Differences between South Africa and Zambia and why I needed a vacation, even though I didn’t realize how much I needed it to be out of Zambia

Differences between South Africa and Zambia and why I needed a vacation, even though I didn’t realize how much I needed it to be out of Zambia:

(despite some friends and I talking one day a few months back about how draining it is just to live the day to day in a different culture and country. How I feel like I’m walking a tight rope between what I should be doing and what I want to be doing and even if I think I’m getting the cultural things right - am I really?  How am I perceived?  I have to be doubly careful too because I’m not just representing myself and my family but also Mennonite Central Committee and Canadians and Westerners and who knows what else!)

The Cape of Good Hope (taken from Cape Point: yep - we climbed all the stairs.  Kate especially did great!)

We took the cable car up to Table Mountain!  Andrew walked down  (in 1 hour 15 minutes)

-no mosquito net to tuck in Every Single Night  (That goes for making sure the kids are tucked into theirs too!

-I can wear pants (trousers) or even shorts and a tank top and it’s okay with everyone around me.  

-no skirts (that ties in with the above!)  This one is bothering me the most these days: and I suspect it’s why I never wear a dress or skirt in Canada except when “forced” aka: wedding dress / bridesmaid dress!

-I’m really not as fat as I was thinking I was.  I just realized today that I’m just around a LOT of skinny people (like unhealthy, probably malnourished / on the verge of starving people in Choma). Here I feel at least average.  Same with my kids.  They don’t tower over everyone else and they don’t have to buy clothing 2 sizes bigger than usual.

-McDonald’s - McFlurries and the cheap toys that came with the happy meal = better quality that any toys I find in Choma, 

Oreo McFlurry!

-cheap and good seafood (calamari and mussels), choices of restaurants, a grocery store that I walk around in with bugged out eyes at the selection (I chose: pita bread, salami, strawberries, and peeled baby carrots - all things I can’t get in Choma and maybe not even in Zambia)!  Milkshakes, slushies, a latte that doesn’t come in a cappuccino cup!

-I can be a tourist.  I try in Livingstone when we visit Victoria Falls, but I’m still in Zambia and I’m more aware of the culture no matter if I can pretend to be a tourist, so whether true or not I feel that the Zambian staff and people on the street are maybe thinking about me, my wealth, my capris and (nope - rarely still do I feel comfortable with a tank top on!)

-no one has asked me (begged) for money, talk time, food, or anything since I’ve arrived!

-I couldn’t sleep the night before we left Lusaka - it was too hot to sleep.  Now I’m curled under a thick comforter and all snuggled in and sleeping until whenever the kids will let me. Not being woken up because it’s too hot to stay in bed any longer! (Usually 8am is the most I manage these months in Zambia.  Hopefully the rains have arrived more while we were gone and things can cool down a bit).

-No bugs!  (Well, I think I’ve seen one in the room and a bunch of bees buzzing around a bush at Table Mountain).

-Drinkable water from the tap!  No extra bottles to mess around with when we brush our teeth either.  I even put my razor in my mouth in the shower again!  (I forgot I used to do that)

-I didn’t have to go looking for an item at 5 different stores to finally go home without what I went out for. We went shopping at a toy store and got great toys for the kids.  Also a book store for me.  It was heaven!  I probably spent too much, but when will I get my next chance?!  Also - I tried to buy a pair of boots for Malachi and didn’t have enough cash and I ran my Visa through and “oh no” forgot my pin number.  Like - I have NO clue what even the first number is!  I haven’t used it for over a year (a bit online)!  Gulp.  That’s going to be fun to figure out!

-an ocean!  I miss the ocean.  A lot.  It’s nice to see it (though I must admit I’m too cold to swim in it! It’s been a balmy 25C in the daytime)!  Hopefully it will be warmer in Durban (Indian Ocean).

-Heated swimming pools!  Do you have any idea how cold a pool is when it’s not heated?  Even if it’s 35C (95F) outside?!  Freezing!

