When the teachers are taught...

This Friday the teachers of the Glassco School had their first session with Teacher Trainer Mamie Spillane from Tucson, AZ. She is visiting for two weeks to spruce us up a bit. Her background is working with ESL kids from around the world, but mostly Mexican children. She shared with us her skills and methods and brought us up to date on the new method which Ms Mwanza pointed out was once called the old method. Seems you can't keep a good method down and its come around again. We all walked out of that first meeting with a useful tool, a tested game that will keep the children's interest while they learn the alphabet and the sounds the letters make. On Monday she will visit each class and demo a new (old) classroom teaching technique especially useful when your class members are at very different levels of skills.



Whats the chief thing you need to know in order to get property in Zambia?

Since Chishawasha is seeking land on which to build a secondary school and also to build some commercial enterprises, Phillip has been in negotiation with a variety of different people.



The president of Zambia has ultimate control over property in this country and can give it to whom he pleases. This is not often done, except in cases of national interest.



But at our level, you need to know the Chief of the Village and his tribe of the area in which you are interested. But you start at a level below the chief with some gifts. In the past gifts were pretty standard, chickens, a goat and the like. Now days things are more complicated, depending on whether you are of the same tribe as the chief or not. This will determine whether you know what gifts are appropriate or not. Anyway the headman begins the negotiations and receives the initial gifts. With luck, you move up to the Chief who control the property. There may be standard gifts that are expected, or you may actually receive a list of things. You will be pointing out to the Chief all the benefits to the village and tribe that will come with your development of the property. You will include things like the employment of folks, educating their kids, provide an outlet for some local products, etc. So if Chief says yes, it goes to the local council who then will recommend it to the Ministry of Lands who will then issue you a deed for the property for from 14 to 99 years.



Phillip has been in talks with 3 different chiefs of three different tribes, none of which are of his tribe. That means he has dealt with at least 3 different headmen as well. Each step is an interesting story which perhaps he will tell us when he has time.



House number 7 report:

The walls are complete and doors and windows are being framed in and the roof lumber seems to be assembled. This house is growing faster than any of the others.

More Stories:

Story of me
by Ian

My name is Ian Chipwende. I stay at 10 Miles. I am 14 years old.

Mother left me when I was a baby. Now I stay with my grandmother. My father left me in 2003. My brother left me in 2006.

I used to think of my father when he was telling me that "tomorrow you are going to town with me." Now my grandmother tells me that I shouldn't think bad of him otherwise we're going to be mad. Now I remember when he was telling me that Education is good. Yes, its good. When I grow up, I want to be a ZESCO [power company] worker.

Now I like to play with my friends, football, long jump, high jump and to drive a car [?]. Everything I like now makes me happy.

That is the end of my story.


About Myself
by Precious

My name is Precious Shabtubi, I am 17 years old. I was born in 1992. I live in Zambia.

Long ago, I was staying with my mother and father in the village. When my mother was sick, I was crying. My Auntie came and said, "Precious, why are you crying?" "My mother is sick," I said. "Don't cry, your mother is going to be okay." said Auntie. When my mother died, I was sleeping with her.

When someone talked about my mother, I used to cry. I stay with my Auntie or uncle. My father died when I was young, he left me when I was 3. But now I have grown up.

I learn at Chishawasha School. My Auntie is keeping me like her child. I have one brother but no sisters.


The Story of my Life
by Stella Mumba

Hi, I just want to tell you about my life.

You know when I was 7 years old, my grandmom like to tell me stories and I was very proud of what my grandmom told me.

You know when I became 8 years old, my mother died. I was not happy and my grandmom said, "Stella, don't cry too much, you will make yourself sick."

"No," I said, "I just want to know where my mother is. Is she in heaven or perhaps in hell?" "No," my grandmom said, "don't think about that, your mother will be alive really so stop thinking about it."

And grandmom told me that I will buy you a pair of shoes and stocking, "everything you want." And the school you will start from is that Chishawasha Children's Home. My mother died in 2008. And that is the end of my story.

Benefits of the writing of these stories:

Well, these stories have gotten these kids writing in a way that nothing else has. About 99% of their writing is copying. They are not used to thinking about their responses. Any question you ask will be a regurgitation of the last facts they remember, regardless of the question. So we try working on creativity. This writing is a good start.

I can't judge if it has any psychological benefits.

I can judge that it is very helpful for the teacher to know to whom he is talking and not push too hard on a student that lost his/her last parent within the year, for example.

This is Sam blog pressing out of Africa and gathering stories.