Shikamoo Mzungu

Shikamoo is a greeting which literally means ‘I kiss your feet’. Kids here say it to their parents, teachers, and generally speaking anyone who is older and deserves respect. Girls bend down on one knee when they say it, while boys bow their head.

The expected answer to ‘Shikamoo’ is ‘Marahaba’, which literally means ‘never’, a very meaningful way of replying to a child as it shortens the distance between them and adults as well as showing respect to youngsters. 

Unfortunately, still a beginner in Swahili, it is common for me to get muddled up. During one of my first school visits, a group of young girls came running up to me and affectionately greeted me with ‘Shikamoo’. I sadly answered ‘Ndio’, which means ‘Yes’. Basically, they asked if they could kiss my feet, and I agreed! They looked so disappointed that I will never forgive myself for being so rude!

Mzungu means a ‘person of non-African descent’, and it usually describes a white person. The word comes from a verb that literally means ‘to wander aimlessly’. I love that this could be what was first thought of European explorers when they landed. 

Whenever I arrive at a school at least one child will shout ‘mzungu!’ which prompts all the children to come and gather around me. As soon as I remove the helmet, the excitement becomes unbearable and many children can’t resist the temptation of getting closer and touching my hair or my hand. Then, with a big smile, they all say ‘Shikamoo Mzungu! We kiss your feet, aimless wanderer!’ And now I know to promptly respond ‘Marahaba’ 

My Italian roots 

The approach I have chosen for training the teachers is pretty new. As an Italian who has lived in the UK for over ten years, I have reflected a lot on the process of learning and speaking in another language. When someone says a word I don’t know (e.g. frenzy), the fact that the word is pronounced louder or slower doesn’t really help me understand it. In fact I find it much more helpful when the speaker uses a different word, for example agitated or excited.

This experience has affected the way I teach. Take maths for example, I think that illustrating traditional methods in more gradual or visual ways would produce a similar result to repeating the same word over and over. The problem is in the traditional methods being used, which are too abstract and difficult to visualize, no matter how they are presented.

Although most teachers showed enthusiasm towards the alternative methods I’ve demonstrated and were able to solve the exercises I gave them, I soon realised that they are still far from being able to teach such methods to 50 children.

Teacher struggles 

One reason it’s hard for teachers to take on these new methods is that working conditions are very harsh. Firstly, they are extremely busy. When I entered one staff room yesterday, I was amazed at how many exercise books were piled on desks waiting to be marked! They have little time to spend on practising new techniques.

Secondly, they lack resources and need to deal with more than 50 pupils in one classroom on a daily basis. I remember how challenging and tiring I used to find it to teach just 28 students back in Italy. On top of this stress, the wages are low and the hours long.

Finally, the recent earthquake has damaged several classrooms. There are cracks in the walls and roofs have collapsed, forcing the teachers to work in shifts, which has caused further disruption and extra work.

My plan

I have come up with a new three-pronged strategy to make my techniques as easy as possible for Tanzanian teachers. 

I have pretty much finished part one. During which I’ve visited ten different schools and run workshops with the teachers of grades one to four. In these, I illustrated new practices for explaining basic maths. Before I left I set up group messaging platforms, so that the teachers and I can continue to discuss ideas. 

The second step is ‘co-teaching’, this is where I and each teacher will spend someone time writing up a lesson plan together. Then side by side we will deliver this plan to their class. We will focus on revising topics like subtraction and division, with fun activities for the students to take part in.  This way we can see how the students respond to the methods and find the best way for each teacher to adapt them.

Finally, I will start the actual coaching. Here the teachers will plan and deliver their own lesson, while I will be at the side to provide support and observe them. Each lesson will be followed by a session where I can feedback to the teacher, look at areas they perform well in, where they can improve, and most importantly, how we can make this change long term.  

Making it all worth it 

Going from one school to another on a piki-piki (a motorbike) is hard work! My colleague Alex and I are constantly driving down muddy and dusty dirt roads. Sometimes there is not even a road, just a path in the forest. Then a sign with the name of the school appears, and children, smiling and joyfully running towards us. And in that moment the dust and back ache suddenly disappears! Yesterday, I made a film of one of my journeys for you! You can watch it below. I hope you enjoy it. 

I am loving every moment of my time here, and I hope that you have enjoyed my blogs just as much as I am enjoying writing them. 

Stay tuned for more,

Andrea