Why AV

Testimonials

Annie Sprogell – Uganda

( Last Updated: 10-07-2009 )

Since I have been home, I have been looking back on my time in Africa a lot and trying to figure out specifically why teaching at PIlkington was such an amazing experience. Of course I had so much fun with Alice, Allie and Emily in the house everyday, but there was something about going to Pilkington everyday that made it the incredible time that it was.

After much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it was a combination of a lot of little moments and interaction with the kids. For sure, not everyday was perfect. It was impossible to control a class of 150 and I never felt that I was truly reaching every child in that enormous room, but being there to witness the moment when a child finally understood something I had been trying to teach for a good portion of the class was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.

I can think of one example in particular that made my day. In a biology lesson we were looking at the anatomy of a shark and I was trying to introduce some new terms. In this particular case I was trying to teach them the word dorsal which means having to do with the back. I would say if dorsal describes something near or an the back and I say a shark has a dorsal fin where is that fin? We had been struggling with a similar question involving the term 'anterior' the previous lesson and it had not gone well.

I had been forced to just tell them the answer and move on because I had become so frustrated. I was preparing myself for a similar outcome in the class with the term dorsal when I got no response the first couple of times I asked the question - just blank stares. Then to my surprise (and delight) one kid raised his hand and ventured a guess. He was right and when I informed that he had answered correctly the look on his face was priceless. To see that kid's face light up with understanding in that moment made all the other struggle worth it. It was an extraordinary thing to be able to see that moment when something clicked in his head. His smile was was so wide and genuine I had to smile myself. He was so happy and proud of himself.

The standard method for teaching in Uganda involves almost no interaction with students. It is pretty much all lecture style. The AV approach, and approach that includes student participation, is something new to these kids.

I think that is one of the most important things that AV does for these kids. We ask them to think for themselves and ask them to make their own connections in class instead of just dictating to them so they can write it in their notebooks.

In biology class I taught my students the Latin words from which some of the terms we were learning are derived. When they learned one root word they were then able to see it in other terms. They started to see patterns in what they were learning and connections between it all. This style of teaching that the AVs bring to the school is the most important thing that we do.

I think AVs also bring a sense of optimism and belief in the kids. I asked a teacher about starting an after school reading club and was told that no one would show up because all the students were lazy and stupid. I tried to organize the club anyway and kids showed up every afternoon. We would read a page in a book and look up any words they hadn't understood in the dictionary before moving on to the next page. Again, it was so incredible to be able to witness this desire to learn and curiosity and to help fuel it.

These kids need teachers, like AVs, who will take the time to reach out to them and believe in them. 

Living in Africa taught me a lot about my place in the world and my relation to every one else in it. You think when you go there, that life is going to be so unbelievably different, and on the surface it is, but in the end people are pretty much the same everywhere and need and want the same things.

Going to Africa made me realize just how similar everywhere and everyone is. It has made me feel more connected to everyone and everything around me. It has made me more willing to extend the hand of friendship to everyone because I know that we really aren't all t hat different.  

I just wanted to say thank you to AV for such an amazing experience. 

Annie Sprogell  

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