We welcomed the first team of visitors on the 22nd June and they stayed until the 28th June. They were people from Lake Bible Church and Christ Church. They cemented the floor and dedicated the new dorm. They also did some teaching, serving of porridge, and cleaning of the compound. We were very grateful to them for the work that they did.
The second team came on the 2nd July and stayed until the 6th July. They work for GSM international education so they sat in some of the classes to see the teaching and met with the teachers. They spent a lot of time interacting with different people at the school and encouraged them to continue the work.
Both of these teams brought many supplies for the school. We appreciate them for what they are doing and the things that they brought to make our school better.
On the 6th and 7th July we had 35 people from Solar Africa. They put two solar panels on our school. One on the primary side for P5-P7 and one on the main hall of secondary. We used them for the first time on Tuesday night. The ones for primary gave enough light that the pupils could easily study preps (7-9 PM) and winter (5-6 AM) and still have a security light on all night. The one on the main hall lights the hall but none of the classrooms. Still it is extremely helpful to use the solar lights instead of hydro lights as the transformer for the area blew on the 27th June and still has not been fixed. We have been using the generator since that time for preps and have not been having winter due to the cost of the fuel. The teachers are saying that the lights for solar are so much brighter than the hydro lights. We cannot thank the people enough for their love for our school. They have told everyone that they are coming back next year to provide us more panels and lights. We are waiting for them and praying for them as they have greatly given to our school. Words cannot express our love and thanks to these wonderful people.
On the 3rd July we had the visitation day for day school and then on the 5th July for the boarders. It is always good to see the parents and show to them how their children are doing in class.
We will have our final competitions for football and netball on the 10th July. The teams have been learning and growing in their skills during the league play. The Solar Africa people also helped us as they gave a set of uniforms to the primary and a set to the secondary for their football (soccer) teams. In addition, they gave us a good football and volley ball.
Then on the 17th July we will have a tour (field trip) to Jinja. We are still setting the program of the places we will visit, and I’ve been informed that the day may be changed due to availability of the places. We encourage every child to go but the tour costs sh. 22,000 (about $11.00) which is difficult for many families as the cost of tuition for a term (3 months) is sh. 30,000 (about $15.00) for day school. A few of the pupils will be given scholarships to go, but still there are many that will be unable to attend.
We still have two teams of visitors coming in August. Abby and I will each be receiving family. We are eagerly awaiting their visits. This term has been extremely busy so please pray for our pupils to remember what they have learned and for the teachers to get all of the material to the pupils before the exams. God’s blessing to each of you until I write again.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
The term is moving along
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for my health. I am much better now and feel like myself. I got the treatment that I needed and I’ve been back at the school for almost two weeks now.
We began the football and netball competitions this past Tuesday. It was very stressful the first day as teachers had many questions and complaints. The second day went much better as we had worked out some of the problems that we had the first day. I’m trying to post the standings weekly after the matches so the pupils and teachers know how they are doing.
We are waiting for the first team of visitors to come on Monday. We are expecting four different teams between now and August so we will be somehow busy. We always look forward to having visitors as they help the school a lot.
Thank you so much for those of you who contributed to our well and water issue. They fixed the well yesterday! It was exciting to see the pupils pumping water outside of my window. The extra money will go to finish the cistern, fix a faucet and pay off the people who have bringing water to the school. Thank you again so much! It is such a blessing to all of us as we don’t have the pupils to the well for water or pay someone sh. 200 a jerry can (about $0.10 for 20 litres).
We are preparing for midterm exams which begin this week. It is hard to believe that June is already here. Time is really moving along.
We began the football and netball competitions this past Tuesday. It was very stressful the first day as teachers had many questions and complaints. The second day went much better as we had worked out some of the problems that we had the first day. I’m trying to post the standings weekly after the matches so the pupils and teachers know how they are doing.
We are waiting for the first team of visitors to come on Monday. We are expecting four different teams between now and August so we will be somehow busy. We always look forward to having visitors as they help the school a lot.
Thank you so much for those of you who contributed to our well and water issue. They fixed the well yesterday! It was exciting to see the pupils pumping water outside of my window. The extra money will go to finish the cistern, fix a faucet and pay off the people who have bringing water to the school. Thank you again so much! It is such a blessing to all of us as we don’t have the pupils to the well for water or pay someone sh. 200 a jerry can (about $0.10 for 20 litres).