-New shoes!  I bought new sandals, flip flops, Kate got new sandals, Malachi got new boots.  Kate’s happened to break while we were in the Lusaka airport.  We did find some very uncomfortable beaded flip flops for $30US, she was a trooper and managed until we got here - I had extra shoes packed.  She got some nice comfortable walking sandals (Crocs) for the same price or less.

-4 lane highways with signs!  It’s been a pleasure driving around here (okay - I’ve been navigating and Andrew’s driving the rental car). We’re used to driving on the left, but the nice divided highways and much fewer crazy drivers passing on 2 lanes has been really nice too.  The “robots” (traffic lights) haven’t fazed us much since they are clear and well marked coming up to them.  And the stop and start traffic - no worse than Lusaka.

-Internet!  Free internet with the room!  :)  I can go on whenever I want and I’m able to keep up with the massive amounts of photos I’ve been taking!  

Our Santa photo for this year!  Who knew
Santa would be at the Cape Town
Aquarium!

A ragged tooth shark at the Cape Town Aquarium  

We went up this ferris wheel at the Waterfront in Cape Town!

Boulders Beach and African penguins were a big hit!

Boulders Beach and African Penguins!

*Tomorrow is Malachi’s 4th birthday.  We’re heading over to Durban area for our MCC regional retreat.  It should be a nice few days relaxing at a place near the beach.  Hopefully it can also serve as the holiday that we’ll need to recuperate from this holiday!  Livingstone with Andrew’s parents was great but when we were done I still felt like I wanted to get away and I needed more vacation.  I think this trip has done that. It’s been good. I think after the MCC retreat I will feel even more ready to continue our work in Zambia with energy and passion.  :)

We celebrated Malachi's birthday a bit early.
Before we left Choma. He got a Francesco cake.
(From Cars 2 movie, though he's only read the book)

Victoria Falls in December

Today we went to Victoria Falls (my 7th time now!  I'm so blessed!) and I saw a new aspect to the ever changing falls.

I took this photo at one of my usual look out spots (the top of the knife's edge path for anyone interested in specifics).

After walking around the loop (at the most an hour with our kids), I thought I was going crazy as we sat down on a bench.  Check out the second photo.  Wonder why I was going crazy?  Guess it rained up river while we were walking around here!  Cool eh?!

(Note: the sign at the top of the river says "beware of sudden water bursts."  Guess this is why!  Hello flash floods! Maybe they only ever are sudden water bursts and not full on floods?!)

First photo I took

The photo I took after we'd walked around the (short) loop.  Less than an hour in between for sure!

We're having a good and well needed vacation! I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.  We haven't decorated (I might muster the energy to set up the tree on the weekend when we are back in Choma for 2 days before heading to Lusaka to take Chris and Nancy to the airport.... and ourselves!  We're flying to Cape Town for 5 days and then to Durban for MCC regional meetings).  We'll be back to Choma in time to host a church Christmas Braai (BBQ) and the service at our place!

Prayer Requests:
-continued health
-safety travelling (and that the kids will do okay with all the "new" locations for December!)
-a good time of rest and renewal


Praise:
-that Chris and Nancy could come and visit us and see our life in Zambia
-for being able to see Victoria Falls again and do more travelling for vacation time.
-that it's 30C and Michelle's NOT cold! :)

Rain!!

We finally got our first BIG rain of the season.  It was so refreshing we all enjoyed sitting / standing on our large back porch watching the rain.  Kate and Malachi also enjoy playing in the huge puddles!  I also found it funny that when I put on their rain coats, neither of them remembered how to put on a coat.  The wanted to put both arms in straight (resulting in a coat on backwards!)  Guess we've lived in Zambia for awhile now!  I don't miss those days (that you all are having now!) of having to put on coats and layers to go outside!

Here are some videos of my kids playing in the rain - I love the joy of Kate just dancing and jumping away in her own world (Malachi got too cold and wet before I got the camera - but he joins her again for fun in the second movie).  Compare too - this was about 15 minutes after it started to rain (yep - that much that fast!) and then look at one of the photos from when it was almost done raining.  Lots of rain for the dry ground! And the air cooled off so much... I was desiring a cup of coffee on the porch while I watched the rain - it was cool enough finally for a hot coffee - however, the power also went off... and stayed off until sometime in the middle of the night.

