Ok, so even though l’Ecole Actuelle Bilingue is not an all-girls school, every time I go to my internship I can’t help but think of Madeline, with all the students marching two-by-two in their matching uniforms. After completing my last day as a “stagiaire” or intern on Friday, I figure it is about time to write about my experience there!
Each Friday of the semester has found me at EAB, a private bilingual school of about 300 students of over 30 nationalities. Classes there are taught in French and English, and my job was to teach private and semi-private English lessons to students enrolled in the bilingual immersion program who needed a little extra help catching up to the proficiency levels of their peers. I also had the chance to spend time reading with children in the library, teaching songs in both languages to preschool classes, and just generally observing how a private school works in Senegal. With illiteracy rates remaining at 41% and high drop-out rates due to early marriages, economic constraints, and the draw of Koranic schools, the Senegalese government is hard-pressed to find effective measures to increase the quality and availability of education throughout the country. In the 2001 constitution guaranteed for the first time universal elementary education to all children, though due to limited resources the law is impossible to enforce. And, though the number of students attending schools has increased thanks to recent initiatives, the number of trained teachers has not, and as a result the quality of teaching provided in public schools continues to decline. Because of this, more and more families with means have been turning to the private sector, and it is here that EAB plays an important role, as one of the first bilingual schools in the country.
Teaching at the school was definitely an interesting experience! Though I had a great time getting to know my students, I struggled with the fact that the school was bilingual in French and English, rather than French and Wolof, or another maternal language. For so many of the students I worked with, French was foreign enough, so the absolute refusal to speak to the children in their first language seemed a little absurd! I also regretted how little emphasis was placed on Senegalese cultures and traditions— though the school hosts cultural awareness days, the focus seems fixed on Asian and European countries. However, being as I was only there once a week and for a relatively short period of time, I honestly cannot make valid judgments on the school; I think the part that bothered me the most was just the fact that I here was volunteering, but placed in a private sector where families had to pay for the lessons I provided.
Overall, I am definitely thankful for the experience. I have learned so many French children’s songs (my favorite being about elephants dancing on a spider web), made friends with some of the Senegalese teachers, and even learned a bit about teaching in a bilingual setting. The best part, though, was definitely just the children I worked with! Perhaps one of my most rewarding teacher-moments occurred at CIEE's Thanksgiving banquet— our director’s five year-old daughter is in one of the classes I taught songs to throughout the semester, so when she recognized me at the dinner, she dragged her father over, telling him she had something important to tell me. After a shy hello, she then proceeded to sing (in almost perfect English!) “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to everyone seated at my table, and I couldn’t help but beam with pride. Granted, words like “itsy bitsy” and “water spout” might not be the most useful English words to know, but hey, at least it’s a start!
Bye for Now, Janelle
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