We are preparing for midterm exams which begin this week. It is hard to believe that June is already here. Time is really moving along.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Second Term
We finished first term on the 17th April and we began the second term on the 18th May. We had a teacher who was asked not to come back due to issues with administration. We are still looking for a replacement for her, but we know that the right one will come. The teachers are having to cover her classes so it is putting some stress on teachers, who work really hard to begin with, and now they are having to help teach another class too.
During the holiday studies, I began eating with a couple of the teachers, who I consider now my brothers. Now that school has began again, they call me to make sure that I’ve eaten dinner or to ask me when I’m coming up to eat supper with them. It is nice to have a “family” here. They having been teaching me a lot about the culture too.
We were sad to see Tom, Hilary, and Tony leave us, but we also know that it was their time (for now). They have done some good work at the school and they are missed by the pupils, students, and teachers. As they have gone, we are now waiting for the groups that will be coming this term. We are preparing to welcome out first group in a couple of weeks. My mom and brother, Andrew, get to be one of those groups. Please pray for the school as our schedule changes when we have visitors, but we still expect our pupils to perform at a high level. It puts a lot of pressure on the teachers and pupils to have many visitors, but we always welcome visitors with open arms.
On the 21st May, one of our P2 pupils died. I’m not sure what he died of as I have heard a couple of different things. A number of the teachers and some of our pupils went to the burial. I did not feel I was to go so I stayed at the school. This family had been struggling to get school fees and last term the father came saying he had a sponsor for both of his boys for their studies, and then only a few weeks later one of their sons is dead. What is somehow sad, is the people of this area expect death. Although they are sad to lose a child, it is a part of life. A few days before this boy died, two of pupils lost their father. Please continue to pray for our pupils as we live in a tough area where death is always at their door. Pray for their safety and for the strength of the teachers to help protect the child and help them deal with the deaths of family members.
Over the holiday, I began having some health issues. I was having some pain in my back, but I rested a lot and thought the I was better. On the 18th May, I had gone down to my room to pick something and became dizzy and fainted onto my bed. I was unable to get up without the room spinning for about 3 hours. Again on the 25th May, I became dizzy. I had gone to the doctor on Sat. and he said that my blood pressure was low and thought I was not getting enough liquids. I took a lot of liquids on Sunday and Monday, but again on Monday I became dizzy and had to go rest. I came to Kampala on Tuesday to go to a doctor here to find out what is wrong. He said that my blood pressure is low as it is 90/60, that I have the most common type of malaria, but is it also the more dangerous, that my red blood cells are 30% higher than they should be, and that I have too much stress in my life. He is suggesting that I go swimming to release the stress so I’m going to look into that and he gave me medicine for the malaria and told me to rest.
This term we will be having football (soccer) and netball competitions. Since I am the athletic director, I have to set the schedule, get the referee, get the uniforms, and organize the prizes. Our P7 members will not be able to participate since we are beginning to get close to the exams (although they are in Nov.). We are going to have league play so every house gets 3 games and then on the 10th July we will have the championship matches. We will be having the matches on Tuesdays and Wednesday beginning on the 10th June. I’m excited to see how our pupils do and to have them outside of the classroom.
Thank you everyone for your prayers for the school and everyone at the school. It is blessing to know that we have so many people standing behind us. I know that my life has been changed by my experience here and the lives of the pupils, students and teachers have also been changed. It is hard to believe that on the 21st of this month that I will be here for one year. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by, but when you are home time goes without you knowing it. God’s blessing until we talk again!
During the holiday studies, I began eating with a couple of the teachers, who I consider now my brothers. Now that school has began again, they call me to make sure that I’ve eaten dinner or to ask me when I’m coming up to eat supper with them. It is nice to have a “family” here. They having been teaching me a lot about the culture too.
We were sad to see Tom, Hilary, and Tony leave us, but we also know that it was their time (for now). They have done some good work at the school and they are missed by the pupils, students, and teachers. As they have gone, we are now waiting for the groups that will be coming this term. We are preparing to welcome out first group in a couple of weeks. My mom and brother, Andrew, get to be one of those groups. Please pray for the school as our schedule changes when we have visitors, but we still expect our pupils to perform at a high level. It puts a lot of pressure on the teachers and pupils to have many visitors, but we always welcome visitors with open arms.
