Working at Senegal's Ministry of Education and as a Fulbright ETA.

Nearing the halfway point of my Fulbright fellowship, and it has been quite the ride!  I never expected to grow so much professionally, and to enjoy Dakar as much as I do.  That said, the blog posts have been lacking but I hope to truly describe working here at Senegal's Ministry of Education, with various Senegalese English language professionals, and being a Fulbright ETA in general.

As I've mentioned before, I've been sent to work and collaborate with the Bureau Technique Pour l'Enseignement de l'Anglais (the Office of English Teaching) at Senegal's Ministry of Education.  Ultimately, this office provides professional development support to current English teachers throughout the country -- working closely with pedagogical advisors in different regions and with English teaching cells in Dakar.  It's a very unique experience as a Fulbright ETA as I'm the first one to be posted here at the Ministry, and I can already see how this is a great place (and partnership) for future Fulbright ETAs to develop and flourish.

Ngouye, my boss and English Language Teaching Technical Advisor to the Minister of Education, and Aminata, Assistant Technical Advisor, are two wonderful women (where I jokingly call them my "Senegalese aunts") and colleagues.  They themselves were English teachers in the past, served as pedagogical advisors for English teaching cells, and have lived abroad in Anglophone countries.  I'm learning so much from them and how the Senegalese education system works, particularly in relation to English teaching.

With Ngouye and Aminata after the Access Graduation at FASTEF, the teacher training college.

First arriving in mid-October, I didn't know what to expect.  Ngouye and I had been in contact via e-mail prior to my arrival, and she mentioned that the first couple of months would be pretty dead since the school year will just be starting, and professional development sessions do not kick in until well after that.  I often forget that in countries like Senegal, the importance of meeting people and maintaining those connections is paramount.  So I did just that -- meeting people from all ranks in the Ministry of Education, English teachers, teacher trainers, folks at the U.S. Embassy, and the like.

I met Israel, Master's candidate in International Education Policy from Harvard, by chance.  Through this, he invited me to meet Mr. Amadou Mahtar M'Bow at his lovely residence.  He was the first Minister of Education in Senegal and was a former director-general of UNESCO. Very accomplished, and he had a true fascination for the Philippines and the Filipino people! 

And the view from the office isn't too shabby.  Downtown Dakar, also known as "Plateau."  And look at all those English language resources -- even if they might be a bit dusty.  =)

While I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso and was exposed to the French education system in a Western African country, no two countries are the same.  So I insisted that we did classroom observations so I could get a better idea of the realities of the English classroom, and could help me understand what the professional development needs of the teachers are.  We even created a type of classroom observation feedback sheet to guide our observations and provide valuable feedback to teachers.  And, truth be told, it was a way for me to learn from fellow language teachers (even if in a different context) because I, too, plan to continue teaching after the Fulbright.

One of the teachers I observed was Mr. Guèye.  What a fun teacher who truly cares about his students!  They're all engaged and it was such a pleasure to watch. 

I realized that language teaching and learning is the same regardless of where you go in the world -- the only difference being the language taught and the context.  In that same vein, I've been fortunate to be able to use my Master in Education from Notre Dame, particularly what we've learned and practiced in our foreign language education classes (merci, Lori!).  CLT!  Integrating the four skills with culture!  Rubrics and grading!  Classroom management!  Assessment!  The list goes on, and it's been great to incorporate what I've learned and used in the past with the work I've been doing here.

Collaboration is huge, and one of our first projects of the school year (November 2015) was to get together motivated English teachers in Dakar for a day-long professional development session on classroom management and CLT teaching strategies, hosted by the Yavuz Selim Turkish schools with an expert from Oxford University.  It was a comprehensive presentation, but also made me realize that the sessions we'll be giving need to not only meet the needs of our teachers, but also need to remain cognizant of their context.

This was after the classroom management and CLT teaching strategies presentation by an expert at Oxford University.  We invited select English teachers from throughout Dakar to attend and afterward, disseminate the information to their respective schools and teaching cells. 

