The whole teaching staff at El Shaddai Primary School.
Many times throughout the month I found myself with a scrunched brow, my head slightly tilted and this thought in my mind: Huh? Did I just hear what I think I heard? Sometimes culture was to blame, sometimes a difference in pronunciation… Here are a few examples:
English class: When I was teaching the technology unit, the students were listing off the examples of technology in the book, as well as ones they use in everyday life.
TV, laptop, radio, telephone, cell phone, stero…
“Stero? You mean stereo?”
“No stero.”
“Stero? What’s a stero? I think you mean stereo.”
This banter went back and forth a few times. The kids usually speak in a whisper and I have to get right next to them to hear (I’ve realized how loud Americans are, myself included, since leaving the country). Finally I asked the other teacher what they were saying.
“They are saying it correctly, stero. You don’t know what a stero is?”
“Nope.”
“A stero is an mp3 type of device; it plays music.”
Oh, good to know. Still learning something new everyday… here’s something I learned from my first graders.
Grade 1: It didn’t take me long to realize that if you’re a teacher at El Shaddai Primary School, it doesn’t matter what grade you’re assigned to teach because you’ll probably make an appearance in all of them. I had the opportunity to help out with the little munchkins one day when their teacher was absent.
Unlike the upper grades, the age of the first graders is pretty standard across the board- ages 5 and 6. Another fun dynamic is that they don’t speak English…or understand 95% of what you’re saying. So what is a teacher to do when she’s just filling in the time?
Practice your ABCs.
“Ready class, we’re going to begin the ABC song. And A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P…”
The kids continued on, “Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y and ZED. Now I know my ABCs…”
I disagree. You do NOT know your ABCs. ZED? What the heck is ZED? It’s Z. Just Z. But when in Africa…
PS, there were a few other words that were pronounced differently. Vegetables were veggie-tables, circles were cir-cu-lees (rhymes with Hercules) and triangles were tri-angu-lees.
Agriculture: Okay, this class takes the cake for the number of times I questioned if I heard correctly. It should be stated that the Ag teacher is a full-figured, husky woman who would dominate any FFA chapter if she lived in the States.
Ag Teacher: Who has goats?
About three-quarters of the class raised their hands.
Ag Teacher: Okay, I want you to bring your goats to school.
Really? Your homework for your students is to bring goats to school?
She went on to explain that she wanted more natural fertilizer and the grass to be cut so goats would solve both of those problems. I must have had a curious look on my face because she asked me if I ever had my students bring goats to class.
“Umm, no…can’t say that I have. Most families don’t own goats in America and if they bring them to school it’s probably for Show-n-Tell.”
After the goat assignment (which turned out to be a request, not mandatory), the Ag teacher just kept ‘em coming.
Looking at all the girls, she stated, “Why do you have your jerseys on (jersey=sweater in Africa)? It is hot outside today! Take them off, you do not need to be wearing them right now!”
Nobody moved; the girls were taken a bit off guard that they were being told what to wear, as well as how and when to wear it.
“Fine. Only if you’re pregnant can you leave your jersey on.”
This comment got a few girls to respond. Not wanting people to think they were pregnant, they took off their sweaters and placed them on the back of their chairs. A few girls still sat there, with their sweaters on.
Pointing at a student, the Ag teacher interrogated, “Fisile, are you pregnant? How about you Nothando? Are you pregnant too?”
Wow. Right in front of the whole class. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. What if they were pregnant? Sadly, there is a higher possibility here than in America. And why did it matter if the girls had their sweaters on…
Well, the Ag teacher still wasn’t done. She asked the boys if they had been drinking before class (it was 8:30 in the morning) and she took a hand count as to who grows their own marijuana.
That’s right. Another fun fact I learned about Swaziland is it’s incredible ability to grow and export marijuana. Fields upon fields…and many of my student’s families grow their own.
And to think, they wanted me to help teach agriculture…
One final thing that’s a bit different here, they require their students to bring sticks to school. That’s right, everyday each student is required to bring a stick for firewood so that they can cook rice and beans for their lunch. TIA.
Just a normal day at school…sticks and backpacks.
Students walk as many as 3 miles to school everyday.
Here are some students hiking up from the valley in the thick morning fog.