Our backyard porch (all that wood? Andrew's working on a project)

At one point I couldn't even see out the window the rain was blowing
so hard!

Our backyard after most of it had come (2inches in an hour we figured)
(compare it to the video of when the kids were playing in it)

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the sand

I was out for a walk the other day and noticed a single bare footprint among the many shoe footprints and I got thinking. These footprints in the sand gave me a small lesson about poverty as I pondered what I saw on the ground.  I can tell that I live in a good upscale neighbourhood because the footprints I see are like the ones in the photo, criss crossed by bicycle tracks.  A variety of shoes have passed by.  In a village or in a city compound area there would be multiple unshod footprints, especially those of children.  It's seems like a simple thing to be able to own a pair (or 5! or more!) of shoes.  But children in rural areas and the "compounds" of Choma are often barefoot, unless they are heading to and from school where dress shoes are required as part of the school uniform.

Then I thought about neighbourhoods, in Canada and the USA where it would be hard to even find an area of dirt road where footprints could be seen.  The luxury of good infrastructure is taken for granted.  The fact that a population is mostly employed and can pay taxes for the upkeep of roads, even in small "off the beaten path" neighbourhoods is yet another difference I see between my life in Canada and my life here in Zambia.  You might say that if you are on a farm you could see some dirt roads - but I'd also say that you're not likely to see footprints after the end of the driveway because you'd start to see car tires.

Two more observations from my musings:
1) Africa walks.  If you've even been to Africa you'll notice this right away.  Sure the congestion in the cities is crazy, but most people walk.  Everywhere.
2) Before you go out and buy a pair of TOM shoes to make a difference, just know that a missionary friend of mine watched the distribution of shoes at one of my schools and experienced the attitude of wanting to help but the help not really being what was needed. Students don't wear canvas type shoes because school uniforms need shiny black dress shoes.


*Now on an unrelated note: I realized that I haven't been blogging very often these days. I think that is because my life here in Zambia feels "normal" to me now.  The reality is, that for my friends and family back home nothing about life here is "normal" to you - so I'm hoping to be more regular about updating this blog, even if it's just little glimpses into life here.
*Also, did you ever realize how impersonal a blog can be on the readers end?  I write about my life here, keep people updated (sometimes better than others) but long to hear about your life and what's going on with you!  So, drop me an e-mail sometimes!  I think that's also why I haven't been doing blogs - I've been trying to write e-mails instead.  People usually feel a need to respond to an e-mail.  Not so with a blog post! :)  So - maybe today you can write someone (a missionary or a friend whose blog you read) a personal note in response (to a blog, a prayer letter, etc.)  Give them that personal connection to let them know you're keeping up with them and some information for them to keep up with you!

One Year In Zambia!

We stepped off the plane a bit after 6:15am in Lusaka, Zambia on September 16, 2013 to a blast of heat (even that early in the morning).  

Hot season has again returned, and we're experiencing it again, one year later.

Potts family in the summer of 2013
(photo credit: Michael From)

Here's some memories of the past year, in no particular order:

(I'll try to include links to previous blog posts where applicable: if you want to read more specifics about something listed below)

-Victoria Falls: 4 times!   http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2014/04/victoria-falls-dry-season-vs-rainy.html

Victoria Falls in October (Zambia side)

Victoria Falls in April, from the Zimbabwe side

Victoria Falls in July from the Zambia side

Victoria Falls in August
(taken from the Zambia side looking towards Zimbabwe)

-My kids have grown up so much… from being scared to walking on the grass here in shoes (it is coarse, tough grass) - to having grass fights.  We bought them bikes and Kate learned to ride without training wheels (a hard thing to do with deep sand that the roads often have).  She also lost her first tooth. Malachi has also grown from a toddler into a little boy, who started preschool (homeschool) this year.

grass fight in the backyard

riding brand new bikes in Lusaka after we bought them

First day of Grade 1 (homeschool)

First day of preschool (homeschool)

-Fruit: Guavas and Mangos!  (So many guavas on our trees they would go bad before we could eat them or do anything with them).  I think I'm better prepared for the next season!  The guavas are coming and we've had at least one ripe one again.  And bananas.  I've never seen so many types.  My favourite is "bush bananas" they are about 1/3 the size of the bananas you see in North America.  I'm waiting to find all sizes and take a photo so you can see.  My family keeps eating them for some reason!  But here's a cool banana photo for you…. twins!  One peel.