On the 21st May, one of our P2 pupils died. I’m not sure what he died of as I have heard a couple of different things. A number of the teachers and some of our pupils went to the burial. I did not feel I was to go so I stayed at the school. This family had been struggling to get school fees and last term the father came saying he had a sponsor for both of his boys for their studies, and then only a few weeks later one of their sons is dead. What is somehow sad, is the people of this area expect death. Although they are sad to lose a child, it is a part of life. A few days before this boy died, two of pupils lost their father. Please continue to pray for our pupils as we live in a tough area where death is always at their door. Pray for their safety and for the strength of the teachers to help protect the child and help them deal with the deaths of family members.
Over the holiday, I began having some health issues. I was having some pain in my back, but I rested a lot and thought the I was better. On the 18th May, I had gone down to my room to pick something and became dizzy and fainted onto my bed. I was unable to get up without the room spinning for about 3 hours. Again on the 25th May, I became dizzy. I had gone to the doctor on Sat. and he said that my blood pressure was low and thought I was not getting enough liquids. I took a lot of liquids on Sunday and Monday, but again on Monday I became dizzy and had to go rest. I came to Kampala on Tuesday to go to a doctor here to find out what is wrong. He said that my blood pressure is low as it is 90/60, that I have the most common type of malaria, but is it also the more dangerous, that my red blood cells are 30% higher than they should be, and that I have too much stress in my life. He is suggesting that I go swimming to release the stress so I’m going to look into that and he gave me medicine for the malaria and told me to rest.
This term we will be having football (soccer) and netball competitions. Since I am the athletic director, I have to set the schedule, get the referee, get the uniforms, and organize the prizes. Our P7 members will not be able to participate since we are beginning to get close to the exams (although they are in Nov.). We are going to have league play so every house gets 3 games and then on the 10th July we will have the championship matches. We will be having the matches on Tuesdays and Wednesday beginning on the 10th June. I’m excited to see how our pupils do and to have them outside of the classroom.
Thank you everyone for your prayers for the school and everyone at the school. It is blessing to know that we have so many people standing behind us. I know that my life has been changed by my experience here and the lives of the pupils, students and teachers have also been changed. It is hard to believe that on the 21st of this month that I will be here for one year. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by, but when you are home time goes without you knowing it. God’s blessing until we talk again!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Things have been busy since school began. Our class sizes have grown and they are over 100 pupils each. The government says that we should allow in children since many schools have closed in the area. We are the only school in the area that doesn’t turn people away because they don’t have money. It is also difficult to decide how you would pick which children to send away. A large portion of the school are orphans so they don’t have money to go to other schools. When you hear the stories of these children you know that they need a place like our school where they feel safe and where the teachers consider the pupils as their own children.
HM David (principal of the secondary school), his wife had a baby on the 17th February. HM Rogers, Abby and I had gone to town to buy some things so we stopped to check on them. She had the baby about 30 minutes before we came and then she went home with us when we finished in town about 4 hours later. The people here are so strong! She walked back into her room after having the baby and then walked about ½ mile to the car when we left. I got to hold the son within an hour of the birth and then I also carried him out to the car. People kept saying things to me thinking that the baby was mine. Both headmasters are telling me that it is prophecy because they want me to stay here forever. Unfortunately, the baby died on the 28th March. It is difficult for the family and people here. Please keep this family in your prayers along with the community as we struggle with this death.
We had the Athletic Day on the 27th February. The children cheered on their houses and it was a wonderful day. Overall, we had very few problems and it helped us to see how we should do things for Open Day this year. Because of the talent we saw on the Athletic Day, HM Rogers asked me to take our children to Inter-School Athletic Competitions. The district failed us and we never were able to compete against other school.
During our Athletic Day, the secondary students said they wanted to challenge us to a competition. When I found out at 8 AM on that Friday that we were not going for the Inter-School Competition, I suggested that we have the competition with the secondary school that afternoon. We bought a goat as the prize for the winning school. The primary school stomped the secondary school as it was 92 pts (secondary) to 131 pts (primary). The competition was heated and we had some disagreements because the secondary students did not want to lose to primary. I bought rice and soda for our participants and we shared the goat with the teachers the next weekend. The children enjoyed as they each got about 10 pieces of meat instead of just one or none like they would at home.
