First Week at Mzumbe Secondary School

This past week was quite an eventful one, as I was settling into my new house and also starting work at my school, Mzumbe Secondary School.  There were many high points during the week and also a few moments when I realized that there is still a lot that I need to get adjusted to.  Overall, it was a successful week and I think that after a couple of months, I will fit into the school community here quite nicely.

The week started bright and early Monday morning as I took my brief walk from my house to the school (about 3 min) at 7AM and arrived to the sight of the entire student body outside in the school courtyard, and the sound of beating drums.  Apparently, this is all part of the Monday morning flag-raising ceremony, which is common at many of the boarding secondary schools.  It was an impressive sight, as all of the students were lined up in formation, standing at attention for the Headmaster (Mr. Najawa) and the rest of the faculty.  After a number of announcements from the Headmaster and other staff members, I was introduced to the student body (by my referred to name from the faculty and the students- Mr. Matthew) and welcomed into the Mzumbe community.  I said a few words of welcome, mentioning that I was “honored and humbled” to be teaching at Mzumbe Secondary for the coming year, which was followed by some laughs and clapping from the students.  After I said my welcome, I asked one of my colleagues if I happened to say something wrong, but he said it was the contrary, and that the students enjoyed hearing how I pronounced my words, and when they laugh and clap it’s more of a sign of approval than ridicule.

After the warm welcome at the morning ceremony, I began my teaching duties.  Right now, since I came in during the middle of school year (it usually begins in January), I’ve only been given a couple of classes to teach a week.  So to start, I’ll be teaching literature to some of the Advanced level students.  Hopefully I’ll be given more classes to teach, as that is what I’m eager to do while I’m here, but for now, it’s probably good to start off a little slow.  I’ll also be assisting other teachers in the English department with their lessons, as having a native English speaker is a great resource for the school to have.  For the rest of my school days, I spent a lot of time getting to know many of my new colleagues, all of who are incredibly welcoming and nice.  They’re eager to get to know more about me and are all extremely helpful with any questions that I have about teaching, the school, or the students.

In the evenings, after the school days, I’ve been trying to familiarize myself with the campus, the nearby University (where there is wi-fi Internet!!), and also all of the beautiful trails that are truly spectacular to go running on.  Also in the evenings a couple of nights I joined my co-workers to play a bit of football on the pitch near my house with the students (even the Headmaster joined in!).  It’s all part of a regular exercise time for the students, but it’s a fun time to relax, unwind and get to know my colleagues on a more personal level.  One night, I even joined the staff members to participate in the weekly staff football game.  Although I was encouraged to play, all I could do is laugh and explain that I wasn’t very skilled in football yet, but promised soon enough after more practice I would be out on the field with them.

With the first week at Mzumbe in the books, I would say so far everything has been very encouraging.  With every new job there’s always a lot to get used to, systems to adjust to, many people to get to know and plenty of challenging, rewarding, difficult and successful moments.  Each day ahead will bring a new challenge, but so far, I feel fortunate to be a part of this community and look forward to reporting more as the weeks continue!