Twin banana - sharing a peel!

-Dogs: the craziness of finding 2 "wild" dogs that live on our rental property.  We named them Mango and Cookie.  Then Cookie's 9 puppies.  Now we're done to just one of the pups: Oreo.  (She's 3 months old this week)

http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2013/11/the-tale-of-two-dogs.html

Our nine puppies shortly after they were born

Oreo the dog

-Cat: our awesome cat "Fanta" who we got as a tiny little kitten and even at a tiny (guessing 4 weeks old) we never heard or saw another rat or mouse around the house.  There's never been any regrets about bringing her home.  (Keeping her inside for 24 hours was not the best idea as Kate ended up being more allergic than me!)

Fanta the cat

-4 Workshops: 

1. Goals: what is each school actually wanting me to focus on (Turns out it was reading and early literacy for every single school)

2. Phonics: BINGO and alphabet Jive song  http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2014/03/my-first-workshops.html

BINGO phonics

3. Phonemic Awareness: Morning Message, Rhymes, Puppets, and more

http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2014/07/phonological-awareness-workshops.html

Phonemic Awareness workshop:
swat the sight word!

4. A preschool teachers workshop

Testing out DIY art supplies on my preschoolers in
preparation for doing my workshop

-2 EdCamps. (Education Camps)  The first (known) ones to happen in AFRICA were here in Choma!

The first one: http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2014_05_01_archive.html

The second one: http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2014/09/edcamp-choma-zambia-2.html

EdCamp number 2: discussion on
positive discipline

EdCamp number : a young participant!

-So many reports (Global Family and general MCC reports).  I should be doing my One-Year MCC report but I'm doing a blog report first! :)

(Here's a link to the MCC site and you can read a report I wrote: http://mcc.org/learn/what/education/globalfamily/programs/brethren-christ-schools-zambia)

-Many Facetime Ladies Bible Studies with my group back in Abbotsford.  (Almost every Weds. evening for me.  They meet in the mornings luckily!)

-Rainy season!  Thunder and Lightning! 

-Trip to Nsobe Game Park just before Christmas with MCC

-A garden, complete with gardener, which produced cucumbers, then drowned during rainy season, then has been successful with broccoli, a couple peppers (more coming), too many cabbages to eat (we still have a bit in our fridge, and I used them for my last couple workshops!), we currently have a forest of tomatoes - getting a bucket like this almost every other day.  Also onions and eggplants.  Then there is the one small strawberry plant (1/4 of a strawberry never tasted so good when we got the berry!  Only a quarter because we had to split it between the 4 of us!)  This is the way I like to garden. Give out seeds, walk around it in the evenings, and then eat the produce!  No weeding or watering in the hot sun required!

broccoli eaters

cabbage

tomato forest

-Our house help, Memory, for which I am super thankful.  She comes 2 days a week and does laundry, sweeps, cleans the bathroom (I haven't done that for almost a year!  Whoo hooo!)  But before you get too jealous - it's also hard having someone "watching" you all day long.  Especially in the beginning!

-Zambian food: Nshima (made of dried, ground maize - like corn flour but white), with "relishes" - in this photo is some sort of deer meat (Bambi as she told me.  It was a teacher who gave me this meat after a workshop), and cooked cabbage.

