On the ground: Teacher Exchange summer 2010…done!

Earlier in the month, we bid adieu to the teachers that participated in the 2010 summer Teacher Exchange (TeX).  Undoubtedly, the teachers were a dynamic group with varied personalities and backgrounds, but ultimately, everyone bonded over the course of their six-week team teaching experience.  The teachers left with a new perception of northern Uganda, armed with a slew of stories and info to be shared in their classrooms stateside.

We asked teachers to reflect on their time in Gulu.  Below are excerpts of their writing.

–Jessica

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PABLO AGUILERA:

One week my co-teacher and I taught our S-2 geography class about tourism in eastern Uganda.  We introduced concepts to the class and later compared them to North America and California, the state I’m from.

Since I taught my students about America, they were eager to share with me aspects of Ugandan culture, and with that, I learned how to play the drums.  Using two tree branches, I spent an afternoon trying to learn traditional drumming beats and rhythms.  After the impromptu drumming and dancing experience, the students were more open to sharing their culture and stories.  This new relationship allowed me to improve and find more common ground with them.

NATHAN DENNY:

Carrying a soccer ball around Gulu town is like carrying gold.  When we went to St. Jude Children’s Home, instantly children spotted the soccer ball in my arm.  I handed the ball to a pair of hands held out toward me, and in a flash, it disappeared down the lawn, followed by a mob of thrilled kids.

On the way back to town, we stopped by a field showing a World Cup match.   With my ball in hand, myself, along with fifteen other young children, played keep-away.  After playing for some time, I headed home.  From just one day, the brand new ball was already worn in—completely brown from the dirt.

TRISHA PETERKA:

After participating in the TeX in 2007, I returned to my suburban Philadelphia high school and was asked by teachers to speak to a class about my travels in Uganda. This one-hour assembly spiraled into the creation of our S4S club.

In 2008, our club decided to challenge ourselves to a book drive.  After a month of advocating and hard work, my students collected 25,000 used books.

This summer, I traveled back to Pabo SS and visited the newly constructed library. Before me was a plethora of books, along with empty ‘Books for Africa’ boxes that my class had used while participating in the book drive.  Those boxes were evidence that their hard work had resulted directly in a fully stocked library.  Although some may dismiss it as a small act of kindness, I knew the library meant the world to students in Pabo.

AMANDA LENGNICK-HALL:

At Keyo SS, my co-teacher and I decided to organize the school’s first ever Science Fair. Over the course of three weeks, students brainstormed ideas and tested out experiments.

Some projects worked flawlessly, others were cataclysmic disasters, and some caused students to throw their hands in the air, proclaiming, “It can’t be done!”  I had no idea how the fair would turn out.

On day of the event, we helped the students hang up promotion posters, set up their experiments, and prep them for their public speeches.  The excitement was palpable.  The students soon became the teachers, experts, and scientists, and with this transformation came participation, success, and noticeable confidence.