December 15 and 16, 2022
Leaving is a Process; Not an Event
Leaving Maranyundo Girls School is always a process for me. And this trip is no different. In some ways I had a “dry run” because Joni was preparing to leave for Kenya and her early morning flight on Thursday. A driver drove us along with Sister and I remembered the security check, the efficient markings that led us to the ramp that leads to the next security check and the passenger gates. It was wonderful to have Joni join me in this trip. She is already looking forward to the next trip…the sisters are also!
Returning to campus, I prepared for the tasks I wanted accomplish before my own ride to the airport on Friday. Sister Laetitia asked me to review her ideas for college counseling. I planned a meeting with the Dean. I planned to visit the Maker Space a few times to see the progress girls were making in the next competition they were entering. I planned a meeting with Sister Juvenal.
But planning is always only one aspect of leaving MGS. There are the unexpected and delightful spur of the moment stuff that heightens the pleasure of being there and setting determination that I will return soon.
As I was finishing my comments of Sister’s ideas for a new college counselor and focus on campus, she came into the residence where I was working and we had a chance to have a conversation about how she views the importance of college counseling. Each time I had the opportunity talk with Sister, I came away impressed with how strong her commitment is to knowing each girl at the school and helping each student and her family plan for life beyond MGS. We both realize that the graduates of MGS are an exceptional resource to add their stories of their experiences after MGS and how telling these stories can benefit the current students. Like Leslie, the former Prefect of the Maker Space, the dedication and affection the graduates have for MGS seems t me t be the most powerful asset available to inspire students to continue their education in places are truly a good fit for their talents and dreams.
Likewise, my meeting with the Dean was a time of terrific “teacher talk;” I reminded him that the last time I was at MGS in 2019, he had just joined the faculty. We then had a thoughtful conversation about how he has come to respect the students, the good study habits and fine friendships. We also talked about E. O. Wilson’s article that I had given the Reading Club. He agreed with me that stories are a critical way teachers can interest students in STEM. He also told me he has come to really appreciate the Maker Space. He was having challenges figuring out how to teach a lesson on electric circuits and Clementine helped him find resources for the lesson in the Maker Space. He is fan!
After visiting the girls in the Maker Space who were building a robot for the next phase of the energy competition, I was sending some emails in the STEM building. Teacher Agnes was marking exams and when she saw me, she hurried over to greet me. I always look forward to seeing Agnes. She is one of the teachers who began with the school and she is always so positive and thoughtful about her craft. She talked with me about how over the years she has seen many changes and progress at the school. But for her, the changes are terrific, but what she appreciates is the central belief that each girl is capable of wonderful achievements. That Respect, Responsibility and Leadership are possible for each girl.
These are just some of the connections I made in the process of leaving MGS that convince me to return very soon. But a highlight of my final hours in Rwanda is my conversation with Sister Juvenal. In many ways, she brought my trip this time a full circle. For all the new and “pilot” projects represented by the PEBL work, teacher trainings, visit to a School of Excellence site in Kigali, speaking with Sister Juvenal reminds me of the foundational tenets that Sister Ann and Aloisia Ayumba declared at the founding of the school. Those tenets are expressed by the school motto. For Sister Juvenal that motto reflects a way of being that is grounded in the respect and love the Benebikira Order show each student in their schools. They allow each student to grow as effective community members. They know that the greatest joy in receiving an education is to be able to share the knowledge and skills we gain with one another. In community.
It is one of the aspects of schooling that I believe we always must remember. Schools and the classrooms in which we encounter not only ideas and lessons about the stuff of the world, but also about who we are and how our ideas and questions are valued. Bringing girls together from many different districts of Rwanda and many different backgrounds is a special opportunity for the girls to learn about themselves and one another. Their teachers are very aware of the fact that these girls will play a role in the future of Rwanda.
This is a lesson I always re-learn and remember when I am at Maranyundo. The classrooms in which we educate our youth are powerful places in the lives of both teachers and their students. AS Debbie Meir reminds us, “School is where we learn how public life is lived.” And we all have a stake in how schools and classrooms shape our nations, our futures, our globe.
It's time to report to the Gate. It is time once again to reflect on all I have learned from this lovely school in Nyamata, Rwanda. And, hopefully, to plan for a return trip very soon.
Amahoro.
Linda V Beardsley
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