Gender Specific Discussions

After an exciting, unpredictable, and challenging first week of teaching, the YESS-QHO team has demonstrated their unfailing passion and respect for this project and have proven to be a flexible team willing to do whatever it takes to make this year the most successful year yet. The first week of teaching at Lake Solai Secondary School came with the regular challenges of the first week of teaching as well as additional weather challenges and time restraints. These challenges limited our time in the classroom and forced us to change our schedules last-minute. These circumstances could understandably cause some apprehension and frustration. However I think I speak for everyone when I say that the second you stepped into the classroom, these challenges seemed to melt away and the only thing you could focus on was the students and how much you hoped they would gain something positive from the YESS team.

This past week Mumbi, Ibra and I taught a Form One (grade nine) class underneath a large tree in the front school yard. At first the students seemed very shy however by the second day of teaching, the students seemed a bit more comfortable and I was really hoping that they would open up even more during the 'Gender Specific Discussions' we were planning for the end of that lesson. At the end of the lesson, Mumbi and I took our female students to a separate spot outside and sat cross-legged on the grass in a large circle. We started the discussion by giving each girl and opportunity to talk a little about herself and Mumbi and I did the same. We then gave them an opportunity to ask us anything that they wanted and emphasised that no topics were off limits. In the past, these discussions have been some of my favourite aspects of project because often the girls felt comfortable enough to ask about many things that they would not have felt comfortable enough bringing up in the classroom. On this day, however, the form one girls were not talking. Mumbi and I tried every tactic we could think of to get the students to open up including telling them that they could whisper their questions in our ear, telling them that they could ask Mumbi in Swahili, and giving them the opportunity to formulate a group question so that no single student was singled out- none of which worked. In a final attempt, we handed out anonymous question papers and said that we would close our eyes while they wrote their questions down on paper for us to answer. When I picked up the pile of papers that accumulated when they were finished writing I was surprised and relieved to find that each girl not only wrote one question for us, but many wrote 2, 3, or 4 questions on a single question sheet.

We answered every question that afternoon and by the end of the discussion, the girls were giggling, giving their opinions and asking questions openly without fear of judgment. Throughout the remainder of the week, they were a lot more interactive in the classroom and did not hesitate to talk with Mumbi and me one-on-one. This change in demeanor and confidence was without a doubt well worth all of the challenges we faced this past week.

I am very proud of each individual working on this year's project. Everyone's compassion, dedication and flexibility amaze me daily. This next week brings a new school; Seet Kobor Secondary, and a new slew of challenges and opportunities that I am sure we will face head on with passion and understanding.

- Nicole