Perhaps one of the biggest parts of this job -- and in line with the Bureau d'Anglais' overall objectives -- is to provide professional development support to existing English teaching pedagogical cells, especially in Dakar.  It's where I've been able to meet a variety of English teachers, hear their needs, and find ways we can use both of our expertise to further the English language teaching field in Senegal, and to make our students better English communicators/speakers.  Maybe it's different outside of Dakar, but I was impressed with how organized the pedagogical cells were, and how democratic it was in deciding professional development topics for each month.  Everyone has their say, and it makes professional development much more meaningful.  So far, I've given presentations on assessment, project-based learning, teaching writing, and the like -- with many more planned until the end of the school year.  It's been wonderful, and the learning is definitely mutually inclusive.

This is after a co-presentation at the biggest English teaching cell in Dakar with over 100+ English teachers!  Aminata was doing a dissemination presentation from our "Teaching Writing" one at the ATES National Convention. 

The English teachers at Cours Sainte-Marie de Hann, a very reputable and beautiful private school in Dakar, invited me to come and present on Project-Based Learning. Of course, there were certificates!

The U.S. Embassy Dakar has many outreach activities to promote the learning of English and American cultures/values.  Every Wednesday, Michelle and I lead the conversation clubs and film discussions.  It's part of what makes me miss the classroom, in that we have candid discussions on a variety of set topics with university students and English language professionals who come to the U.S. Embassy to participate and use the (many) resources at the Information Resource Center (IRC; think Embassy library).  Keeping in line with professional development, we've also helped facilitate bi-weekly webinars with current English teachers that are hosted by the State Department and are broadcast all around the world.  We're all always learning!  The Embassy also has this great initiative with different schools throughout Senegal called the Access program, which caters to economically disadvantaged students that would like to further improve their English but perhaps lack the resources to do so.  Thanks to Ngouye, I've been invited a few times to give cultural enhancement activities on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Black History Month.

One of the Access cultural enrichment presentations I gave was on Thanksgiving.  And what do ya' know -- someone decided to throw a random turkey into my room.  Oh, Senegal...

One of the greatest strengths of the English teaching world here in Senegal is their English teachers' association, aptly named "ATES" or Association of Teachers of English in Senegal.  I haven't seen anything quite like it in West Africa, just by the association's sheer number of members and structural organization.  It really is a model organization for other countries wanting to start an English teacher's association and continually find ways to improve and enhance the teaching of English.  The current president, Sadibou, saw that I had this blog and asked that I guide them to start theirs.  You can check it out here.

Their pinnacle event is their ATES National Convention, which takes place in a different part of the country every year.  Hundreds of English teachers from around the country participate.  This past year, it was held in December in Kaolack (central region of Dakar), and was a great experience for us Fulbright ETAs and English Language Fellows -- especially since we came from all corners of the country for this.  Michelle and I were able to collaborate and play a big role in the convention.  We led the pre-convention workshop on "Teaching Writing in English Language Classrooms" for about 150 teachers, which has highly successful and engaging.  I was also able to give my own workshop on "Project-Based Learning through Assessment, Culture & Student Engagement," though it was cut short due to time constraints.  Overall, a really wonderful experience and gave us the right footing to continue our respective work in our cities.

Perhaps one of the most epic selfies: Michelle and I with our 150 participants during our Pre-Convention Workshop on "Teaching Writing in English Language Classrooms." Couldn't have asked for a better co-presenter! 

Michelle and I in action. Photo credit goes to the U.S. Embassy Dakar RELO's Office! 

With most of the Fulbright ETAs and English Language Fellows in Senegal.  We clean up nice, with Senegalese outfits to boot! 

In addition to the Pre-Convention Workshop, the following day was filled with workshops which participants could attend.  Mine was on "Project-Based Learning through Assessment, Culture & Student Engagement."  Lots of fun, but definitely tons of work preparing - especially when it's both a presentation and a workshop. 

Whew!  If you've stayed with me until now, bravo!  I look forward to many other events ahead, such as the Bureau d'Anglais' week of professional development sessions in the central region of Senegal, working with the English teachers' association in Guinea-Bissau, and potentially, a mid-year retreat/seminar in South Africa.  I love it when working, professional development, and travel can come together!

Halloween and birthday festivities continued...

