We are not teachers. Let me get that clear, right from the get-go. However, part of the programming with INSPIRE!africa was to teach English to some of the staff at Solace and any other adults who were interested in learning. We got some basic guidelines, approaches and ideas from an on-line Zoom meeting before leaving Calgary. To say we were nervous, unsure, deer in the headlights scared, would be very accurate. Eek.
Jason and I had a group of 4-8 (depending on the day) young adults. They all spoke a good amount of English and they were extremely eager to be there. Their goal was to learn more advanced conversational skills, vocabulary, pronunciation and comprehension. On top of that, not only were they proud to discuss their way of life with us, but they were also very interested in learning about our Canadian culture and had so many great questions.
All of our fear and nervousness melted away within minutes of standing at the front of that classroom. Once we realized their goals, we put away our ‘lesson plans’ of grammar to allow the students to guide our days. We played word games, we told stories, we asked questions, we had debates (very lively debates!!), we compared cultural habits, we made friends. And we laughed. Wow, did we laugh.
We got to spend five mornings with this amazing bunch of people. We’re not sure how much they actually learned, but we do know that they came away with some new vocabulary, a clearer pronunciation of ‘l’ vs ‘r’, a higher level of confidence in speaking (at least in front of us), and a deeper understanding of a different culture. Not bad for 5 mornings with non-teachers.
As for us, I think we learned more than our students. We wholeheartedly enjoyed this experience. We learned things about ourselves – we can do hard things, we can adapt, we can meet people where they are and push them forward. We learned so much about the Rwandan culture – wedding customs, Thanksgiving (Yes, they do a version of Thanksgiving!), religion, sports (basketball and football are extremely popular) and their infinite amount of kindness.
I guess it’s true what they say, when you give, you get back.
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