English Club

Learning English is important to most Rwandans, especially those seeking education, from primary school to university. I’m in Rwanda to teach in a university, but since I am one of the few native English speakers in Butare, I am in demand all around the neighborhood. I have been careful to limit my involvement outside of PIASS, since PIASS is my job. But my next door neighbor is teaching English at a local private elementary school and asked if I couldn't come to visit his students’ English Club. Joe, me neighbor, lived in the US for 5 years and is quite good at English and is a good teacher. He is eager for his students to improve. I know his heart for his students, so I agreed to a “guest appearance.”

Well, it has gradually grown from there. First I agreed to make a second visit. The students were so eager. He gave me just the upper division students, so they knew more English and it was easier to communicate. (Joe felt this would take them a bit deeper than he might be able to, as well.) They were engaging. So, with some persuading, I agreed to go twice a month, for an hour on Thursday afternoons. But Joe said, since I was there already, and only for an hour, couldn't I make it worth my time and add a second hour for the teachers who are also struggling with English. The school was begun as a French-speaking school and that is the language of instruction for most of the teachers but they need to know English. The government is moving everyone in that direction. So I agreed that I would give 2 hours, twice a month, dividing the time between teachers and students. That worked for about two visits. Then the teachers came with the suggestion that on the “off” week, I come to work with them. As teachers, they reasoned that twice a month for an hour was not enough time for them to learn a language. They were right. I knew that. If the time were to be used effectively, we needed to meet more often. This is a slow time at PIASS for me, so I have the time that I can give, so I agreed to add the Thursdays for the teachers. They are good negotiators. English Club meets every week for 2 hours, so they reasoned that should mean that on the “off” Thursdays, they could have 2 hours of instruction. Reluctantly, I saw their reasoning. Once again they were right that it would increase their learning time effectively. So I agreed. Now I go every week for 2 hours, one week with the teachers only and the next divided between the teachers and the students.

Teachers of the English Club

The teachers are so eager and they work so hard at their English. They are at a much lower level of understanding than the students, but that is all the more motivation for them. We are learning basic nouns and verbs for simple sentences, but they are grasping quickly and running with the vocabulary. It helps that they are teachers, so they understand the learning concepts and apply them to their language learning. Interestingly, while there are male and female teachers at the school, only the females come for English. There are, no doubt, a number of reasons for that, but regardless of the reasons, it makes for an enjoyable learning environment, since the ladies are freer to speak and take risks at forming sentences in the single gender environment. They are freer to laugh with me, as well. I’m finding that while I enjoy the time with the students, I look forward to the time with the teachers as much as they look forward to time with me. I am delighted with my “extracurricular” teaching.

Too Long

It has been too long since I have written. I am sorry for that. The time gets away from me, and to be honest, there are times I am too tired of looking at words to want to write any myself. I have been occupied with grading papers and editing manuscripts, on various levels. I have taught two beginners classes of English, and taught three sections of Introduction to Academic Writing in the last two months. All of this involves grading writing. For some of my students, it is a great challenge to express themselves in English, their third or, in some cases, their fourth language. They struggle with verb forms and verb tenses (difficult for many native English speakers), and with the use of articles and the placement of adjectives, things we native speakers take for granted. It takes time and care to correct these things so the students can learn how to use them properly. In addition, I have edited four bachelor level thesis, two master’s thesis and one PhD dissertation. The shortest of these was 53 pages, the longest was 238. There is always a deadline. I have been swamped in words and at the end of the day am content to listen to music or watch a movie, but not write.

This is not “exciting” work – like traveling to remote villages to see the rebuilding of homes or visiting orphan feeding program. It does not produce great stories, but it is important work. I am not complaining at all. I am enjoying what I am doing. I am the only native English speaker on the campus. There are others who have traveled to and lived in the US or the UK, but English is not their first language. As “the only one,” this gives me an opportunity and presents me with a responsibility since so many want to master English. As I help students and colleagues master English, I give them a better opportunity to communicate in a fast-changing world. In the process of editing, I’m learning about micro-finance opportunities, about conflict resolution within families, about peace building, about changes in Rwandan church governance, about Muslim-Christian conflicts in Africa, and the list goes on. My students can express God’s working for themselves. I am enjoying all that I am doing as a partner with them, but it keeps me busy. So if you do not hear from me as often, please don’t worry. I’m just immersed in others’ words.