrooms or teachers to have the students go all day. While I was observing the students were learning math and then did a quick review of the Alphabet. A few of the students did not know the correct order of the letters and they are in 3^rd grade! 

3rd grade classroom where I student taught in Liberty, MO

Just sitting in the classroom I noticed so many differences about primary school in Mozambique and the United States. As you can tell from the pictures the classrooms themselves look like night and day. Back home a typical elementary classroom has bulletin boards, books, colorful posters, lots of resources for the kids, desks and chairs for all the students, technology and has a homey look. The primary school classrooms in Mozambique are quite different—many of the desks and chairs are broken, or there aren’t enough chairs so some students have to sit on the floor. The classrooms have no colorful posters or anything on the walls, no resources or books for the kids to use, and if they students don’t have a pen to bring to school they are out of luck and can’t take the notes. Many times other students let them borrow pens but it shocks me that the simple things we take for granted in the states are not a given here. I knew school here would be different and look different but it hit me today just how different life is for the kids in Mozambique. Despite all these hardships they have and the lack of resources they are always smiling and happy and taking care of their younger siblings as they carry water from the well and do their chores. Being a kid in Mozambique is a lot more challenging than in the United States…there is no comparison.

  

3rd grade classroom in Nacuxa

I have never worried about not having a pen or pencil, books, technology or other resources to learn from when I was a child. After seeing both the primary and secondary schools in Nacuxa it makes me wonder about things. I wonder why I was always so picky with my food and wouldn’t eat things because I didn’t like them…while children here don’t get the option and at times are looking around in the school’s trash pit for items to take home or want the scraps we would normally throw away. I wonder why I was blessed with a family that read to me every day and a school environment where I learned so much and had so many things/resources; whereas the students here only have classes half a day and do not have books at home for their parents to read them a bedtime story. I wonder why I complained ever about anything when these children who are just 6 or 7 are walking very long distances carting water on their heads while carrying their baby brother or sister on their backs. And yet I never hear them complain—they just smile and keep working so hard. I wonder why I can’t seem to motivate myself to get up early when the secondary school students get up at 4:30 every morning to do their chores at the school. Can you imagine high school students in the United States getting up at 4:30am every morning and not complaining? I don’t think I would be able to do that as a teenager…heck even now I don’t know if I could do that.

I feel so lucky to have been brought up with so much stuff. I just want to try and have a little bit of that stuff brought here. I don’t know how I’ll accomplish that but I know one thing…these children deserve books! I can’t imagine my life without books and I want to give them that option of reading for enjoyment. I’m really hoping the new PC program works out to start a community library. Honestly, even if it doesn’t I’m still going to try and write some grants to get a library started for the primary school students. I feel blessed to be who I am and have what I have but at the same time feel so guilty for having all that I do. I know it’s a pretty common feeling among PCVs but it’s not a good one. I know I can’t change what I have but I can try and make a difference and give these students and my community some things that can improve their education and their lives. I hope I can walk the walk and actually do something about the lack of library and resources at the primary school. Wish me luck!

On a very different side note—my roommate and I finally found the puppies that Pepa had in a tree at the primary school. They are only about a week old and didn’t even have their eyes open. Anna and I decided we are going to get one of the white spotted ones to have as a pet. We’re not quite sure logistically how we’re going to make that happen but hopefully in a few weeks we’ll have a cute little puppy! We’re definitely getting a boy puppy because we don’t want to have to deal with our dog having puppies. Now to think of good boy dog names :) 

Finally found Pepa's puppies hiding in a tree at the Primary School