L'Ecole Tchadienne

La Vie à l’École --- School Life

As a SALTer in Moundou, I am expected to teach English classes at CENTRAM which runs primarily from 16:00-18:00 on Monday to Friday afternoons. The school consists of a concrete building with two classrooms and two offices (all used for teaching), located on the right side of an open field filled with oxen. The classrooms each have three or four blue windows (no screens of course), four to eight wooden tables and chairs, and a blackboard with a rag. There are no charts, pictures, posters, or any other teaching supplies other than the one book that the students have to purchase for 10 000 FCFA (about $20), which is our only ‘curriculum’.

Class begins at 16:00 (which is equivalent to about 16:20 ‘Chadian time’), and runs until 18:00 (or about 17:25 ‘Chadian time’). Getting used to ‘Chadian time’ has been difficult because I am accustomed to showing up ‘on time’ in Canada, which is the time that had previously been decided. However in Chad, if class begins at 16:00, that is the time when the students will begin preparing to leave their homes, flag a moto-taxi, possibly run an errand or two, maybe stop by and say hello to some friends, and then arrive to class … "on time."

Once the students trickle in, class is ready to start. Each class consists of between one to ten students ranging from about 20 to 60 years old. Class usually begins with a reading exercise and comprehension questions, followed by vocabulary, pronunciation, functions, grammar, translating from French to English, and a writing exercise.

Teaching has been a TON of fun since I have so many incredible, and very intelligent, students. I teach Intermediate High 1 on Mondays and Wednesdays, Intermediate High 2 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Beginner 2 on Thursdays and Fridays. The other teachers always comment on the high noise level and laughter coming from my classroom since we have so much fun together. I’ve brought in my pictures and videos that I’ve taken here in Chad which are always a big hit, especially if I try and use some of my Ngambaye (the local language) to explain what’s happening!

This past week, one of my classes read a section of a story about having parties when we came across the word ‘teenager.’ Needless to say, I am now greeted as ‘teenager,’ followed by uproarious laughter every time my students see me at school or in the streets.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed getting a quick glimpse of my afternoon work here in Moundou. Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers … keep them coming!

Your sister,

Katie