Hello hello folks,
First, a brief update on my med status:
Torn ACL is still hanging in there. Peace Corps is great on many levels, but one reality of working for a government organization is the bureaucracy. So currently my situation has been passed along to the HQ in D.C. and they're deliberating with what to do, so we'll see what they come back within a week or so.
And now, I owe you 3 or 4 blog posts, so let's get to it!
D.E.A.R. Day was the most stressful, rewarding experience I've had in country so far. D.E.A.R. Day was a small embodiment of the most accurate, if not over-used, description of Peace Corps: The toughest job you'll ever love.
D.E.A.R. Day was scheduled for March 15th at 11:00 AM and was supposed to last for a minimum of 20 minutes. D.E.A.R. Day stands for "Drop Everything and Read" and is a National holiday in Uganda. 2017 marked the 4th annual D.E.A.R. Day in Uganda. The purpose of D.E.A.R. Day is to foster a culture of reading nationwide. All education PCV's in Uganda are expected to organize D.E.A.R. Day at their school.
I began D.E.A.R. Day preparation on March 6th... bit late on the prep front. Classic. In addition to my procrastination, my position as a new teacher made organizing D.E.A.R. Day challenging: I'd been at my school for less than three months. I didn't yet understand the culture or communication style of the country, much less the school. I didn't even know everyone's names yet. I didn't know when/how staff meetings are held or how staff are informed about school-wide events. I was the youngest, newest and least experienced teacher (by far) and I had absolutely no idea what "organize a D.E.A.R. Day" entails.
K Bach, mobilize the entire staff and make it happen.
An interesting additional challenge and benefit, is that my "starter" (the PCV who worked at my school before me) was incredible. She worked really hard to make the previous D.E.A.R. Day a huge success. She organized hundreds of books for each class (~21 classes), invited politicians from all levels of the municipality, invited each of the ~2,000 pupils' parents, spearheaded a morning assembly -- complete with pupil participation --, and organized a book sale to distribute old or out-of-date books to the pupils.
Wow.
I walk in the footsteps of giants.
Let's take a moment and applaud this amazing woman. *round of applause*
- Now cue the timid entrance of an intimidated, new PCV -
Luckily, she was also wonderful enough to leave behind all of her old files to give me a great foundation to follow in her footsteps. And, once I got over how overwhelming it all was (and stopped kicking myself for not starting sooner), this foresight was incredibly considerate and immensely helpful.
So let's move to the frantic rush to meet her bar. I met with the staff to inform them of our schedule and walk them through what to expect on the day-of. Staff were asked to sign-up for a class and choose an activity for that class. I gave staff a list of reading activities from which they could select, but they were also welcome to select their own. Below you can see the sign-up sheets (one before and one after with the names distorted) and the list of activities. I have to give a shout-out to a friend in my cohort for the "Reading Games" ideas, thank you!
Although gathering the entire staff together was a bit difficult, they were excited for the day, which is in large part thanks to the amazing staff and to my starter for setting such a good precedent for the festivities.
Next I drafted invitations for both local officials and parents. I hand-delivered invitations to the officials on the Friday before (March 10th), and printed off and cut ~2,000 parent invitations to give to the pupils on Monday (March 13th). Beginning the week of, I and the school's librarian began getting the materials together for teachers to use during their D.E.A.R. Day time and developed a system to check-out and check-in the materials. Finally, we had to organize the day's schedule. Our final program looked as follows:
March 15th arrives:
D.E.A.R. Day does not go as planned.
Parents arrived at 9:45 AM. The camera's battery was dead. The transition from Break Tea to Assembly turned into a decidedly disorganized chaotic mob of 2,000 pupils in a confused flux. We didn't really get the timing down for the bell ringing. The books weren't returned as planned.
But, in spite of all of the hiccups and stress and first-time mistakes, D.E.A.R. Day was a success. I have 200+ pictures I'm currently trying to upload via my phone's hot-spot, but it's a slow process. I think though, the pictures do a better job than I ever could of describing why D.E.A.R. Day was so rewarding. They show the power of books, and that their immutable captivation holds for those in Africa just as it does for us in America. As I watched parents smile as their pupils read, or saw pupils transfixed by the stories from their parents, I was struck with the familiarity of a scene comprised of strangers. I saw my own family reflected in the faces of Ugandans. A week of focus and hard-work produced a few hours where the differences and barriers between myself and my community gave way to something beautifully universal.
And not only was it a scene inspired because of it was relatable, but because it was a canvas of empowerment; I saw a community encouraging their children to read, to read to find pleasure, to obtain knowledge, to satiate curiosity, to inspire creativity. I saw a community that valued learning as much as my own back home, and one that, given time and access, devoured knowledge as voraciously as any I have encountered in America.
Perhaps it's naive to have to comment on this, and perhaps it only speaks to my own ignorance that I felt so moved with the scene around me, but re-writing the narrative of Uganda begins with acknowledging that I am re-writing it for myself.
Following D.E.A.R. Day, I have lent some of the neighborhood children children's books that my mother had sent me, and they appear at my door almost every day, book in hand, asking for another. At the library, we have pupils during lunch and break tea come in asking to check out books to study and read in their free time.
This isn't because of D.E.A.R. Day. I am not here claiming responsibility for my school's love of reading. I am saying that D.E.A.R. Day opened my eyes to the school's already existent love of reading.
Now, while this interest exists, in order to continue to cultivate this reading habit, pupils here have to overcome a lack of readily available reading materials, a language barrier to reading in a language that is not their native language, and, in some cases, time for reading (between juggling schoolwork, chores, etc.). My school is lucky and has a sizable library, and even has a fair number of books in local languages, but I think making reading material, both in English and in local languages, readily available with culturally appropriate stories is a way in which a culture of reading could be further developed. An exemplary organization working to this end is the African Storybook project.
D.E.A.R. Day was a struggle. I felt frustrated and stressed for nearly the entire week beforehand. So, I ultimately walked away more confident than ever in my ability to get s*** done. More importantly though, I walked away with a better understanding of my pupils, my school and my community, and I gained a new appreciation for my position as a teacher in a school filled with talented, driven pupils and staff.
I'm happy D.E.A.R. Day only comes around once a year, but I'm happy D.E.A.R. Day does come around once a year. My 2018 resolutions: start earlier, and include a book sale.
And maybe upload the pictures using Wifi.
Until next time!
P.S. - A note on the pictures: given that the pupils are minors, I have tried to omit faces of the pupils unless their parents and/or guardians were present as I was able to ask the parents/guardians if they felt comfortable having their pupil photographed. Otherwise, I have tried to respect the privacy of the pupils. There may be some pictures that you feel do not adhere to this intent, and, if you feel that is the case, I encourage you to let me know. Thank you for your help!
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
