Day 8 - Visiting Mandela Primary School

Moses walked me to the first of six elementary schools 'Elephant Thoughts' help run in Tanzania. Mandela Primary School has 1730 students with 29 teachers. They, unfortunately do not have enough classrooms (only six) so the students go to school in shifts - unless they are in Level 7 and need to prepare for the final exams, in which case, they go all day.
It was a real eye-opener for me. I visited a number of classes during each of the shifts. Some classes had up to 190 students. The teacher would have that particular class for 40 minutes, but then have 2-3 other classes of similar sizes to complete the day. Teachers teach subjects and they follow a rotary system so the students have many teachers throughout the day. If a teacher is away, other teachers must cover with additional lessons in their subject of expertise and the absent teacher will have to make up the time later. Teachers also take turns with outside supervision - for a week at a time. This school has 425 Level 1 students. The government is insisting each child have a desk. At Mandela, this is not possible yet. The number of students sitting on the floor in one class would be my entire class in Ontario. Students shared books. Much of the learning is through repetition. Distractions from overcrowding, interruptions (from visiting teachers), and even taking attendance (of 190 students!!!!) really limits how much learning happens in a period.
The amazing news behind this story is this particular school has won a number of awards in the past three years. Based on final exam results, they finished in the Top 10 in their District and were named one of the Most Improved Schools in Tanzania (the whole country!), after rising from the very bottom.
While the students were on break, I decided to try to teach a dozen curious students the song "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Well, when I turned around a crowd had developed and I ended up teaching a few hundred students the song and actions. They were very enthusiastic and keen learners! Below are some photos from my day:

Afterwards their Head Teacher(principal) said the children would certainly be running home to share their stories with their parents and they are eager for me to return. She then arranged for one of the teachers to drive me back to my lodge on his motorcycle. Wow! It's been a loooooong time since I've been on a bike - and in a skirt, no less. He drove very cautiously, but I told him I was fine, so we could speed up a bit. Motorcycle is a wise method of transportation considering the lack of proper roads.
Tomorrow I visit another school but we plan to be there by 7:30 am so I can see their daily morning routines. I absolutely admire these teachers and told the students in each class I visited to appreciate them as well.

When I returned to the Lodge I was telling EliDaima, Moses' wife and also a kindergarten teacher, about the song. I ended up teaching her too. I will have to visit her school as well to teach the students there.