We’ve had some different football competitions since that day. We’ve had boarders vs. day schoolers, primary vs. senior 1 & 2, and also primary teachers vs. secondary teachers. I was the only female who played in the teachers game. It’s good to see our children playing and I’m looking forward to encouraging other events in the future. Next term we will be having football and netball competitions.
Ash Wednesday was the 25th February and since a large number of our children are Catholic we took a break from classes for them to go to church. The teachers who go to the Protestant church also had a small service at the school. I attended and learned that they go to a different church than the Pentecostal church. I began going to the Protestant church the following Sunday. It is very refreshing to my soul and has been what I need. It is also forcing me to learn more Luganda as they do not translate the service. The teachers who I go with give me the basic overview of what is happening but they don’t translate everything.
I now have 8 children. I am paying for a P7 boy, Lubowa Fred, to be in the boarding section so I am considered his mom and HM Rogers is glad to have me as a parent. I also have “twin” girls who are in P6, Jascent & Racheal, so I am now being called Nalongo (the mother of twins). I also have another girl in P6, Robbinah, a girl in P5, Nakayima Rose, a boy in P2, Ddembe John, a boy in P1, Julius, and a boy in Baby class, Raymond. They all call me their mom and sometimes I give them things (food and supplies), along with other children at the school, but Lubowa is the only one whom I‘m paying school fees. I have many other children who are beginning to call me mom also. For many of these children in boarding they need someone whom they can look at as their mother and father and the teachers here often take that place. We spend 9 months of the year with these children and their parents only spend about 3 months with their children so we become more parents to them than their parents or guardians.
After end of February exams I helped with making the mock lists for P3-P6. It is much easier for me to put it into Excel and have it total and sort over 100 children per class with four to seven subjects than having the teachers do it by hand. We just finished end of term exams. I will be busy compiling the exams and helping where teachers need it. We have sent the children for Easter and the end of term is supposed to be next Friday, 17th April, so the teachers are busy making their mock lists and report cards. I currently help teachers mark their bo
oks and whatever else needs to be done when I’m not teaching.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent greetings or small gifts with my father and brother! I was excited to open the suitcases and see what was inside. I was saying it was Christmas for me but just one week late. I had a wonderful time with them and was glad to share with them my life here. I looking forward to having my mom and Andrew here, probably the beginning of August. Thank you for your prayers and love for the children. God’s blessing until I write again!
HM David (principal of the secondary school), his wife had a baby on the 17th February. HM Rogers, Abby and I had gone to town to buy some things so we stopped to check on them. She had the baby about 30 minutes before we came and then she went home with us when we finished in town about 4 hours later. The people here are so strong! She walked back into her room after having the baby and then walked about ½ mile to the car when we left. I got to hold the son within an hour of the birth and then I also carried him out to the car. People kept saying things to me thinking that the baby was mine. Both headmasters are telling me that it is prophecy because they want me to stay here forever. Unfortunately, the baby died on the 28th March. It is difficult for the family and people here. Please keep this family in your prayers along with the community as we struggle with this death.
We had the Athletic Day on the 27th February. The children cheered on their houses and it was a wonderful day. Overall, we had very few problems and it helped us to see how we should do things for Open Day this year. Because of the talent we saw on the Athletic Day, HM Rogers asked me to take our children to Inter-School Athletic Competitions. The district failed us and we never were able to compete against other school.
During our Athletic Day, the secondary students said they wanted to challenge us to a competition. When I found out at 8 AM on that Friday that we were not going for the Inter-School Competition, I suggested that we have the competition with the secondary school that afternoon. We bought a goat as the prize for the winning school. The primary school stomped the secondary school as it was 92 pts (secondary) to 131 pts (primary). The competition was heated and we had some disagreements because the secondary students did not want to lose to primary. I bought rice and soda for our participants and we shared the goat with the teachers the next weekend. The children enjoyed as they each got about 10 pieces of meat instead of just one or none like they would at home.
We’ve had some different football competitions since that day. We’ve had boarders vs. day schoolers, primary vs. senior 1 & 2, and also primary teachers vs. secondary teachers. I was the only female who played in the teachers game. It’s good to see our children playing and I’m looking forward to encouraging other events in the future. Next term we will be having football and netball competitions.
