Schools for Schools: Taking it to the Next Level

Students at Sacred Heart School are in for a surprise when they return from the holiday break in February. The second floor of a three-story block of classrooms has just been completed, creating six bright, spacious classrooms.

Last week, Schools for Schools engineers made a final inspection of the building for quality and safety. With a few minor touches, the six new classrooms will be ready to be furnished and filled for the first time with smiling faces.  One more floor of six classrooms remains to be completed later this year.

Invisible Children partners with 11 schools in Northern Uganda to improve the quality of education through building projects, teacher and administrator training, and curriculum development. While many classrooms in Northern Uganda are in disrepair or subject to overcrowding, projects like this one at Sacred Heart are ensuring that students will have access to a healthy learning environment.

Building projects for 2012 are in full swing! Stay tuned for more updates.

-Bethany

Teacher Exchange Program: The Ugandan teachers have arrived in the U.S.

Our thanks to Catherine Hanna for putting together the following blog about the TEX orientation in New York City!

This year’s team of Ugandan partner teachers in the Teacher Exchange Program have arrived! Otim Walter, the Head Teacher of Pabo SS; Lacere Churchill, the Head Teacher of Sir Samuel Baker; Oola Elizabeth, an English teacher at Sir Samuel Baker; Ajio Rosemary, an English teacher at Sacred Heart; and Joseph Luke, a Geography teacher at Laybi, were escorted by Schools for Schools Program Officer Jennifer Lebuke. Their 2-day journey took them from the 90-degree weather of Gulu, Uganda to the frigid “concrete jungle” of New York City.

The Team stepped off the plane with weary smiles, and minutes later we threw them into taxi cabs and into “the nation’s thyroid gland” (as Christopher Morley would say). What other initiation into the United States could be more appropriate than hustling through the neon, holiday-sprinkled, bumper-to-bumper streets of NYC—where so many travelers have arrived throughout history in search of adventure and redefining themselves. Lacere Churchill, a History and Geography teacher said, “I am excited to see the real-life things that I have been teaching about for so long.”

The Ugandan team arrived at the hostel and were welcomed by the American hosts, their old friends from previous summers in Uganda. The next morning’s orientation session was opened with an old saying: “It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.” This was an invitation to connect with one another, despite the distance of space, culture and history. It has been our belief and practice in the Teacher Exchange Program that some conversations are better had on our feet, so we spent the next four days exploring the purpose of our program through conversation, storytelling, drama and play. And of course we took advantage of NYC. We visited the tree at Rockefeller Center, got lost in the sea of elbow-to-elbow New Year’s tourists in Times Square, caught a Broadway show and wished one another a happy New Year as we watched the ball drop. Elizabeth shared, “This has been my dream, to come to New York City. So I have accomplished that dream.”

And that was just the beginning….Now the teachers have left New York City and gone to their placements all over the country to partner-teach in schools for the next four weeks. During their partnerships they will share in professional and cultural exchanges to develop their practice as educators and broaden their view of the world. Then they will bring these insights back to their students and communities in Uganda.

(Photo credit: Mallorie Tull, Invisible Children)

Better World Books ad features Agnes and Invisible Children’s scholarship program

Our friends at Better World Books (BWB) made this ad, featuring Agnes, one of the Ugandan roadies from the Frontline Tour and a beneficiary of the Legacy Scholarship Program. By buying, selling, donating, or hosting a book drive through BWB, you are supporting our education programs in Uganda. It’s almost too easy.

Also almost too easy: voting for the video. TED, a non-profit dedicated to sharing innovative and thoughtful ideas around the world, has launched an “Ads Worth Spreading” campaign that let’s you vote for videos that will be screened at TED conferences. This video is in the running and we would appreciate your votes. It’s one way to award innovation, creativity, and intelligence in advertising, and I like it.

-Azy

Schools for Schools essay winners are announced!

A few weeks ago, we blogged about the Schools for Schools (S4S) essay contest asking contestants: “A student who reads widely writes better English. Do you agree with this statement or not? Give reasons for your answer.” Students were tasked with answering the prompt in 750 – 1,000 words, with a proper bibliography, and use of at least one book source.

In total, 76 students entered the competition and 3 students won top prizes. Fred, a Layibi Secondary School student, emerged as the first place winner. While the contest only called for one book source, Fred incorporated the use of 8 sources in his essay, supporting his argument that, “… to be rich in vocabulary involves making reading a habit, not only to beat boredom, but to build an opulent vocabulary.”

