Just what is frustrating about teaching in Rwanda?

In public, on this blog and elsewhere, I have bemoaned a general lack of critical thinking and very basic learning methods common in Rwanda. Usually such descriptions are somehow couched in a humorous anecdote or irreverent joke. For those with whom I have corresponded personally, you know my private observations are much more serious, worried, and cutting.

Now that my service is basically finished, and without going into a slew of details (some of which cannot be published on this blog anyways), there are systemic pressures and historical realities that strongly shape the ways students think and learn. In general, these combine to frustrate the hell out of me. The frustration is one part personal exhaustion and one part fear for my students’ futures. While certainly not unexpected, such frustration has, for better or worse, really shaped my experience here in Nyagatare (among other things!).

However, there are those really brightly shining stars in the classroom. Students who you know have so much damn potential, but they are being suffocated by a lack of resources, unprofessional teachers, and a formulaic system. These are the students that truly inspire; the ones who force you to show up to class even though their classmates openly mock you, skip lessons, and generally disregard instruction.

The following excerpt is pulled directly (unedited) from a recent exam I gave. The student, who will remain anonymous, is one of those exceptional students with the ability to think clearly about issues beyond his or her notes and then concisely record those thoughts. The student is very articulate and thoughtful, which sadly are wonderful skills that have little importance in the system.

Prompt: Discuss how starting lessons later at Nyagatare Secondary School might help you.

Student’s response:

“Starting lessons later in our school might help all of us students yet there are some that wake up earlier as four or five in the morning.

“On my opinion, I should propose to the school administration to first change the way of teaching students. Because students are forced to cram everything and to live in notesland; if the school could change the way of teaching the lessons, by making the students understand the material, and examine them in that way, students will have enough time of sleeping and take rest.

“That was of teaching and the early starting lesson time, hurts a lot students, because for example immediately after lunch you may find students sleeping in the dormitries. And due to that, they miss after lunch lessons, which to recover that time last is another big deal. Due to these, there are very low extra-curriculum activities; like no many students do sports, clubs are empty, others are not working, etc.

“So, to help students to a better success, and to have a healthy life later on, I propose that the school administration should study a lot about this issue, and try to find a solution. I as a student, I may suggest that we start lessons later like at eight in the morning, and make the evening prep ending at ten in the night, without forgetting to change the teaching method.”

After reading that, I quickly shared it with Evan, who also teaches the author. Evan is closer with the student than I am, and he immediately sent another student to fetch the author. The “notelands” reference is from Evan, who constantly beats a drum about thinking outside of notes in his entrepreneurship and General Paper courses. He sat the student down and had a long conversation about the student’s future and how to realize his or her incredible potential.

Thank goodness for such students. Rwanda, and the world, needs more young people like them.