Computer Camp: Back to Basics?

This morning, I showed up to the school ready to start day 2. The 2 groups (Mango and Guava) were to switch so that everyone has a chance to sleep in during the holiday. I was surprised to find that they all understood this and my class from the afternoon before showed up at 8:30 am. The time flew quickly again and 3 hours just doesn’t seem long enough. The second group showed up a tad early. They were so excited to get going that they came at 11:30. I had to lock them out of the computer room so I could get warmed up and eat some lunch. They played in the courtyard and some played in the field until 12:30 came around. The afternoon flew by again and 3:30 came so quickly. The learners raced out again buzzing with excitement as they ran home.

At 3:45, I had 2 women show up for the community computer lessons (scheduled from 4-5). My main goal for this class was to teach touch typing and some basic word processing. I was not up for tackling the 6 month program the previous volunteer used and figured this would be a good stepping stone. I have also had many people requesting me to type something for them, so thought it would be a good fit. The 2 women had no idea what the course was for. They said they had paid the money to learn the computer said they knew nothing about the computer, not even how to turn it on.

Ok…new plan…basics first.

It quickly became glaringly obvious that these two women were not being 100% honest. I’m not quite sure where they are at and what they need, but they are not starting from 0 like they claimed. It’s going to be a challenge to figure this one out. In this culture, it is not ok to challenge the teacher or ask questions. It is also acceptable, and expected, to agree with the teacher weather or not you actually do. With this type of mentality, it’s going to be difficult to pinpoint what these women know and what they need to know or want to know. I had a feeling they were really not happy after the first lesson, so we’ll see if they show up again for a second. It is my job to know what is needed and wanted and then fulfilling it. I’m not so sure I’ll be successful with this one.