Some would say I'm a visual person.  I am in a way.  It doesn't help my memory, but pictures add a lot to good text.  Just like my blog.  I'm not a fantastic writer, but my pictures speak for themselves.  Unfortunately, I broke my camera recently, and without the power to capture my life's images and throw them up here for the world to see, I just can't find the inspiration to write.  So my blog is in hiatus currently.  After the upcoming camps in August (Girl Tech and Camp GLOW East) I will probably have some good stuff to write about.  Sorry to the 68 of you that do read my blog religiously, it will be a bit until the next post.  In other news, did you hear about the ebola breakout in western Uganda? 

TOD Finale

Tomorrow officially ends my duty week.  It has been exhausting!  Between the requests to leave college (figuring out if they're truthful or pure lies), the scary illnesses, kitchen troubles, chasing ladies out of the dormitories after breaks and lunch, opening the library for two hours each evening and teaching as well, I haven't had any energy left at the end of my days to do much cooking.  Today was a great end to my tiring week.  I had a (brief!) assembly to sum up the week.  Let me report on how things panned out:




1)  Intervention: Random classroom checks, candies, roll calls
     Response:  Students enjoyed the candy, but it wasn't enough motivation to really get them moving.  It wasn't until I would go into classrooms after, say, lunch and demand the class coordinator to take roll.  Then they came a runnin'.


2)Intervention:  Trivia questions
   Response:  I had perhaps 10 students who were really into this.  They were all boys, and all second year students.  The deputy principal came in mid-way through the week, looked at the library-sign-out book and wrote down names of students who hadn't visited the library all year.  This seemed to bring those few in as well.  Even if trivia didn't exactly achieve what I wanted, I sure did have fun.  When I handed out the prizes, I asked students to share something they learned about America--and they all could rattle off some impressive facts!  "Jazz music originated in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, and was most popular during the 1920's."  "Americans call 'trousers' 'pants,' and they call 'knickers' 'panties.'" "Madam Mary works for Peace Corps, which started in 1961."  


3)  Intervention: Choosing "model students."
     Response:  Students weren't very concerned with winning this title, but I did keep on them for smartness.  Mid-week, I had a briefing and expressed how terrible it looks when students sleep in class, and what message that's sending to the tutor.  "Think about yourself.  How do YOU feel when you're student-teaching and a pupil is sleeping in your class?  What if pupils just sat outside while you were in class, like you do to some tutors?"  I noticed a response the rest of the week--students were generally more attentive.   Our winners were both first-year students--Peter and Lydia.  They are also in the same class.  Both of them participate actively in any subject.  Lydia has visited the library frequently, and even checks out some books for leisure (which is rare at the college).  Peter has good posture all the time, even though he has to sit on one of the P4 desks.  Peter humbly accepted his award, but I feel like I thoroughly embarrassed Lydia.  


4) Intervention: Awarding the cleanest dormitory a banner.
     Response:  After communication from me during the mid-week briefing about the condition of their dormitories, there was an OBVIOUS effort in the girls' dorms to keep things a bit more tidy.  Unfortunately, the boys weren't inspired, and their abode continues to be smelly and infested with rats.  (Some boys did request I help them with the purchase of a rat trap).  The funny thing is that, while I was putting in much energy to examine the dormitories, my own two rooms are despicable, due to the little time I spend at home.  The winners were from the "Victoria" dorm.  Their floors were so clean you could eat off of them, and their beds look like catalog advertisements for bedspreads. 

5) Intervention: Award for best learning environment
    Response:  Students did indeed put in a lot of effort to see that their floors were mopped, daily.  Additionally, some classes requested for materials so they could add some learning aids to their walls.  Stream T, a year one class, was the winner.  They even had an interactive phonics chart. 


Overall: I think that while my interventions were a fun approach to behavior change, they weren't very effective.  If they were maintained, I think they could possibly inspire some improvements.  The students told me they had fun, and I hope that's what they remember.  I also hope that they try something like this at their student-teaching placements in third term. 

Lulali, accepting his prize for winning trivia.

Me, announcing another winner, holding my over-size microphone.
(The students thought it was HILARIOUS).

After a while, I forgot I was holding a paper microphone...

When they saw toilet paper as one of the prizes, the students lost it.
You'd think I was doing stand-up comedy...

Got home one night to find that a baby lizard drowned

Lydia, accepting her prize.

"There she is..."Miss Model Student....

Peter and I

Tutor on Duty

This week, I get the fabulous experience of being the "Tutor on Duty."  The TOD's job requires him/her to enforce rules, monitor preps/free time, make sure programs are running smoothly, organize communal work, give permission to those leaving the college, making sure students are getting fed, night checks, etc. etc.  At the Jinja PTC, tutors do this duty, but most often they put in as little effort as needed.  You don't see many TODs walking through dorms, or even coming everyday.  That's why I'm taking on the position with gusto; instead of being seen as the disciplinarian for the week, I'm going to use tactics of reinforcement for good behavior.  Here is a list of identified problems from our last staff meeting, and how I'm going to target those things this week:

1) Students delay to come back promptly from lunch at 2:00.
    Intervention: Random classroom checks, roll call and awarding those present with candies
2) Students lack research skills/reading culture
    Intervention: Trivia questions will be posted daily.  Theme: America (because of independence day).  Prizes will be awarded to the winners at the end of the week. 
3)  Students' appearance deteriorates as the day goes on.  They sleep in class.
    Intervention: This week, tutors will vote on "model students," ones who stay in the dress code all day long, are polite, and participate actively in class
4)  Students' dormitories are disgusting/disorganized.
    Intervention: A banner will go to the cleanest dorm of the week.  Daily checks.
5) Students need to be reminded to clean their classrooms.
    Intervention: A banner will go to the "best learning environment," encouraging students to clean their classrooms and classroom tutors to make learning aids for classes.

Additionally, students are always confused as to who the TOD is, as it changes each week.  Even though there are lists of the TODs posted all over college, students are still clueless.  I'm wearing a crown this week that says Tutor on Duty so there is no confusion.  I've never been more excited to wake up at 5:30 AM as I am for tomorrow.  WISH ME LUCK! :D