What did you learn this summer? I’m going to be reflecting on this for quite a while. But here’s my first attempt at documenting the things I’ve learned (or re-learned) in my Teachers Without Borders – Canada experience this summer. We’re working on common problems. When asked what the major challenges are facing effective technology integration and use in schools, teachers in both South Africa … Continue reading First Five Lessons

I’ve been trying to think of a good way to answer The Question for the last week or so. As I get closer to home, I know that I have to come up with an answer soon. The question, of course, is this: “How was your trip?” How much time do you have? I’m not sure I can boil six weeks into a couple sentences. … Continue reading The Question

On our way from Mbita to Gilgil yesterday, we took a little detour to Kogelo for a little visit with Mama Sarah. We didn’t know what to expect. We thought we were just going to visit the town, maybe take a few photos of signs saying “this is the place, blah blah blah.” It wasn’t like that at all. We drove up to the homestead … Continue reading Mama Sarah

For the first week in Mbita, I kept asking myself (and others), “what are we doing here?” We’re supposed to be teaching technology integration — helping teachers use technology effectively to complete projects and improve learning in other curricular areas. But as we made our school visits, it became increasingly clear that they’re not ready for that. Of the ten schools we visited, none had … Continue reading A Drop in the Ocean

It’s no secret that Kenyan roads are a bit difficult to navigate. I can’t speak to the cities too much — we’ve done most of our traveling in rural areas. But you really have to pay attention when driving in Kenya. The roads themselves are generally dirt or dirt mixed with stone. In many places, there are concrete culverts under the road to allow water … Continue reading Road Construction

I knew, before arriving in Kenya, that there were differences in education between boys and girls. Most girls don’t complete school. Of the few that do, practically none pursue higher education. Of the 51,000 students enrolled in the Suba district last year, 134 enrolled in university this year. Assuming an equal distribution of students among the grades (which is not at all the case because … Continue reading Educating the Girl Child

We spent a few days this week on safari in Kenya. Masai Mara is an amazing place. It’s the northern part of the Serengeti, encompassing 600 square miles of grassland. Each year, millions of animals migrate to the area from the Serengeti plains, and it’s a wonderful place to see the big animals. On the mara, you get the distinct feeling that you’re on the … Continue reading Social Networking on the Mara

Last night, Terry asked us each what our top two moments from South Africa are. After three weeks here, there are many. I’m sure I’ll be boring friends and family with stories from South Africa for many years to come. But this has not just been a vacation. The best moments were those that an ordinary tourist wouldn’t have seen. The township tour probably had … Continue reading Top Two

As we wind down our stay in Cape Town, we’re visiting teachers in the schools and working with them individually to try to take the next steps after the workshops. I haven’t really blogged much about the actual workshops. We started with five days of sessions for teachers at Liwa Primary School in the Phillipi township. The teachers represented 20 different schools, with at least … Continue reading It's Not About the Tools

We went to Robben Island yesterday. This small island was used as a prison from the early 1800’s through 1991. It’s probably most famous for the political prisoners who were housed there during apartheid, including Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 years on the island. For the first 45 minutes, we took a guided bus tour around the island. We saw the prisons (there were four), … Continue reading Robben Island

There’s a movement in South Africa to equip every teacher with a laptop. The plan has undergone a number of major changes over the last year or so, but in the current incarnation, teachers are eligible for a stipend from the government if they purchase a laptop to use in preparing and delivering instruction. In the schools, computers are scarce. A school might have a … Continue reading Teachers and Laptops

We went to the mall yesterday. It’s amazing how similar South African shopping malls are to the ones in North America. Sure, all of the store names are different. But there are the same kinds of things. Lots of clothing stores, a few anchor department stores, electronics places, music and video shops, book stores, and food. Lots of food. Unlike most of the places we’ve … Continue reading The Minority