Here are some pictures from today's adventures. We will update this post with specifics when we return from our safari in Maun. Thank you for following all of our posts, and on Monday we will be updating with some spectacular pictures and reflections from our adventures! 

 Dr. Maleta presenting on the establishment of the University of Botswana. 

National Aids Coordinating Agency

 Mr. Bond Ngubula the representative from Re Ba Bona Ha, a youth sports development organization. The organization that we are donating cleats and soccer balls to during our vista to Maun. 

The group outside of SOS Botswana Children's Visit located in Tlokweng. The following pictures are from our tour of the kindergarten campus and the village residences for the children who live within the village. 

Safari Bound!

Heading on our safari! Hopefully the next zebra pic I post will be of a real zebra.

Thinking about language and literacy learning in school...(as usual!)

A fantastic outdoor classroom at Madikwe Secondary School.

A fantastic outdoor classroom at Madikwe Secondary School.

I had interesting discussions with both primary and secondary teachers on Tuesday about some of the challenges that they face related to teaching literacy  in their schools.  Teachers mentioned the difficulty of teaching reading and meeting the needs of all students within one classroom (primary classrooms may have up to 35 students).  The librarian of the secondary school discussed her challenge in helping fostering a love of reading with only a limited number of books, many of which were not of interest to the students in the school.

In Mmathubudukwane, students are first taught to read in Setswana (the national language of Botswana) but during their first year of school they also begin to learn to speak and read English. Becoming biliterate is a focus during in Botswana. Unfortunately we arrived after instruction had ended for the day - but got a chance to meet some of the students and school staff. The Kindergarten teacher told us about her phonics, spelling, and writing instruction and the tremendous progress that students make during their time in her classroom.

A recap of their safari field trip (Our safari starts tomorrow!!!)

Today, Wednesday, we spent time in another Kindergarten classroom at Children's Village in the city of Gabarone. Arriving just after nap time  When we arrived we could hear several children singing the English alphabet as they played.  They loved books in this classroom  "Teacher! Teacher! Look - a snake!," one boy shouted excitedly to me as he and a classmate read through a book about animals. It was clear that reading was a social experience in this classroom, as students were actively engaged in reading and talking excitedly about the books they were reading. I didn't want to leave. [Those of you who know Lynne Watanabe are correct if you guessed that she didn't want to leave!]

A well-used classroom library at Children's Village

I am looking forward to learning more about the strong oral storytelling tradition and literature in Botswana next week!

From tribes to schools...Getting a first hand look!

In the morning we ate our breakfast, downed multiple cups of coffee and headed back into the classroom to listen to Dr. Andy Chebanne present the history of tribes in Botswana. 

In a powerful presentation Dr. Chebanne covered the history as well as the present day plight of the people, sharing the various languages spoken throughout the country. He also shared that the tribes have become endangered with languages slowly disappearing due to a lack of use and limited populations to continue carrying forward the rich culture.

Our next stop was the Madikwe Secondary School, in the village of Mmathubudukwane, where we were able to meet the entire staff, speak with the Head of the School and receive a tour of the buildings, kitchen and classrooms. 

The teaching staff with the the MSU group

 Alisha and Kayla talking with a couple of the students and getting to know them. 

A typical classroom

 

The kitchen and the cafeteria. Two of the most important locations, where meals are prepared for over 500 students.

 Some of the secondary students coming to say goodbye as we head off to our next school visit a primary school on the border of South Africa. 

 This long term vision was prominently displayed on the side of the building as we entered the school's campus and it was visible within all of the classrooms. 

During our time we were able to enter into the classrooms, talk with the teachers and greet the students. All of the students were extremely excited to meet us and came out into the court yard to say hello. They were kind, soft spoken, welcoming and very polite for primary children. 

After a long day filled with amazing experiences its as time to head home and begin preparing for the upcoming adventures. In two days we will be leaving for Maun where we will be donating gently used soccer cleats to a youth team. Tonight we began preparing by unpacking the cleats, inspecting them, and cleaning off any mud so they were ready to go.

Day two: Visit to primary and secondary schools in a rural village

We got a good look at two typical village schools today, in the village of Mmathubudukwane, which is on southeastern border between Botswana and South Africa. First, we visited with nearly the entire staff of the Madikwe secondary school to discuss some of the issues that are faced by educators in rural Botswana. Each party asked many questions to better understand the issues involved in education in both Botswana and the United States. After many questions, it was interesting to see that we shared some of the same problems of keeping parents involved and meeting national (and/or state) standards.

Our second visit was to the Letsebe primary school. We toured a few classrooms and got to see the reading and linguistic programming used by primary education teachers. Children learn Setswana (the native language for Botswana) but also begin to learn English. Many students spoke to us in English, to ask questions like, "What is your name and surname?" or "How are you doing?" The children assembled and sang for us (see the video below).

One thing that struck me was trying to provide simple answers to questions that we got about the educational system of the United States. For instance, Alan Hastings attempted to explain why we have 50 different state educational systems as opposed to a centralized system of education in the USA. Where do you even start? In another conversation, I attempted to explain the "exceptions" that are given to elite athletes who are still of school age -- do they still attend school, or do they become full-time athletes? Where could I even start to explain the nuances and history of NCAA eligibility?

The long day concluded with an outdoor lunch under sunny skies at the Rasesa Lodge near Mochudi, with excellent food and four cats that finished off our left-overs.

One other observation... it's winter here in Botswana, and we are all dressed for spring in Michigan. It's interesting to see so many of the local people wearing nice winter coats, dressed to the nines. The weather has been beautiful, low 40s at night, high 70s in the day.

Education for All!

Today was our first full day of programming at the University of Botswana!












We were warmly welcomed and heard about the history of education in Botswana from Deputy Dean of Education, Professor Tsayang.










Our first "High Tea."

The group after the embassy visit where we were briefed on the relationship between Botswana and the United States. It was interesting to compare and contrast the economic goals and the historical perspective on education in Botswana that was discussed in the morning.

In front of Parliament.

Yoga poses with the First                         Learning about the history of Botswana. 

President of Botswana, Khama III.

The group with the Three Dikgosi and the Crest of Botswana. 

The Three Dikgosi with our Four Chiefs. 

Wrapping up the day!   

We Made It!

Our journey began on Friday, June 15, at Detroit Metro.  Three planes, an overnight in Johannesburg, and 39 hours later, we arrived in Gaborone, Botswana.  The flight across the pond was an hour shorter and the total flight time from Atlanta to Johannesburg was only 16 hours instead of 17.  It's a beautiful winter day in Gaborone-sunny and 74 degrees. 

We were warmly greeted by the University of Botswana staff, with Mr. Six's beaming grin to welcome us.

We settled in at the University of Botswana with all 13 members of our group with all of our baggage.  This was no mean feat, but nothing can stop this intrepid group-not car trouble, misdirected luggage, travel delays, complicated check-ins, cattle crossing the road...

Thanks for visiting our blog. We look forward to sharing our trip with you!