We want to learn!

In order to better understand Mozambican teaching and improve our own
methods, Peace Corps encourages us to observe our counterpart teachers
in the classroom and have our own teaching observed as well. I (Luc)
attempted to do this with the other English teacher before our
Reconnect conference so I could report back. Unfortunately, I was
unsuccessful. On my first attempt, I arrived on time to the class we
agreed on, only to find my counterpart a no-show. I later found out he
had an unscheduled visit to the hospital. Teacher absenteeism is a big
problem in Mozambique, and although our school isn't as bad as some,
this just confirms the reality of students missing out on learning
opportunities. Interestingly, the students, instead of enjoying the
free period chilling in the shade chewing on sugar cane, persuaded me
to teach an impromptu English class on colors. They kept insisting how
much they wanted to learn English. The next time I attempted to
observe my counterpart's class a similar thing happened, except this
time there was a teacher meeting he had to attend. I ended up doing a
review session for his students' mid-term, but I had on idea what they
had been studying! Our students love school so much and have so much
desire to learn - it's unfortunate that so many obstacles conspire to
prevent very much learning from happening in our little school!