First Addis School visit: April 25 Meeting the Dean.

We got to visit Miskaye today for the first time. What a fun experience. The K to gr.3 students were out in the compound playing in their uniforms and when they say us coming they crowded us all yelling out the English words that they knew. A few students could carry on a conversation with us, and were very proud indeed to do so.

Apparently Jemma is a common name in Ethiopia and means “the people”. Three school girls were very excited that I was there and asked my what my names was and then were yelling it around the compound. After speaking with the Dean we left the school and outside the gates. The three girls climbed onto the roof of one of the school buildings and in unison yelled “JEMMA” and proceeded to wave frantically, even though I had been speaking with them moments before.

I will be teaching highschool students, who are taught in English, it looks like they are gr.11. I am excited but unsure how this is going to work out. The young students are care-free and totally excited to have foreigners around. The older kids on the other hand may need some quality persuasion. We shall see. I have yet to meet an un-friendly Ethiopian.

My educational experience is going to be difficult to s eparate from all the cultural things I am observing. Ethiopia is a world away from Canada, but I feel they have the same “salt of the earth” kind of people. I suspect observing within their education system will be a real treat.

I do not know what to expect, but I hope to learn more about my own teaching philosophies as well as the Ethiopian standard of education

.

This is a picture taken at the local Mercato (open Market)

This is my Husband Mitchell and Professor Hareg from the University of Addis.

Well all my classes are going well and I am in the full swing of practicum. I am saddened that the end is drawing near, but luckily I am going on an educational adventure to Ethiopia, which helps leaving the wonderful John Oliver and all the great people there. Within graphic design the students have begun to create their leatherwork pieces and are now in the electronics shop instead of the computer lab. Having that change of scenery seems to have helped the entire class to be more productive. That situation reminded me of the “disequilibrium” context for educating. So because I took the kids out of their comfort zone and into a stimulating new one, they could not fall back on the old tactics that they once had, like gaming on the computer.

The engineering students are making helmets in the metal shop, they have just begun the prototype process but they are coming along well. I made these helmets as a template, and gave one to my SA to keep.

I have begun to create European 4 in 1 chainmaille. I used 16 gauge galvanized steel wire that I bought from Canadian tire and wound it up on the jig that I made for John Oliver. Then I purchased my own pair of bolt cutters and went along the roll cutting off single links. The engineering students are currently working on helmets for metal work project and I think that having the ability to make chainmaille will help them in their quest to make great armour.

The European 4 in 1 chainmaille takes a long time to make. Each ring has 4 partners and each link must be closed individually.

So I have begun to teach two computer classes, Drafting 12 and Graphic Design 10. These classes are quite different then my Electrnics blocks or STEM or senior wood work. They are different in one respect: I now have to manage 30 computers and about a billion websites. The projects and work is fun and engaging, at least for most of the students most of the time. There always seems to be 4 or 5 students that, as I circulate the room, always change their monitor to look as if they are working when I can see a tab from a game still open. It is rather funny that they think that I do not notice this. Anyways, I recently employed a new tactic to inspire on task behaviour. If I catch a student on a gaming website, they have to draw me a cat picture, with their name on it and I will hang it up in class. Now this tactic would either be a disaster or a success, but I was willing to give it a try. For this perticular class, it worked very well. They do not like to go off computer and hand draw so they are less likely to simply troll the internet for fear of loosing internet privileges. I have featured a few cat pictures below for your enjoyment.