Tag Archives: education
A brief (secondhand) history of Tanzanian education
This post will join some of the disparate ideas I have been blogging about into something resembling context for thinking about the failures of the Tanzanian school system. Most of the following is based on my personal experiences and what … Continue reading
Bob Marley Bags
Many Tanzanians like Bob Marley. His music is very popular with many middle aged Tanzanians, as well as younger Tanzanians, including my students. However, these people – largely – have not realized that he is widely associated with marijuana use. … Continue reading
The Form IV Exam
Exams are extremely important in Tanzania. Tanzanian students must pass a national exam to enter Secondary School, and after they have finished Form II they must pass another exam another exam to move on to Form III (as of the … Continue reading
Uji
By District Mandate all the Secondary Schools in Ngara district must now provide uji (a thin, slightly sweet corn porridge) to students during “tea break” in the late morning. Most students do not eat all day, so this mandate was … Continue reading
Teaching High School
In Tanzania it’s easy to forget that you are teaching the equivalent of High School students. While I haven’t spent much time around teenagers in High School since I was a teenager in High School, I have clear recollections about … Continue reading
Learning and Teaching Language
I have never felt that talented when it comes to learning language. I took Spanish in Middle School, and then in High School for a year and a half, before I switched to Latin which I took for two years. … Continue reading
Records
As an American who grew up in the middle of the development and spread of technology, I cannot remember a time in America when records were not digitalized. While I have lived through a time that has seen many things … Continue reading
Evolution
In some American school districts there is an ongoing debate about whether evolution should be taught to students. Many Christians believe that evolution is “only a theory” and that it is incompatible with their creationist worldview. As a result, ideas … Continue reading
The colonial legacy in schools
“When Europeans came to Africa, they saw that Africans were lazy. To make them work hard they knew that they would have to use the stick to teach them about how hard work is important. Somehow, that is why we … Continue reading
Tanzanian Debate
After a great deal of building anticipation I have finally seen a Tanzanian Secondary School Debate. Other volunteers across the country have told me stories about how these debates proceed, and so I was not entirely surprised about what awaited … Continue reading