The weather today was as changeable as a New
England summer day. We awoke to a deep mist that clung to the banana trees and
hedges in the garden. The mist quickly melted to a clear blue sky and
delightful sunshine that made watching the morning assembly positively glorious
considering March in Boston. An hour later, while we were touring the campus of
Gashora, the sky darkened, a quick blustery wind came up and a squall blasted
through the campus with strong gusts and torrential rains. As quickly as it had
come, it blew away. The sky brightened again and we continued our visit in warm
sunshine. Back at Maranyundo, the afternoon waned into a lovely evening…a
bright half moon above us, the dear frogs croaking in the garden pond!
We had been invited to tour Gashora today, to
meet with the Dean of Students and her staff who have developed a Pre-College
Advising Program similar in scope and content to what Luladey and Daphne have
been discussing for Maranyundo. Dean
Samantha Bell introduced herself to us as the Dean of Students and Director of Whole
Girl Education. She
explained that the Gashora administrative team had focused recently on social
emotional learning and self care. In fact, one of the reasons she thought the
scores of the mid term exams were so strong this term was the fact that the
schedule of the day had been altered so that students were able to have eight
hours of sleep each night. Our tour
guides, Gashora students who had graduated from Maranyundo, agreed that the
extra sleep and attention to self-care and emotional development were changes
that were much appreciated!
The importance of educating
the whole child is a familiar concept to anyone who has a background in early
childhood education. Child Development, as a field, has always been concerned
with how the social and emotional context of a child’s life impacts the
intellectual and cognitive development. In the US, the ideas of social emotional
learning (SEL) for K-12 students are widely discussed. Massachusetts is one of
the first states to require school districts to provide professional development
and school time devoted to SEL. The importance of providing emotional support
to young people in the places in which they learn new ideas and academics made
me think of Perfect, the Matron that is in charge of the dorms. She is charged
with the supervision in the dorms, especially throughout the night.
A young Rwandan woman who has
trained as a nurse, Perfect speaks earnestly about her responsibilities of
caring for the girls in some of their most vulnerable moments. She spoke with
us at dinner one evening about how sad some of the girls, especially the
youngest students, are when they arrive on campus for the start of the school
year. She likes the way the dorms house students of mixed ages and how the model
of each student having a “mother” (older student) to guide them is effective in
helping the girls become comfortable in the school community.
I told Perfect about a program
at Gashora called Girl Talk. Once each term the girls get together with mentors
to talk about issues of sexuality and gender equity. Among the topics discussed
are physical development, sexual harassment, reproduction facts and relationships.
The sessions usually start out with girls being quiet and shy. But eventually,
the discussion is animated and eager. They have so many concerns and questions
about their adolescent development and becoming competent young women.
Perfect said she has been considering
starting a program like that at Maranyundo. She would call the program The
Talk. She feels that Rwandan girls, especially, need a space that is safe to talk
about issues faced by young women because the younger generation is not always
comfortable talking with their parents and families. Young people need
opportunities to talk together with young adults who understand the Rwandan
culture and history of gender relationships. They need a space in which they
can ask questions about the physical changes of adolescence, what is a
relationship, how does being “in a relationship” affect responsibilities to each other. How can a young person retain respect for her family and still move
forward in society with progressive, feminist ideas. Now, Perfect says, young
Rwandans are relying on social media for information about these issues.
It is always important to
remember that students are growing and developing their identities and values
while they are studying the challenging STEM Combinations. The Maranyundo
Community is fortunate to have someone like Perfect to answer their questions,
calm their anxieties and make them feel as confident about their developing
social-emotional lives as they are about their developing intellect.
Like the weather today, the
changes in the stages of our lives can seem dramatic some days!
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