Teaching in Togo

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

~Edward Everett Hale

When I was in college studying political science, international area studies, and French, I never would have guessed that I would end up as an English teacher, but that is what’s happening. As part of the TEFL International training, EGE volunteers are going to be doing model classes at a local middle school during its summer program. Last week we went to the school to sit in and observe how the classes are run.

Arriving at the school, we were first introduced to the teachers, all of whom were male. I have been told that this is very common in Togo and that I should expect to be the only female teacher at my school. While entering the classroom, I also noticed a gender disparity among the students. Of the fifty students in the class there were less than ten girls. It was a little hard to tell which students were girls because of the school rule that all students have a buzzed hair cut (I think it’s because of lice). Looking at the students’ ears was the key, because almost all the girls wear earrings.

We were also informed that another norm in Togo is corporal punishment for students who misbehave or show up late. The thought of this going on in my school makes me very uncomfortable and I’m trying not to think about it. I know it is something I will never do. My parents did not believe in physical punishment for children and I have definitely inherited that belief. I could never spank a kid, let alone hit one with a stick across their hands, something a current volunteer told me teachers do at her school. There are ways to change behavior without physical violence, and I don't think it’s wise to teach kids that hitting is a way to solve problems.

I have been feeling a bit nervous and anxious about becoming a teacher. Tutoring in college, teaching tennis, and volunteering in my sister’s classroom is the extent of my teaching experience, but I’m sure that teaching in Togo for two school years will be an opportunity I will always be thankful for. The TEFL training is going well, and each day I’m feeling a little more ready. I hope to be a role model for the girls at my school, inspiring them to continue on with their education and to dream big. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason, so I’m looking forward to what lies ahead. Who knows, maybe I will fall in love with teaching like my sister, and will want to continue as a teacher when I return to the U.S.