Summer School

École de vacances - Summer School in Léo
You can see that the class size is relatively small during summer school. This classroom will be full with over 100 students during the regular school year.

We are now on Week 2 of 4 of practice teaching at Léo's summer school. Peace Corps calls this Model School since we observe, practice and review how to appropriately and effectively teach at our future sites. The 6 weeks of training before Model School prepared us with the French proficiency to get through an hour-long class, the structure of a lesson, the method of using the chalkboard and the interactions necessary for teaching a large class. I've been asked many times by family and friends at home how I'm qualified to teach science in another country without a teaching credential. It's a great question, especially considering I studied psychology/neuroscience and the past two weeks I've been teaching geology. The Peace Corps technical training sessions have been extensive in covering every aspect of teaching in Burkina Faso, including subject-specific material for teaching science. I felt extremely prepared going into Model School and felt like I was effective as a teacher after my first class. But my opinion of being effective is completely subjective. So, when the local Peace Corps staff who observed my class told me that I truly did a great job and my French was fantastic, I had a mental jump for joy as I thanked them for being so nice.

A classroom building at my future lycée (pronounced lee-say, meaning junior high) in Boussé

Lesson Planning in Burkina Faso

Inspectors travel throughout their respective provinces to observe teachers to make sure teachers are following the protocol for classes. Today an inspector observed my class. Burkina has very strict requirements for lesson plans, so our Peace Corps staff made sure our lesson plans were well prepared for today. Each lesson plan must contain the title of the lesson, the objectives, the materials required, the information, exercises to ensure retention and an activity.

Sample Burkina Faso Geology Lesson Plan (First Half) 

For math and science classes, the teacher divides the board into quarters. The left quarter of the board is strictly for information that will stay for the entirety of the class period. This includes the title and objective(s) of the lesson. The middle two quarters of the board are for the lesson's information and diagrams. The right quarter is reserved for vocabulary words.

Learning in Burkina Faso

American education is focused on critical thinking and creativity. Chinese education is focused on problem solving and results in higher scores on standardized testing. Burkinabe education is based on rote memorization. That's it. Many times after lessons in my K-12 education, teachers would ask us how we could apply the information to our personal lives. We'd brainstorm different ideas as a class. We'd critically think and maybe have a homework activity to create our own personal applications. If I ask my 4th grade (equivalent of American 8th grade) geology class how they can apply the properties of granite to their personal lives, they will stare blankly at me and/or regurgitate the definitions I'd given to them. Burkinabe children are very good at taking a definition and spitting it back to you verbatim. Ask the kids to put the definition in their own words on an exam? Volunteers say that's damn near impossible. Everyone rights down the definition the volunteer had given them. It's really hard to wrap my head around, especially since critical thinking has been so critical to my American education. The students that DO make it through the Burkinabe system to university are dumbfounded by the immediate need to critically think. It's literally dropped on them as an expectation of entering the university. It's very interesting.

All I have is chalk and a chalkboard in my classroom and a book to work from at home. Science, especially geology, has a lot of facts to memorize before it can be applied. So, each lesson I write vigorously on the board so the students can write the material down. Every so often, I'll check for comprehension by making sure that they understand the different words in the definition. French is their second language, too, so a lot of science terms have never been used in their daily lives up to the point of my lessons. I'll then ask the class to give examples of the word and usually a few can get in the ballpark. I then have to reach in my box of French vocabulary to try to find a way for them to understand a word I had only learned while writing the lesson. We then continue the lesson with a lot more writing. Why so much writing? We have to assume that they students have not purchased the textbooks. And when I say textbook, I mean pamphlet. If I could afford to buy books for my entire 110+ person classes, I would. But, our Peace Corps stipend only covers immediate needs like food and transportation, so that's out of the question. That's also not Peace Corps' purpose in developing countries. That's something I could talk to aid organizations about. Even then, it's great practice for them to write the material down. 

French Class

Almost every single day we have French class. I am in the intermediate-mid class with 4 others. Our language instructor is amazing!! We're lucky because she's one of the few Burkinabe instructors whose French is easy to understand. We can understand all of the language instructors, but her accent isn't as thick because she taught in France for three years. 

We meet in tons of different locations around the city of Leo in order to learn the culture. The pictures below are of our favorite spot. We sit at a table under a large, shady tree. Sometimes we order coffee and/or tea since we're near a little restaurant.

One of the trees we will sit under. The teepee used to be a fence, but the goats/pigs/sheep knocked it down. Ca va aller!

The kids in the area will sometimes flock to meet us. We fist bump kids. In French, the word is "tampon." Not kidding.

My water bottle makes a cameo. Just another day in French class!

This mama goat JUST had baby goats! The babies are cute like puppies...at least I think so. ;) Talk about a distraction when trying to learn French!

Staging in Ouagadougou

We spent Friday, June 6 - Wednesday June 11 at a Catholic convent in the capital of Burkina Faso. I have since been spending time in Leo with my host family and so far so good!! My host family is amazing and knows French, thank goodness. However, this post is about my time in the capital, so I'll do my best to tell you everything without going overboard in length…wish me luck.

We passed around a random adorable baby. No diaper on...yikes!

