There and Back Again- Uganda Edition

It's been a week and a half since we returned from our Ugandan excursion and it's been interesting being back in the land of immediate accessibility and lights everywhere.  Experiencing life in Bududa was certainly different- drinking water had to be filtered, washing water depended on how much rain water was collected and stored in the house's tank, toilets were essentially a deep hole in the ground (with or without a seat for users), and the common noises you'd hear were chickens, cows, and buda-budas instead of cars, dogs, and planes flying above.  But even though there were some differences between life in Northern Virginia and life in Bududa, there was beauty to realize and find in those differences.  For example, the lack of lights everywhere, while making walking after sun-down more trying, made the night sky a wonder to behold- you could even make out a part of the Milky Way!  Being back in the US, I now feel the night sky is extremely empty and dull after seeing all the stars and constellations that are really there.

A beautiful view at dusk on the way up a decent-sized hill to a home visit of an AAH Board member and AAH student.

A town we passed through to get to a home visit of an AAH Board member and AAH student.

The road the guest house is off of, used to get to the village center and to get to AAH.

Some things took a little getting used to.  Because the village was located in the Mt. Elgon National Park and in an extinct shield volcano, there are a lot of hills and sloped treks wherever you go.  Getting used to these walks, especially with the hot and sometimes humid weather, took a little bit but by the end it didn't feel as tough as it did the first few days.  The hike up and down Mt. Nusu on our second full day in Bududa was especially rough for us, as we weren't used to the higher altitude (7,000 ft above sea level!).  Meanwhile the 50+ students who joined us on the hike were spritely and were supremely helpful in getting us up and down safely.

One of the many houses we passed on the side of Mt. Nusu during our hike.

Some of our hiking party taking a break near the top of Mt. Nusu. (Photo courtesy of Olivia Schneider)

Back at the base of the mountain, making our way back to the guest house.

Then there was the main reason we were there- to help support the teachers and students of Arlington Academy of Hope (AAH).  Our first full day in Bududa was our workshop with the AAH teachers.  It was held in the AAH library so there would be plenty of room to work.  The Marymount group presented two main concepts to the teachers- differentiation strategies and grouping strategies.  Throughout the workshop, the two Marymount subgroups (one for differentiation, the other for grouping), used an "I do, we do, you do" method in our presentation to get the teachers moving and hands-on in the learning process.

AAH's library, where the workshop was held.

I was part of the grouping strategies group, and as part of our instruction we utilized the Jigsaw grouping strategy to teach them about other ways to have groups be assigned, work together and present information.  Myself, Rob, Pim, and Dillon each took a group to tell them about a different method and then they would return to their main group and teach and learn from each other about the specific method each learned about.

 Me working with Teachers Edith, Alex, and Aggrey on an activity at the end of the workshop. (Photo courtesy of Danielle Fortin)

Some of the AAH teachers teaching each other different grouping strategies as part of our Jigsaw activity.

The rest of our time there was spent between working at a local outreach school, Bumwalye, on the same strategies, and sitting in on AAH classes to observe and assist the teachers incorporate the methods they learned and provide any other support was needed.  Each of us was assigned to a different grade/primary level at the two schools with which we were to assist.  Because I'm studying Secondary Education, I was placed in P7 and worked with Teacher Alex and Teacher Aggrey at AAH and Teacher Patrick at Bumwalye.  All three teachers seemed to welcome any observation, comments, and feedback I had for them and were all eager and willing to use the grouping and instructional strategies gone over in the workshops.

Some of the buildings of Bumwalye, the local government-run outreach school we visited.

Teacher Patrick counting off the 60+ students in his P7 class for the Numbered Heads strategy (about 20 students were missing due to local elections being held that day).

The students of P7 eager to help their peer at the board correct an answer.

Teacher Alex at AAH using a K-W-L with his P7 students.

The experience working with these teachers and their students was fantastic- not only did I feel I made an impact in helping them improve their skills as a teacher, but I found I learned just as much from them.  Classes in Uganda and classes in America are handled and work a bit differently but that doesn't necessarily make either one better than the other.  Each can learn things from the other and come out all the better as a result.  I'm hoping to take my experience and observation in the P7 classrooms with me into my future classroom, and to stay in touch with the teachers I worked with in Uganda to continue sharing and learning with them.

That's all for me for the time being.  I'll return again to share further on the unique experience and the wonderful people we encountered during it.

Feel free to share this or comment below!  Until next time!