Teacher Training

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember,

involve me and I learn."  ~Benjamin Franklin

When Camp UNITE was over, I headed down to Tsevie to start my two weeks as a trainer for the new group of volunteers who arrived in Togo on June 12^th.  It was nice getting to know them and hearing about their experiences in Togo so far, reminding me of when I was back in Tsevie one year ago as a new trainee…boy does time fly! Two years used to seem like such a long time to be away from home, living in Africa, haha, but it’s gone by so fast.   

After a couple of days in Tsevie, I left for Kpalime with the 12 new EGE volunteers, and their language and technical trainers for three more weeks of instruction before heading to their posts. The new group is doing their teacher training at my school’s summer program in Kpalime, participating in model classes. This gives them the opportunity to practice in the classroom, a chance to see what it’s really like to teach in Togo and what to expect from the students.

                                                                                

New volunteers ready for their posts

The first few weeks of teaching are tough. Students don’t participate much because they are embarrassed; they don’t always understand the American accent or vocabulary. Teaching English here has taught me to choose my words carefully, to speak slowly and enunciate very well, because if I don’t, my students won’t understand…they may just tune out and give up. You discover how to adjust your lessons on the spot, if the students aren’t quite getting it, and how to better manage your time. You learn which techniques work and which ones don’t. You figure out how to be approachable and welcoming to the students, but not so friendly that they don’t take you seriously. Ideally, these model classes will help the volunteers feel more confident and better prepared for their first day of school. While observing the classes, I am reminded of how hard those first few days of teaching are. I just keep telling the new teachers not to worry and that it gets better with time. I used to be nervous every day before class, but now I’m so excited for school to start and to be back in the classroom again. 

We took a break after one week of training in Kpalime and traveled back down to Lome for the swear-in ceremony for all the new volunteers. When the celebrating was over, the EGE volunteers returned to Kpalime for their final two weeks of teacher training before moving to their posts. It has been great fun to have all these new friends

visiting my town for a few weeks, a nice break from the regular routine.     I will miss them when they leave, but I think they  are going to do awesome work in their communities, and before you know it, they will be training a new group of teachers next summer! 

The Peace Corps Circle of Life :)

Stargazing and Summer Camp

"Although no one can go back and make a brand new start,

anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."
 ~Carl Bard 

Hello everyone….I’m ALIVE! I know it’s been a WAY long time since my last post. Possibly due to power surges in villages without stable electricity, or some other unknown reason, my computer crashed and burned. At first I was devastated by this, but after a while I became used to my unplugged life and began to see the positive side of things. I have read many books. There have been quiet evenings spent lying on top of my roof at night, stargazing up at this amazing African sky, where the Milky Way is so big and bright, it feels like you could touch it. I also realized, again, how much I love my shortwave radio, relying on contact with the outside world through Voice of America and the BBC. 

Then one day a miracle happened and I received a package from home with a new Windows tablet. Hurray, I’m back!!! (sort of) I can’t get online at home, because it won’t work with Togocel, but it works wherever there is WiFi, so I just have to trek over to an internet café for my connections. This will mean less time online, and more time plugged into my Peace Corps life, which is a good thing, sometimes boring and lonely, but still good.  And the blog continues……  

July news: I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Camp UNITE up at the Pagala center. Camp UNITE is organized by Peace Corps volunteers and Togolese counterparts, a youth leadership camp for students from all over Togo. I was happy to have both my nominees from Kpalime selected to attend camp. There are girls and boys weeks, and I attended the girls week as a formatrice.    

                                                                               

Camp was a fantastic experience. It was great getting to know the girls and the formateurs. I led two sessions at camp and also stayed in a cabin with some of the girls. I loved being a camp counselor! My favorite night was a big party where every cabin put on a dance and sang in front of everyone, formateurs included. We had to incorporate songs and dances from all the ethnic regions of Togo. I learned five traditional Togolese dances and songs, and performed them with my girls. It was SO much fun, definitely one of the highlights of my Peace Corps service and a night I will never forget.   

It was heartwarming to hear the girls talk about how much they learned from their time in Pagala. They were so motivated to start fresh, continue their education, and teach friends back home what they had discovered in camp. Leaving on the last day was really sad. When it was time to get into the bush taxis, all the girls were crying and very emotional. They had made many good friends, shared their feelings, and explored new ideas together, all in just five days. The goodbyes were hard for everyone. This was such a worthwhile and positive experience. I am already looking forward to participating in summer camps next year.