Mpwenda rafiki

On December 11th, my second to last day student teaching, I decided to give my American students a Tanzania mini lesson. I was eager to share my upcoming adventure with the 7th graders, hoping it would encourage them to someday embark on big endeavors. Their excitement and willingness easily surpassed my expectations; many students actually asked for more information than my lesson intended to cover. To conclude the class, I asked students to write letters to my future Tanzanian students, which actually included key Swahili phrases!

Now, those "future Tanzanian students" are about to conclude their English orientation course. As a way of celebrating (and reviewing), I gifted my students with their letters from America. First, I had them underline all the phrases they understood, so that I could help them with rest. Next, we reviewed types of information that should go in a letter. Finally, the students were put to the task of writing a letter entirely in English to a new friend across the globe. Of course, I caught some sentences like, "My mother is a computer" and "I like fisherman," but these are expected from any language learner. My students have gone great lengths to be able to write these letters after just a few short weeks, and I am proud beyond words!

One of the reasons I decided to teach abroad is to be able to integrate cross-cultural learning moments into my classroom. My KV students helped me take my first step towards this goal, and for that I am infinitely grateful. Their letters were genuine and heartfelt, and I felt that they truly absorbed the cultural insight. Now, I am also humbled by the hard work of my Tanzanian students! Their effort has helped me come full circle with my cross-cultural mission. I feel that both American and Tanzanian children have proved that a teacher is powerless without the support of all the amazing students.