May 5-9: Setting the routine

Dear Friends and Family,

Will do this journal in 2 installments, with Setting the "routine" below:

During Week 2, we found some of the daily/weekly routine for May as we began our mentoring schedule with John and Salome.  For these next 4 weeks, we will meet for 3 hours each M, W, & F, with a pleasant break for chai (black tea with milk) and andazi (small roll/muffin), served by Helen.  

Since we are covering an expanded chapter each meeting, we two are busy each day adapting planned lessons to the teaching experience, talents and language expertise of John & Salome; they are reading and taking notes in preparation for the next meeting while attending to all their other management duties.  With several groups showing interest in the Mwangaza Center's facilities and services for holding their organizations' seminars, the Management Team has a full plate.

Our meetings have (at least) dual purposes:

1.  our sharing the concept/construct of and methodology, that we learned from Sue, for teaching students their 2nd (or 3rd) language through the content of their high school courses, 

and 2.  John and Salome updating us to current circumstances in TZ's 2ndary schools so that together we 4 can search for appropriate applications and techniques to share this new approach with 2ndary teachers in 12 schools this summer and beyond. 

The sharing will begin during 2 one-week-long seminars (June into July) with a different group of teachers each week, be followed-up with on-site interventions at the pilot schools beginning in July, then will be continued longitudinally by following this year's Form 1 (freshman) class through their Form 3 (junior) year.  Which leads to planning and developing materials in preparation for these seminars and interventions.

Which means that while we are focused on #1 and #2 each meeting, we 4 are busy chewing on the potluck of information, trying to find those ingredients which can be both nourishing and palatable to the 2ndary teachers who address difficult challenges each day.  ((Apologies for milking (pun intended) the food analogy.))

On Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, visits to secondary schools have been scheduled, with opportunities to observe teachers in a variety of subject areas and circumstances.   Will write more later about these visits, with facts, opinions and perspectives.

We have also set an exercise routine into our days -- biking is not really an option, so we choose one of 3 directions for a 45 minutes or longer walk, depending on the rains, roads, and needs, followed by a session of stretching.  When need to change money or have a few groceries to find, and Ilboru Road is relatively dry, we can walk the 5-6 kilometers to Arusha center and back.  When the rains are recent or threatening, we do a few laps through the neighborhood, never getting too far from campus.  With no needs and a dry day, we can continue up Ilboru Road a kilometer or so, do a couple of laps around the cow pasture/soccer field there, and return.  The steepness perspective is difficult to see here, but a ball would roll quickly and far down the path behind Sharon.

Although our daily routine may not seem very exciting, we are very happy with this opportunity to team with John & Salome and all the Mwangaza staff in support of the teachers and students here, to learn more about people and life in Tanzania, and share some things we have learned also.  

And we guarantee that life here always includes some new and interesting experiences also -- Installment 2 of Week 2 should be arriving in your email box by now.

Peace & Love,

Mike & Sharon