So I'm back in Gaoua for the day with Jon...just to buy a couple of things and check the poste (post office) for anything. Last weekend, several of us met up in Gaoua for Halloween/23rd Birthday festivities! Marita and Julie came first and we ate at one of our normal hang-outs...then Leslie came and it was really like a mini-reunion for all of us. Headed to Kyle's and because he has electricity and his laptop, we watched movies like no other (plus it was starting to rain so it was perfect for being indoors)...movies like one of my all-time favorites: Mean Girls!! Headed back en ville (downtown/in the city centre) to grab some dinner and Emily eventually made it! It was my first time experiencing the nightlife in Gaoua and I have to say...it was pretty good. Some cold beers + PC friends + music/dancing + really chilly night weather = a good time! Whenever we go out, there are always Burkinabè guys flirting/hitting on female volunteers so us male volunteers play the role of boyfriends/husbands...which is always lots of fun! Turns out those 4 years of acting/theatre really helped in high school.  =)

The next day, all 6 of us took a bus to Jon's site because there was a huge fête (party). He lives in more of a village so it was a big deal. One of the highlights was archery which is big in Lobi culture. Toward the end of the day, we biked back to my site (about 17km south of Jon's) and I made village tacos & mixed veggies for dinner plus canned peaches & pears for dessert. Basically, I opened up a lot of my canned food but it was totally worth it!

Believe it or not, we somehow found a pumpkin leaving Jon's site, so when we got to my site, we did a little pumpkin carving to truly celebrate our Halloween celebration in BF. Ignore the Pert shampoo bottle...inside joke...

The following day, we biked the 19km to the Loropeni Ruins...since I'm too lazy to explain what it is, here's a brief explanation from Wikipedia:

• Loropéni is a market town in southern Burkina Faso, lying west of Gaoua. Local features include pre-European stone ruins, about which little is known. One theory is that they formed the enclosure of the courtyard of a Kaan Iya (king or paramount ruler of the Kaan people) from antiquity. There is a similar, though much-degraded ruin around the current royal courtyard in Obiré. Another theory is that the ruins may have been a slave holding site for slave raids in the area.


• The Loropéni ruins were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009. The ruins are the country's first World Heritage inscription. Surrounded by mystery, the 11,130m2 property is made up of an array of stone walls. Loropéni is the best preserved example of a type of fortified settlement in a wide part of West Africa, linked to the tradition of gold mining, which seems to have persisted through at least seven centuries. Loropéni, given its size and scope reflects a type of structure quite different from the walled towns of what is now Nigeria, or the cities of the upper reaches of the river Niger which flourished as part of the Empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. It thus can be seen as an exceptional testimony to the settlement response generated by the gold trade.

It was quite a bike ride but I think it's amazing that I don't live that far away from a World Heritage site! I'll let the pictures and little captions tell of our adventure over there...other people took better pictures of our adventures this weekend but these are the ones I had on my camera:

Outside the Loropeni Ruins. The first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Burkina Faso (just got accepted to the list this year). AND I live only 19km away!

Yours truly outside the Loropeni Ruins. According to Leslie (she read this somewhere), these rocks were put together with honey and shea butter.

Marita and Julie inside the Ruins.

Emily and I looking off into the distance...wearing our Obama gear. Gotta represent Obama in Africa!

Biking back was harder than I thought but I was able to show everyone my site's centre-ville and for dinner, I made something that I've crafted as my specialty: Mikey's Minestrone Soup (noodles, tomatoes, onions, garlic, a little bit of powdered milk to thicken it, tomato paste, lots of spices/salt) and Grilled Vache Qui Rit Cheese Sandwiches...delicious!

Everyone left to head back to their sites on Tuesday and it meant back to work for me = continuing class observations at the Ecole Primaire. It's been no doubt an interesting experience and as I said in my last entry, I'm getting more and more ideas for projects. I realized that many students have trouble reading aloud and I think starting some type of Reading/Book Club would be a good idea. Observing classes really forces me to think of creative ways to make school more interesting for kids here so that they're more likely to continue their studies until high school and beyond. I'm observing classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday all the way way up until December when I have VAC and IST...so I'm keeping myself busy.

