Contacts:
Andrew Wagana
Box 7878 Moshi
Mobile: 0755 - 3121 49
John Pallangyo
Box 7878 Moshi
Mobile 0754 – 077149
Alumni references: Erin Hinkle: DancyE@aol.com
Rebecca Cohen: rebco71@aol.com
Venice Averyheart: beflixed@hotmail.com
It is a private school, run in accordance with the Vocational Education Training Administration (VETA) of Tanzania. It was started in the year 2004 to solve the educational problems facing the young generation of Moshi. By doing so they are creating opportunities for more Tanzanians to obtain a high quality of education.
Target groups:
Primary school leavers who were not selected to join secondary schools.
Students who completed secondary schools but did not qualify well enough to be selected for further education or training. These students need to repeat the class to get more credit for their further education.
High school students who want to join various universities and colleges.
Adults at work who want to gain knowledge to improve their work.
Staffing:
The school has twelve staff members. Out of these, eight are teachers.
Students:
They have a total number of 50 students in three different categories as follows:
There are first year students between the ages of 13 – 15 years
There are advanced level students between the ages of 18- 22 years
There are students of different age groups attending class for a few hours per day
Subjects:
Geography, History, English, English Literature, Mathematics, Civics and Kiswahili.
Lessons are conducted in two separate rented buildings very close to one another. Currently, the class is operating in an office building.
There is an acute shortage of books and other teaching materials, and it is important for volunteers to be creative with teaching with limited resources.
Volunteer activities:
Teaching of any of the above subjects while following the syllabus from the Ministry of Education.
Attributes:
Love of the job & creativity
The students are very bright. They need openness and encouragement which will facilitate their comfort level when it comes to asking questions and volunteering in class.
• Ability to teach your subject.
At this placement it is important to know that the more subjects a volunteer is capable of teaching, the more he or she will be able to make of the day at St. Andrew’s. It is perfectly acceptable to have only one subject with which you are comfortable teaching, in which case try to be as involved with the other classes as possible.
Patience and ability to work with language and culture barriers
The students are asked to speak only English on campus and they are eager to improving their English language skills. Do your best to speak as loudly, clearly and slowly as you can. This is especially important when you are teaching.
• Ability to teach with limited resources
St. Andrew’s resources and facilities are extremely limited. There are almost no books beyond the copies from which you will be teaching. Consider bringing any books or flash cards that pertain to any of the subjects you plan to teach. Also, you may be able to find supplies left by previous volunteers in a designated are of the volunteer house.
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1 comment:
Hi
I taught geography and english to Form One at St. Andrews Secondary School for two months (mid Jan to mid March 2007).
The school is in its infancy and faces a number of challenges in trying to better establish itself. These challenges mainly revolve around a lack of finance and resources.
The staff at the school, on the whole, are all keen to make the venture work. The headmaster - Andrew - is a highly committed man who singlehandedly finances the school and manages most of the operation.
The students are all keen to learn, however their lack of English is a significant barrier. Timekeeping is in the usual African style, however, on the whole staff and students keep to the agreed times.
Very occasionally the students can be somewhat withdrawn and may come across as lacking interest. This is typical of teenagers everywhere and may well be the result of problems outwith school (these students are in a 'second chance' school as they could not stay in mainstream school due to a range of problems,mainly revolving around finance).
Be prepared for Mr Andrew or some of the other teachers using sticks to discipline the students. Please note, this will not be expected of you. I found that telling them that they will not get to look at phots etc. was the best way to keep their attention.
I would recommend you take as many teaching resources as you can. The class love pictures of foreign places and now have an inflatible globe to help with geography.
Overall, go to St Andrews with an open-mind. It is strange to go somewhere that there is absolutely no funds/ resources/ people to fall back on, however be aware that this also means that the school is a clean slate for you to work with.
Enjoy.
Paul Mathers.
March 2007.
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