Ash Wednesday was the 25th February and since a large number of our children are Catholic we took a break from classes for them to go to church. The teachers who go to the Protestant church also had a small service at the school. I attended and learned that they go to a different church than the Pentecostal church. I began going to the Protestant church the following Sunday. It is very refreshing to my soul and has been what I need. It is also forcing me to learn more Luganda as they do not translate the service. The teachers who I go with give me the basic overview of what is happening but they don’t translate everything.
I now have 8 children. I am paying for a P7 boy, Lubowa Fred, to be in the boarding section so I am considered his mom and HM Rogers is glad to have me as a parent. I also have “twin” girls who are in P6, Jascent & Racheal, so I am now being called Nalongo (the mother of twins). I also have another girl in P6, Robbinah, a girl in P5, Nakayima Rose, a boy in P2, Ddembe John, a boy in P1, Julius, and a boy in Baby class, Raymond. They all call me their mom and sometimes I give them things (food and supplies), along with other children at the school, but Lubowa is the only one whom I‘m paying school fees. I have many other children who are beginning to call me mom also. For many of these children in boarding they need someone whom they can look at as their mother and father and the teachers here often take that place. We spend 9 months of the year with these children and their parents only spend about 3 months with their children so we become more parents to them than their parents or guardians.
After end of February exams I helped with making the mock lists for P3-P6. It is much easier for me to put it into Excel and have it total and sort over 100 children per class with four to seven subjects than having the teachers do it by hand. We just finished end of term exams. I will be busy compiling the exams and helping where teachers need it. We have sent the children for Easter and the end of term is supposed to be next Friday, 17th April, so the teachers are busy making their mock lists and report cards. I currently help teachers mark their bo
oks and whatever else needs to be done when I’m not teaching.Thank you so much to everyone who sent greetings or small gifts with my father and brother! I was excited to open the suitcases and see what was inside. I was saying it was Christmas for me but just one week late. I had a wonderful time with them and was glad to share with them my life here. I looking forward to having my mom and Andrew here, probably the beginning of August. Thank you for your prayers and love for the children. God’s blessing until I write again!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Long Time
Sorry for being quiet for so long. I have been unable to get to the internet until now and I only have a short time. I just wanted to say hi and let everyone know that I'm still alive. Hopefully within the next day or two I will be able to write more about what has been happening this term.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support of the school. We have just finished the term and have sent the children for Easter holiday. I pray that your Easter is wonderful as you take time to remember why God gave His son, Jesus, for us and why we can have joy each day when our world has so many sorrows. I pray for all of you often. God's blessing and keep checking for further updates.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support of the school. We have just finished the term and have sent the children for Easter holiday. I pray that your Easter is wonderful as you take time to remember why God gave His son, Jesus, for us and why we can have joy each day when our world has so many sorrows. I pray for all of you often. God's blessing and keep checking for further updates.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Family & Beginning of Term
The teachers had to be back at the school on the 12th January so I traveled there the day before. It was so nice to be home and everyone was very welcoming. On the 12th we didn’t do any scheming (planning for the term) but just spent the day talking about our holidays. In addition, one of our P2 teachers, and our P4 & P5 science teacher decided not to come back this year. It puts some stress on the school to find new teachers. We cannot offer what other schools can because we don’t have the money or the housing. Currently, the average pay for a teacher at my school is about $110 when the government requires that they get at least $120. It is hard when a teacher comes to us saying they want to work for us but they want $150 and we have to tell them sorry don’t come work at our school. We have found two new teachers and one of them is actually a former teacher that has come back to teach.
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
Family & Beginning of Term
The teachers had to be back at the school on the 12th January so I traveled there the day before. It was so nice to be home and everyone was very welcoming. On the 12th we didn’t do any scheming (planning for the term) but just spent the day talking about our holidays. In addition, one of our P2 teachers, and our P4 & P5 science teacher decided not to come back this year. It puts some stress on the school to find new teachers. We cannot offer what other schools can because we don’t have the money or the housing. Currently, the average pay for a teacher at my school is about $110 when the government requires that they get at least $120. It is hard when a teacher comes to us saying they want to work for us but they want $150 and we have to tell them sorry don’t come work at our school. We have found two new teachers and one of them is actually a former teacher that has come back to teach.
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