Zambian food: nshima and relishes

-Visits from family: My parents came back in April.  (One of my favourite parts of my parents trip was going to the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls.  It truly is a spectacular water fall and no wonder it's a wonder of the world!)  My brother and his girlfriend, Emily, came in August - just a few weeks back.  (A highlight from their time was our safari in Chobe National Park, Botswana).  It's so great having our family come and support us while here and see what life is like in Zambia.   Andrew's parents will be coming in November for a couple weeks too!  

http://offeringupmylife.blogspot.ca/2014/04/holiday-highlights.html

my parents at Victoria Falls in April (Zimbabwe side)

My brother, Michael, and Emily at Victoria Falls
in August (Zambia side)

Chobe Safari

Chobe Safari

Chobe Safari

-New Friends!  I have two great Zambian friends, Annie and Amanda, both teachers.  We've had lots of awesome chats about all sorts of things.  Annie has travelled with me on to present many of my workshops and we're learning a lot from each other.  I met both these ladies at my last "Goal" workshop - they were also presenting at the remote school and I ended up being the driver.  It's been great.  Our friendship started then and continued when I asked them to help me translate some education materials.  I don't see them as often as I'd like since they are busy teaching! 

Annie

I've also found a lot of great missionary friends here.  The main problem with missionary friends is that they come and go!  You friends who have gone - you know who you are!  But I'm enjoying them while they are here.  Julie and Sara are Brethren In Christ missionaries who I see a fair amount of.  I often go over to have coffee and "therapy sessions" where we all talk about anything and everything.  Julie also babysat my kids, overnight, in Livingstone, while the rest of us went on the Chobe safari!  I'm going to miss them both when their terms are up later this year!  Though I just met the family that is going to take over their positions.  I think we'll be friends too.  Can't have too many right?!  (The new family has a girl going into Grade 1 - so I think Kate will demand time with her!) 

Julie (left) and Sara (right)

Then there's the MCC team - especially around Choma: Jan and Kajungu and their kids (my kids LOVE their oldest, a boy who is 7).  Jan has lived a long time in Africa, and Kajungu is originally from Tanzania - so I appreciate their wisdom on situations too!  Todd is a one-year intern (we'll miss him when he leaves in December).  He lives out in Macha, an hour away - so he comes into town for groceries and a retreat.  He often stays with us and we stay up late playing Settlers of Catan (Cities and Knights).  A new friend just came this week: a new 3 year MCC worker, Stacey.  She lives about a 10 minute walk away and our friendship is just beginning.  Plus our "fearless leaders" Ron and Miriam, who live in Lusaka and they are the Country Representatives (CRs) for MCC Zambia.  Their older kids are great with my kids and they even babysit when we're in Lusaka!  (Those trips are also highlights in the year!)  

And then there's Dorothy - a really great friend.  We became quick friends for a couple months and I was sad to lose her to furlough for 6 months.  She's back now and we're walking together and she also is a great one for advice and therapy.  She's married to a Zambian and they have a 2 year old.  The great thing is after our 3 year term is done, I'll still see her - furlough takes them back to Western Canada!  

Just in the last couple weeks we've met some new families and new missionaries.  So we continue to make good friends here.

-Wonderbake!  This goes along with friends as I usually don't go by myself!  It's great to get a latte or a cappuccino there or even an ice cream cone (vanilla soft serve - the one in Choma has the best ones I've had so far in Zambia).

-Watching my first polo match!

polo

-Cold Season!  Who knew?!  I luckily was somewhat warned and because I know how cold I am compared to everyone else - I brought my long underwear from Canada…. and wore it almost every evening for months!  At least it warmed up (outside) during the day).  

cold season: sitting in front of the space heater after a bath

-Baking (after hot season ended!) I got really good at making my own coffee flavoured syrups.  Made a lot of sugared peanuts after my dad showed me how he used to do them in Nigeria.  Julie and I are working on a cook book to help other missionaries who come to Zambia - especially BIC and MCC.  Our deadline has passed but we're still hoping to get it done! Also, just today I ate a caramel apple.  Homemade caramel.  This week I made brown butter pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting (thus the leftover caramel sauce for the apple!)  Recipe here:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brown-butter-pumpkin-cupcakes-with-salted-caramel-frosting/

-Being able to see a (small) palm tree everyday.  It's in our backyard!  Plus all the flora around us.  The purple jacaranda trees are blooming again.  So pretty.  I'm also still in love with the frangipani tree (plumeria I believe they are also known as).

