This episode is about teaching in a Congolese High School. The physical conditions of the classrooms, and lack of supplies and textbooks made the job extremely difficult for both the teachers and students alike. I was a high school professor at Institute Kimia in Gemena, D.R. Congo in the 1982-1983 school year. Having finished my sophomore year of college, I returned to Zaire / Congo and one of my roles was teaching 9th grade Chemistry and English. Trying to convey concepts in French, and having minimal textbooks or other school supplies was challenging indeed, as most learning had to be by rote, as studying and retaining knowledge was difficult without textbooks. Trying to optimize the student’s learning in these conditions was a challenge for me as well as veteran school teachers. Brad Hill taught for many years in the High School and shares his journey of teaching and successes with some of his students. He explains the differences in teaching methodologies between the US school system and the Congolese system, which is mainly driven by the lack of resources for the students. He also recounts several unique stories of his experiences, one of which includes arson. Roger Eales, who taught 20 years there, also contributes with his experiences and those are woven into the episode. For any school teachers that listen to this episode, if you think you have it tough in the US, I trust you’ll be more appreciative of the incredible resources you have to help your students learn after listening to this episode. The Congolese need education to help them and the country prosper, and unfortunately the K-12 school system doesn’t get the funding and support it deserves. For me, looking back, that year of teaching was a significant growing experience for me and many things I learned by teaching that year in D.R. Congo, I carry with me to this day.
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Professor Jeff. I enjoyed this episode. You are a man of many talents…teaching in French no less. I was given similar advice when doing my student teaching…start firm. Unfortunately, this was my downfall in teaching – I was too nice from the start.
I wonder if the schools in the Congo are still using some of those disciplinary techniques. It’s nice to know that education is more appreciated than in the US since they have to directly pay for it. It is sad that the girls get much less education than the boys. I tip my hat to your father and Brad Hill…wonderful things they did for their students.