The Other Side of the Table

July 6, 2014

I know that I am not a parent, but today I had one of those experiences that gives you a taste of what it must be like. As we are here living life alongside these kids – doing chores with them, helping them get ready for school, doing homework with them, tucking them in to bed at night – you get really attached to them. Well, today, I got to experience some parent conferences at their school, from the opposite side of the table that I am used to sitting on!

Today we had the unique opportunity to attend “Visitation” at Kitende Modern Primary School. This is the school that Rebecca and I are teaching at two days a week this summer, and the school where our Sozo kids attend that are in primary school. Most schools in Uganda you can choose to board at the school if you desire. All children in grades P6 and P7 board at their school because they take national exams those years, and their schoolwork is more rigorous. Most of the other children that board have parents that are working and aren’t home much to take care of them. Visitation days happen in the middle of the term and at the end of the term. It gives parents an opportunity to visit their children who are boarding, and all parents the opportunity to conference with their child’s teacher.

The teachers that we are working with at Kitende invited us to come to visitation because, “You are one of us now!” We did attend visitation after church, but we attended it as “parents” and visited teachers to talk about our Sozo kids. I absolutely loved having the opportunity to hear the teachers (that we have developed relationships with) talk specifically about our kids and their progress at school. Having class sizes of 50-100 kids, I was under the impression that these teachers really didn’t have the opportunity to get to know individual student needs and personalities, especially since the teachers rotate and only teach 1-2 subjects with each class of students. This has been one of the things that I have struggled with the most about education in Uganda because I know how important that teacher/student relationship is in the classroom. However, I was completely blown away today at the things that the teachers had to say about our kids. They completely hit the nail on the head with their personalities, behaviors, and habits and talked about how it affects their performance in the classroom and on exams.

As we traveled from classroom to classroom, the teachers immediately knew which books/exams to pull (which made me feel good that they knew which were Sozo kids) and started sharing with us what they’ve noticed about them. Not only were we able to check in on their progress, we were able to laugh and continue to develop these relationships with the teachers at Kitende. It was so funny to me to be sitting on the other side of the table for a parent conference. I know how stressed and anxious I usually am as a teacher preparing for conferences, because you never know what concerns the parent might have, or how they will take the news you will share with them about their child. Well, sitting on the other side is very similar. I want our Sozo kids to do well in school. I want to see them getting good marks and behaving in class. I want them to take advantage of the opportunity that they have to attend school, especially in a country where that is not necessarily the norm. I gained a whole new perspective today on relationships between parents and teachers, and I know I will have a new appreciation for conferences when the time rolls around for them this fall.

As we left each classroom, the teachers asked us to sign a notebook with our child’s name, parent’s name, contact information, and comments. Although we told each teacher that Aggie, our Sozo Child Development Director, would also be visiting the classrooms, they wanted us to sign as well. They asked, “Will you please give some feedback, good or bad, because most parents don’t understand how to give it?” I had one humorous situation where a particular male teacher, who has been joking with me about coming home with me to the states, asked why I left the “contact information” section blank. After a little banter back and forth, I reminded him that if he needs to contact someone about one of our kids, it needs to be Aggie… NOT me! J

We had a little down time before our driver arrived to pick us up, so Rebecca and I were able to sit down with two of the teachers we have been working with and have a great conversation. We learned all about schools in Uganda… similarities/differences from schools in the states, government v. private, teacher training, class sizes, language barriers, boarding school, textbooks/curriculum, etc. It was exactly the time that Rebecca and I needed to learn some of the things about education that have been swirling around in our heads. I loved every minute of it. In fact, now that I’ve had those conversations and our relationships at Kitende are really building, I don’t want to leave it. But, I have a huge sense of peace about our Sozo kids’ education. It may look very different from what I know education to look like in the states, but it is [right now] the perfect fit for Sozo.

I am so thankful for teachers who are truly living out a life calling loving and educating children. Yes, I realize that is what I do, but I have a much greater appreciation seeing teachers who have the same passions and drive to teach that I do, but are doing it in a situation where they are overcoming so many obstacles, day by day. I have it pretty easy compared to the school situations I’ve seen in so many other places. Seeing such a great need for education all over the world renews my passion for what I am doing. It also has opened my eyes to see so many opportunities to fill gaps and needs. My prayer is that God will continue to show me the steps that He wants me to take to play a small role in His big plan!