Conversations

Wednesday

September 11, 2019

This morning, I had hoped to visit Teacher Agnes Geography class. Teacher Agnes is one of the founding teachers at MGS She is a very experienced teacher whose enthusiasm for her subject is matched only by her enthusiasm for the quality of education girls are receiving at the school. Her enthusiasm is reflect in her comments on the original video, Maranyundo Shines. “ If you teach a girl in S1 or S6 and she goes on in her education and becomes a Minister. Wow!”

When I arrived at her class, I learned that Teacher Agnes had to take her daughter to a doctor’s appointment.  Her students were sitting at their desks studying. Two of the students suggested I could stay and talk with them. Never one to refuse the opportunity to speak with students, I agreed.

Figuring I should try to focus on geography, I asked the about what they study in geography. They commented on climate, the earth’s history, topography, regions of the globe, etc. They followed up with interesting characteristics of their “land with a thousand hills.” They talked about the terraced agriculture, the tropical rainstorms, the volcanoes (that are not active right now!) They wanted to know about the geography of Boston.  Wow. I felt out of my knowledge zone! I described what it has meant to be by the ocean, how the history and economy were both shaped by being near the sea. I also talked about how much of the area is now cities and suburbs  from which people commute to cities to work each day.

Somehow the conversation turned to the value of travel; how we learn about places that are similar or different from our own places. They understand that importance, and how travel can be an important part of one’s education about the world. Whether one can travel to nearby places or to far away places, one can encounter new ideas, new ways of doing things, different languages, religions, foods. It as such fun to hear them discuss travel.

Then it came: the question about racism. Is there racism in Boston and the United States? Before I could answer, I asked them what they knew about racism, words that they associated with that issue. “Cruel, injustice, discrimination, unfair,” were the words that quickly emerged. Then I asked them where they encountered that idea. One of the girls was reading Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She was able to give very accurate descriptions of where she saw “racism:" how Dyke is treated in school; how Ifemelu experienced dating a white man; how she did not realize she was “Black” until she arrived in the US. Clearly, these African girls are interested in this notion of racism and identify it as associated with the United States.

I suggested that if a group wanted to read Americanah, we could have a Book Talk over Skype. Two students volunteered to keep a record of who had read the book and when they were finished. I promised to send some questions we could use in our Skype conversation. I look forward to seeing if this can happen.

It is a reminder to me that there is always something to learn when we listen carefully to the young generation. And that who we are as the United States of America matters to nations around the globe.

A powerful reminder on this  solemn day.