There is so much… but I can't mention it all - so it's time to post what I do have written! :)

EdCamp: Choma, Zambia #2

This EdCamp I was uncertain as to how many teachers would attend.  At the first EdCamp we had about 50 participants.  The big difference between the two: for the first EdCamp I paid money for transport, so those teachers out in village schools would have a free trip to town to come for EdCamp.  This time around I made it clear that there would not be transportation money.  Food was provided at both EdCamps.  One school let me know that they could not attend because the school did not have transport money for the teachers.  I simply replied, “Sorry to hear that, maybe next time.”  I also invited two of the government (not Brethren In Christ) schools that are in Choma.  St. Patricks was the school that gave me a panic attack the day before when they told me 40-46 teachers were going to attend (see previous blog post).  The reality was that 14 teachers attended from St. Patricks.  We were pleased to have them and they contributed nicely to EdCamp. The school where the venue was also said 3 teachers would attend but the reality was that none of their teachers came.  There was still a good turnout with 29 teachers attending from 4 schools, plus myself.

Our agenda for the day looked like this:

9am: sign in, tea, coffee, rolls (buns), informal talking with teachers, door prizes (starting early on for those teachers who arrived prompt!), plus finalizing discussion topics, opening remarks and prayer.  

Getting tea, coffee and rolls ready!
Memory Musukombwe was hired to help out.

 (photos by Todd Jordan)

Teachers signing in as they arrive

Opening remarks: how EdCamp works.....
everyone is an expert!  Discuss challenges and advice!

Me telling the teachers that I've never taught in a school in Zambia, so I'm not the expert - they are!!

*To finalize discussion topics I had a list of topics: preventing early pregnancy, assessment, teacher attitude, remedial work, school library use, teaching computers, computer skills for teachers, teaching reading, positive discipline, phonological awareness, handwriting and spelling, making math interesting, making reading interesting, teaching oral English, hygiene, punctuality, phonics, absenteeism, plus multiple spaces for other ideas.  The list was passed around and teachers checked up to 3 topics they wanted to discuss.  Then the schedule for the discussions was set

Filling out the topic discussion sheet and chatting with other teachers.

10:00 - 11:30: Discussion Groups #1 - Remedial Work, Teaching Reading, Computers

11:30 - 1:00: Discussion Groups #2 - Assessment, Making Reading Interesting, Making Math Interesting

1:00 - 1:30: Lunch

1:30 - 3:00: Discussion Groups #3 - Handwriting and Spelling, Phonics, (one blank space to be decided at lunch)

3:00: brief closing remarks

I attended the “Teaching Reading” session. Though stopped in at Remedial work to make sure everything was good and they were discussing (and not waiting for a facilitator to come like last EdCamp!)  Another MCC worker (Grade 8 teacher), Todd, attended EdCamp for the first time.  See his write up at the end!  The teaching reading session was in full swing by the time I arrived.  They did not hesitate to get started and there was a strong leader, a primary teacher from Nahumba, who had begun to share how she teaches reading. (Phonics, sight words, blending sounds, practice).  It sounded a lot like the workshops I’d been giving and it was a great encouragement.  She pointed out at the end that she learned these things from the older teacher next to her.  Her mentor.  This was also a great encouragement to me to see older teachers mentoring other teachers at her school and sharing her knowledge. The older teacher became very passionate about teaching each student at the level that student was at, even saying “Don’t follow the syllabus” at one point! (Lots of laughter at that, but it was interesting she said it since most of the time Zambian teachers follow the curriculum set out for each day without going backwards to reteach a lesson for struggling students). 

The next sessions: Assessment was well attended and seemed to have a good discussion about formal and informal assessment of students, how to write a good test, and other related topics.  I went in and out of this session (as I was focussed on lunch - I went to reduce the pre-ordered chicken and chips take outs from 70 to 35 and then again at the end to pick them up).  I popped my head into the other sessions as well.  Making Reading interesting seemed to go for awhile but the teachers lost interest in that topic and formed groups talking outside as I left to pick up lunch.  The making math interesting session had no teachers, however Todd, the MCC teacher, was busy showing another teacher more advanced aspects of Excel.

