Reflections on High School Technology Training

by Gabe

It's been quite an intense week for myself. It's not every week that a teacher has the opportunity to run a classroom in another country. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity, and I was amazed as I watched the Zambian students deliver powerpoint presentations today comparing and contrasting US and Zambian economics, religion, role of HIV/AIDS, ecology, governmental structure, and history as it relates to colonialism and independence. Our students did an exemplary job of exercising patience and tenacity as they delivered one-on-one education on the basics of powerpoint and internet research throughout the week. I hope that our students picked up as much about Zambian culture as I did, and I hope that we had a lasting impact on the Zambians, both in terms of cultural exchange and technological knowledge.

Visiting another high school is always enlightening; in this case it also humbled me and raised frustrations about our educational system in the states. The students we watched learn so much with so little and are both dedicated and very well learned. Today we watched seniors reviewing geometrical and trigonometrical concepts in preparation for their end of 12th grade examination. As in many systems throughout the world, the necessity to pass cumulative tests prior to advancement seems to elevate student achievement... the stakes are simply so much higher than they are in the US, and hence on the surface the teachers focus less on getting students to "buy in" to the value of their content, and more on delivering the content. In the US, it often feels that we must continually play the entertainment game and convince students that the subjects we teach have inherent merit; the energy expended in this pursuit ultimately means that we cover less content.

Still, I'm very much aware that my own analysis is tainted by my personal "lens". Ultimately I simply feel very grateful today that the goals of the week were met handedly, and that I have had a chance to experience education in a totally different venue. My preconceived notions on the level of education in Africa have certainly been shattered, and I'm much wiser now.

We leave for safari tomorrow morning and I am looking forward to the third week of this trip. Every week is totally different and I'm sure the upcoming one will be no different.