Every Tuesday and Thursday my boda (motor bike taxi) driver arrives at my house at 8:30 to take me 5 km through town to a suburb of Kotido called Kanawat where the public secondary school is located. When I began this part of my SALT assignment in February I was a terrible passenger; there is a limited amount of space on bodas so you have to maneuver your own body, as well as any items you may be carrying to fit on the seat with your driver, furthermore especially on the dirt roads of Kotido you have to hold on or risk getting thrown off and most likely landing on sheep or goats grazing on the side of the road, and wearing skirts on a boda runs the risks of allowing the whole town to know what color underwear you chose for that day. It is an adventure every week but I always enjoy the feeling of holding on for my life as the boda bumps and speeds through the bush or along the side of the road.
When I arrive at Kotido S.S. Rose, the teacher I am assisting in the Christian Religious Education (CRE) department, is always waiting at the administration building with a huge smile on her face. Rose is delightful to work with; she has been a mentor to me as I have begun teaching “Uganda” style, she watches my classes and gives me constructive criticism, and in observing her class I have learned much about teaching as well as also Ugandan culture and ethics.
I am teaching Old Testament this term to Secondary 5 (equivalent to our juniors in high school.) My classroom has ranged from 12 to over 100 students (disciplined attendance is not observed in the same way as it is in the States) but regardless how many students decide to show up there have been a core group of 5 who I can count on for being present in class and coming prepared and ready to learn. I realize the variation in attendance is hard to believe but somehow the students squeeze and push to find a space. The day I had 100 attend was a government “head count” day so attendance was mandatory.
Sometimes I feel like the class is moving “slower than slugs”, I have to speak with clear articulation, and slow enough for every word to pass through my mouth individually. But, when I get excited it is hard to talk slow and when I look up I realize my students have only picked up about half of what I said. Then we start over, I use the chalk board, and by the second time we are ready to move on.
Students here are trained to accept information the teacher is lecturing on as infallible truth. They accept it without question, and when it is time for the exams they regurgitate it without any variation. At the conclusion of my classes I try to have a time where we reflect on the lesson for the day; our lesson about Abraham reflected on God’s faithfulness, Joseph’s story was forgiveness, and Moses’s theme was trust. During these times I attempt to help my students understand how these stories can enlighten our own lives, I try to illustrate how to think creatively about the tensions and conclusions presented in the stories, and in every story I challenge my students to notice God’s plan being sustained through all these stories right up to the time of our own lives.
It is hard being a student at Kotido S.S.; the classrooms are over-crowded and the desks and chairs are falling apart, each gender shares two large dormitories full of hundreds of bunk beds leaving no place for privacy during the term, occasionally food runs out and some students do not get one of the meals served during the day, and sometimes the staff is unmotivated leaving students alone in the classrooms for hours at a time. As an outsider I am both frustrated by these injustices, but simultaneously completely incapable of changing the system. Instead when I go to Kotido S.S. I attempt to mimic my favorite teachers throughout my high school and college experience and attempt to engage my students with the lesson, I treat my students with respect—allowing them to use their minds instead of solely pour my own “wisdom” into them, and most of all I strive to show my students how God is also a part of their life.
The Sunday before I left for SALT orientation I shared with my church family about my service assignment in Kotido. I remember reflecting on the fact that I was mostly going to learn and that any change I might accomplish would be insignificant. Not only has this idea been proved but it has been strengthened, however, despite the discouraging situations I am confronted with I find myself extremely energized after my days at Kotido S.S. The students have illustrated to me repeatedly what it means to be truly resilient in difficult situations, the staff has welcomed me as a part of their community, and of course there is my new talent of riding a boda through the dusty roads of Kotido.
One of my students in the library
Rose and I
My classroom