Lunch was typically African..... late.  I went at 1:00 (after reminding them at 12 and cutting the order in half) and I waited until almost 2:00pm before the order was ready.  In the meantime I ate my lunch, talked to a few friends that happened by and tried to be patient.  The teachers were outside enjoying talking to each other while I was away and no one seemed to be surprised that the food was late.

I delivered the chicken and chips and the teachers were very pleased.  There was even a large coleslaw that they could add if desired.  I had many comments about how much better this food was compared to the nshima (cornmeal ball that is the staple food here), beans and cabbage from last EdCamp.  It was truly a reminder that here, in Zambia, the workshop is only as good as the food served.  I also got compliments on the different rolls (buns) that we had at tea.  The ones at this EdCamp were very dense and hearty. The previous EdCamp they were light and fluffy and melt in your mouth.  Also shows the differences - I preferred the first EdCamp’s light and fluffy rolls (though they were late and these rolls were ready by 8am when I went to pick them up!!!)

Lunch Time!

When lunch was finished it was already 2:30, so we decided to have a quick 1/2 hour discussion time.  I picked a couple of topics that all “tied” for interest on the previous sheet and handed those around.  Both Hygiene and Positive Discipline were both popular so I decided to add both.  After everyone was settled I wandered around and no teachers were at either the “Handwriting and Spelling” or “Phonics” sessions, so we moved Hygiene over to one of those classrooms.  I enjoyed the Positive Discipline session. Talked about setting expectations and how students meet them where they are set.  Also talked about being consistent.  If you promise to do something (positive or negative) - follow through. Shows the students that you are consistent.  The teachers were very frank: talking about what their face should look like when they beat students to the emotions involved that lead to beating students. It was a very authentic discussion.  They also talked about how students don’t return to school because they get beat and students who say they deserved the beating (though I’m guessing this is rare!)  Both the positive discipline session and the hygiene session went longer than the 30 minutes, though I did go into each session and tell them it was time to wrap up!  

Overall, I think it was another great experience and I’m looking forward to doing it again next term break (early January).

I do still need to figure out how to transition between the discussion groups.  It seems to take awhile for them to wrap up (even with reminders) and re-form into the next group.

The Positive Discipline Discussion Group (photo credit: Michelle Potts for this one!)

Todd’s experience:  Todd is an MCC worker who is teaching Grade 8 at one of the Brethren In Christ Schools. He attended EdCamp for the first time.  He wrote the following report:  (Photos are also contributed by him!  I forgot my camera!)

My first Ed Camp and the second ever in Africa was an excellent experience. After a social tea time allowing for those on African time to arrive. The topics teachers were interested in discussing for the day were selected and we began. I went with computers, a topic Michelle had discussed previously with me about attending, and helped answers any questions teachers had. Since those in attendance had minimal to no experience with computers our Ed camp discussion turned into more of a computer Q&A session about how teachers can benefit utilizing computers and how to teach computers to pupils. Computer skills are a growing demand for employment in Zambia; however, computer teachers are lacking. For a wrap up and in hopes of generating interest in the teachers to learn computer skills I gave a brief grade book demonstration showing how easy it is to sort and tabulate results. As one of the teachers in attendance commented ‘As teachers we must be above our pupils’ a fact that holds true with computers because if the teachers can’t use computers how will the pupils learn? (also they don’t make computer with chitonga so english is needed)

After an excellent meal of chicken and chips we settled into the afternoon myself attending a positive discipline discussion. I was interested in positive discipline because as a new teacher discipline is one of the things I struggle with most. It was a lively discussion with examples and stories abounding. The piece of management advice that I found most helpful and will attempt to apply in the third term was ‘Don’t make empty threats, and Don’t make empty promises.’ Being laid back I realized I have a bad habit in the classroom of letting small rule breaking go at times which snowballs into chaos and no rules a few periods later. Rules that aren’t enforced might as well not be there, an obvious fact that has taken me two terms and an Ed Camp to figure out.