Fred received a cash prize for his winning essay, followed by John, also from Layibi Secondary School, who received the second place. Third place honors went to Patricia from Sacred Heart School.

Schools 4 Schools, in addition to improving the “hardware”, or facilities, at it’s 11 partner schools, also aims to improve “software” by providing schools with things like teacher capacity workshops, curriculum development, and scholastic materials.  As a part of improving scholastic “software”, this contest was initiated in order to promote the growth of the reading culture in northern Uganda.

Due to the high participation in this competition, Schools for Schools is looking forward to holding another essay contest in the future!

Stay tuned for more S4S updates!

-Juliana

Schools for Schools: Gulu High’s two-story dormitory gets all the fixings!

Schools for Schools’ (S4S) is making progress on the first floor of Gulu High’s second two-story dormitory. Currently, it’s getting all of the finishings: the doors and windows are going up, the wardrobes and fixtures are being installed, the floors are being sealed, and the walls are being painted.

The Schools for Schools program partners with 11 secondary schools in northern Uganda. The funds raised for this program, are used to revitalize both the Hardware (Engineering), and Software (Education) of our partner schools. Since 2006, the S4S program has worked hand-in-hand with each of the partner schools’ Development Committees to construct and refurbish numerous dormitories, classrooms, and latrines, and has implemented teacher capacity building and training initiatives.

Last week, we observed as workers used a technique called “rough casting” to finish the outside of the building. Sand is mixed with cement and pigment, and then placed in a machine that spits the mixture onto the walls. Once the coating dries, it creates a textured and colorful finish. This technique is used as a more durable, but equally attractive alternative to traditional paint. Invisible Children engineers predict that the first floor of the dormitory will soon be finished and that students will begin using the facilities by the beginning of 2012.

Stay tuned for more updates on construction at Gulu High!

-Juliana

Teacher Exchange: Meet Elizabeth

Elizabeth has been teaching the English language to students in northern Uganda for 30 years. “I enjoy it so much, especially teaching grammar,” she told us recently. “It helps in composing stories. Once you understand grammar, composition is much more easy,” she explained.

Growing up in Gulu, Elizabeth decided that she wanted to be a teacher while in secondary school. Now, over 30 years later, one of the things that brings her the most joy is seeing her students become responsible adults in their communities. Currently, Elizabeth is teaching English at Sir Samuel Baker School.

Elizabeth has participated in the Teacher Exchange Program for three years in Uganda. The program, started in 2007, brings international educators to Uganda to team-teach in Invisible Children partner secondary schools for six-weeks, and takes a group of Ugandan educators to the U.S. every winter for three weeks. With the aim of enhancing present educational models and establishing long-term learning opportunities for all participants, the program lets educators engage in team teaching, information sharing, and skill-building conferences. In this round of the Teacher Exchange, Elizabeth and five other Ugandan teachers will travel to the U.S. at the end of the calendar year to team teach with U.S. educators.

Elizabeth can’t wait to interact with students and teacher in the United States. “I am looking forward to meeting the teachers in the U.S. and hearing about how they handle teaching the English language,” she said. “I also want to see how they encourage reading among the students because that can be so difficult and I see reading as one way to really improve knowledge of the English language.”

“I’m longing to meet them, I’m ready to meet them,” she smiled.

-Malorie

Teacher Exchange: Meet Joseph

Joseph was all smiles when we had a chance to talk about his upcoming trip to the United States.  As one of six Ugandan teachers who will be traveling to the United States at the end of the year, Joseph will team-teach with an international partner teacher for three weeks.  Joseph is traveling as a participant of the Teacher Exchange (TeX), an Invisible Children program designed to help both Ugandan and international teachers improve their teaching methods.  It aims to energize Ugandan teachers and their international counterparts by expanding their skill sets through bringing 20-30 secondary school teachers from abroad to teach and interact with Ugandan teachers for six weeks each summer, and sending a group of Ugandan teachers to do the same in the U.S. each winter.

Teaching geography at Layibi Secondary School for six years, Joseph decided to become a teacher because, “It gives you a wider knowledge, and the ability to be a role model in society.”  Now, with 22 years of experience under his belt, Joseph is more than excited to embark on his journey to the United States to continue widening his knowledge and experiences in life.