Interviews

Language - I had my language interview with the head of our language training for the next 3 months, Siaka. He and his staff are all Burkinabe (pronounced Burkina-bay), so they are able to assist with our French language and cultural training. My interview went fairly well. In French, we talked about who I am, where I'm from, what my goals are for in country, and talked through some scenarios.  I ended up placing into the Intermediate-mid class, which is the minimum proficiency level required of being sworn in as a volunteer at the end of training. However, since I'm a science teacher, they require that I eventually hit Intermediate-high. Considering a lot of my friends here speak zero French and will be proficient in 10 weeks, I am confident that I can increase my level, too. We will also take a language exam after one year of service. If you hit a certain level, then you achieve international fluency, which will be an awesome skill to put on my resume.

Medical - Volunteers weren't joking when they said that this is the best medical care you'll ever get. I met with Jean-Luc, one of our Peace Corps Medical Officers, for my medical interview. When I arrived for the interview, Jean-Luc had my entire medical history with his own notes. I was impressed.

We were all given two weeks worth of Doxycycline, a malarial prophylaxis, when we arrived. However, one of the side effects is nausea and upset stomach, especially in the mornings since we take the pills at dinner. I've had a history of sensitivity to acidic foods and drinks, so naturally this med didn't work so well. By the fifth pill I was so over the nausea. So, now I'm taking Malarone. It's just as effective, so no worries there! The medical unit is extremely flexible, so I can switch meds at anytime.

We were also each given a medical kit with every med I could possibly think I might need in West Africa. They refill the meds when we run out, all at no cost to us.

Cultural Director - Then, I met with another staff member to talk about my site placement for after training. This will be where I'm living and teaching for the next 2 years starting at the end of August. Then, I met with the Country Director to discuss how my experience has been so far. She's the acting Country Director and will only be here for another week. Our official country director will arrive sometime in the next week.

Tasks

Bike fitting - I hopped on the bike that the Burkinabe men pointed to. And when I say hopped, I mean hopped…like 4 times. Riding a bike while wearing a full-length skirt is tricky because the skirt rides up, but we have to keep our knees covered. Anyway, I got on the bike, gave a thumbs up to the men to show them that it was the right size (hoping that I could just get off) and before I even had a second think about getting off I received a push and I was on my way for a 100-meter trip around a statue and back. I am proud to say that I didn't fall off. I haven't been on a bike in years. Ya know, they have that saying, "it's like riding a bike," for a reason.

Money - Most of West Africa uses the cfa as its method of currency. 1,000 cfa is a little under $2. So, I received my walk-around allowance for during stage, the next 10 weeks of training. I also setup my bank account with one of the local banks. Peace Corps reimburses the cost of my bike helmet and checked bag fees, so that will be put into my bank account in addition to my biweekly stipend once I go to site. I also exchanged any US dollars I'd brought with me.

Phone - Part of my walk-around allowance covers the cost of a cellular phone that will be used for Peace Corps work, but also can be used for personal use to contact friends and family in the US.  It is free for me to receive calls and texts. The cheapest method to call me is through Skype, unless there's another known method out there. Please shoot me an email or ask my mom or Donnie if you'd like my number! I'm using a simple phone, throwback to T9word days, so unfortunately using WhatsApp isn't an option…yet.

Immunizations - Since I've arrived, I've received three additional immunizations: typhoid, meningitis, and the first series for rabies. I told you…great medical care!

Classes

For the next 3 months I am back in school for 44 hours per week. So far we've received a wealth of knowledge!! In Medical we covered the basis for malaria, dehydration and diarrhea…yes, diarrhea. Diarrhea and vomiting are a common occurrence for travelers to West Africa. There's bacteria EVERYWHERE, so our facilitators have extensively trained our host families on how to cook for us. We also have special water filters in our rooms. We've also had classes on language and culture, host family etiquette, safety and security, teaching technique, etc. I'll do my best to update as often as possible!

Meals

We were served 3 meals every day during our stay. American men usually lose weight during service in Burkina due to the drop in protein in their diets. Women usually gain weight due to carb-heavy nature of the meals. My diet in the US was already carb-heavy, so I'm not too worried, though I am definitely feeling the effects of the drop of protein.

Food - Breakfast is usually a foot-long baguette with jam, butter, or nothing. Yes, I'm in heaven. Though, the mornings with no spread options were rough. Lunch and dinner are usually a carb with sauce. At the convent, we mostly ate rice with sauce, though one evening we had spaghetti and another evening we had macaroni. The convent also spoiled us with seasonal fruits and veggies, so we ate a lot of mangoes, cucumbers and onions, with the occasional option of bananas. The mangoes are huge and the bananas are tiny. They're great though!

"Riz gras" literally translates to "fat rice" and served with chicken, potatoes and carrots 

Drinks -  For breakfast, Burkinabe mostly drink Nescafe, or its equivalent, with the option of adding powdered Nestle milk (fortified with vitamins) and/or organic sugar cubes. There's also the option of just mixing the powdered milk with hot water, which isn't too bad if you add sugar to it. I wouldn't say it tastes like milk, though! A local drink we tried is called something along the lines of bee sap. It's super sweet, so most of us drowned it in water. I was MOST excited about the soda options because they're made from real sugar and bottled in Burkina Faso. Awesome.

Bonding with friends

There are a lot of athletes and musicians in this group, so I fit right in and have connected with a lot of people. A couple of the guys brought out their guitars to the gazebo one night. I grabbed my ukulele and played the 4 chords I know and then all 31 of us were singing songs and having a great time. It's truly amazing what can happen when you're unplugged from the electronic world!

I couldn't believe there was a Shell station here. My little piece of California/USA. :)

Have a great weekend and I'll post about my time in Leo soon!