Aaaaand I'm starting to really love my site. I think it really has to do with the fact that I chat it up a lot with my neighbors (Ali's family -- the Ouattara's) everyday and kind of see them as my own family here. I was reading on my porch one afternoon and it was getting really dark. Madame Ouattara (Ali's aunt) comes by and tells me not to read in the dark because I'll ruin my eyes...something my Mom would tell me back home, haha! They even make the most delicious peanut brittle and toffee hard candies I've ever had. Jon and I are addicted! I even invited the Ouattaras over at the end of the month to celebrate Thanksgiving with me so we're going to have American and Burkinabè dishes! Now if I can only think of a way to cook a Filipino dish, too...

Turning 23 in another country...and other updates on life.

So I'm back in Gaoua (provincial capital) and I'm here for a little reunion/celebration for Halloween and September/October birthdays.

Life at site has been going really well so far...adjusting is always a difficult and challenging process but I feel like I'm really making this place my home. Work-wise, around the second week of October, I met with the director of the Lycée (high school) and asked if I could observe English classes to see how they work, how the students and teachers interact with one another, what their English levels are like, etc. Eventually I met the English teacher at the Lycée and for about a week and a half, have been observing his classes, introducing myself to his classes, and taking notes. It's interesting to note how the class size drops dramatically as they get older. And the ratio of male-to-female students is huge as you move up a grade level. For example, in Terminale (equivalent is senior year of high school/12th grade), out of 25-30 students, there are only 3-4 female students!

They don't have a Club d'Anglais (English Club) at their school and my hope is come this January 2010, I can start one to help students out with English (tutoring) but also make it a little more interesting by introducing American songs, pop culture, theatre/plays, fun games, etc. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! On Monday, I presented an Action Plan and Tentative Schedule (handwritten, of course, since I don't have a computer access/a printer) that details what I'd like to do, a schedule, objectives, potential problems and solutions, activities, etc. I want to show him that I'm really serious about creating an English Club but also it's a great way for me to organize my thoughts into one document. A couple of days ago, some 3eme students (equivalent is freshman year of high school/9th grade) were at the Primary School across my house and asked for some help with their English homework (which they wrote on the chalkboards outside of the classrooms). So it's giving me a little hope that this will get off the ground once we get all the logistics squared away!

I recently met with the Director of the École Primaire (Primary School) right across from my house and just started observing classes there...and will be doing so until December when I have another VAC meeting and In-Service Training (IST) in Ouaga. I've only observed one class so far and it's been interesting, to say the least. The kids here are much like the kids in the U.S. but clearly, they face issues much different from those in the U.S. The student-teacher dynamic is completely different here but since I've only observed for 2 days so far, I'll save my overall observations for another day. Even within those 2 days, I've made little notes of things I can potentially start and noticed kids need lots of help with math and reading aloud. Reading clubs? Fun math exercises after-school? The list is endless!

In other news, I've been integrating well and am always meeting new people but really feel like I'm solidifying some good relationships with people. I go into town not feeling so much of an outsider anymore which is nice. I've really made my house comfortable but am holding off on the dog until next year when I have a more solid schedule in place. Jon and I see each other every once in a while, and either discover something new at my site or his, or decide to take day bike trips in our area (there is SO much to explore).

Me during one of our day bike trips through southwestern Burkina Faso. Don't these hills look like the fake hills at Toontown in Disneyland?! Oh, and I looked like a hot mess. I know. The weather was nice because it was a little overcast.

One day, we biked down several kilometers south of my site to see what was down there and found some lush greenery. Like the photo above!

Aaaand for my 23rd Birthday, I decided to invite my neighbors over (Ali and family) for some American grub for lunch. I 'grilled' village bread to make Spam/tomato sandwiches (thanks, Dad!) and also made tuna (thanks again. Dad!) macaroni salad, and we had a really good time! I didn't take any pictures (sadly) except for the food.....mmmmm....

23rd Birthday lunch chez moi.

Later that day, Jon came over and we prepared some banana bread to bake at Ali's house (they have a stove they got in Bobo a while ago but didn't know how to use it with their propane gas tank. So I helped them out one day and now it works!). Success! I was able to introduce something new/American to my Burkinabè neighbors! Jon biked over and we had beers at a little maquis (bar) in town and it was all good! So a bunch of us are meeting in Gaoua and we're going to do a little more celebrating before heading back to our sites. Good times!

**Also, check the sidebar for: What Nationality Is Mikey?