Joseph has been involved with the TeX in Uganda for two years, and tells of the students’ excitement when they see teachers from another culture in their classroom.  He cannot wait to travel to the U.S. to learn more teaching methods, and to share the students’ excitement.  He is also eager to learn about discipline management, and U.S. administration systems to help improve the operations at his school.

Joseph is ready to take on the challenge of teaching students of a different culture and background. We wish you the best of luck!

-Juliana

Teacher Exchange: Get ready, America – Churchill is coming!

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Churchill, Head Teacher at Sir Samuel Baker School. Churchill is one of six Ugandan teachers who will be traveling to the United States for three weeks to co-teach with an international partner teacher at the end of this year. Churchill is traveling as a participant of Invisible Children’s Teacher Exchange, a program designed to help both Ugandan and international teachers improve their teaching methods. The program aims to energize Ugandan teachers and their international counterparts by expanding their skill sets though bringing 20-30 secondary school teachers from abroad to teach and interact with Ugandan teachers for six weeks each summer, and sending a group of Ugandan teachers to do the same in the U.S. each winter.

Churchill decided to become a teacher to continue his father’s legacy – to carry on all of the good things his father had done for their community as a teacher. After attending Sir Samuel Baker as a child, Churchill later became an educator and taught history and geography before becoming Head Teacher.  He began teaching 27 years ago, 12 of which have been spent at Sir Samuel Baker School.

Helping students succeed in life, and guiding them to be good members of society is what drives Churchill most in his teaching. However, he has encountered many challenges such as inadequate facilities that make both teaching and learning difficult.

During his time in the U.S., Churchill is most looking forward to getting, “The insight of what takes place there [in the U.S.], and how we can adapt, and practice it here [in Uganda]”.  He is excited to share the knowledge he has, and also to gain knowledge from his international partner school that he can impart to his colleagues in Uganda.

Good luck, Churchill!
-Juliana

Teacher Exchange: Investing in northern Uganda’s teachers

Walter grew up in Pader District, in rural northern Uganda. As a young boy, he was impacted by his uncle, who was a Mathematics teacher. After watching the way that his uncle interacted with his students and the community, Walter’s mind was made up: he would study and become a teacher. “I used to admire his way of teaching,” Walter said, speaking of his uncle. “He was a Math teacher, so I gave myself the chance to learn more of Mathematics and follow his way. That’s why I am now also a Math teacher. I think he was the best example to me,” Walter explained with a proud smile.

After studying and achieving his dream, Walter taught Mathematics at several secondary schools in northern Uganda before settling into his current role, Head Teacher at Pabbo Secondary School. While serving as the Head Teacher, Walter has seen the impact that the Teacher Exchange has had on his school and community, and is looking forward to participating in the program in the United States.

Started in 2007, the Teacher Exchange brings international educators to Uganda to team-teach in Invisible Children partner secondary schools for six-weeks, and takes a group of Ugandan educators to the U.S. every winter for three weeks. With the aim of enhancing present educational models and establishing long-term learning opportunities for all participants, the program lets educators engage in team teaching, information sharing, and skill-building conferences. In this round of the Teacher Exchange, Walter and five other Ugandan teachers will travel to the U.S. at the end of the calendar year to team teach with U.S. educators.

During his stay in the U.S., Walter is looking forward to observing how American classrooms are run and managed and sharing with students about various aspects of Ugandan culture. He’s also interested in learning how to make Mathematics more relevant to his students’ everyday lives. “In case we are teaching Mathematics, I want to think of how we can continue to relate it to other subjects the students are learning as well,” he explained.

“I really hope this program continues,” Walter said. “You know, teaching is an investment. Every town I go to [in northern Uganda], I find a student I have taught at some point over the last 30 years, and I’m so proud of them,” he finished.

Good luck to Walter and rest of the Teacher Exchange participants!

-Malorie

Teacher Exchange: Meet Rosemary

Rosemary is one of six Ugandan teachers who will soon be traveling to the United States as part of the Teacher Exchange Program (TeX). The Teacher Exchange is designed to help both Ugandan and international teachers improve their teaching methods. The TeX aims to energize Ugandan teachers and their international counterparts by expanding their skill sets though bringing 20-30 secondary school teachers from abroad to teach and interact with Ugandan teachers for six weeks each summer, and sending a group of Ugandan teachers to do the same in the U.S. each winter.

Rosemary is in her 5th year of teaching English language and literature at Sacred Heart Secondary School – only a fraction of her 17 years of teaching experience that began in Moyo District, her place of origin. (more…)