P.: I’m Pauline, I’m 23 years old, I started teaching last year on July. So I’m one year old in teaching profession.
[Ha scelto di fare la docente perché le piace socializzare con i bambini e divertirsi con loro, potendo trasmettere anche le sue conoscenze.
5
Le scuole sono molto migliorate in confronto al passato, ne sono state costruite tante, sono stati assunti molti docenti.
Bambakofy è una delle migliori scuole per il salario dei docenti, ha delle buone infrastrutture, tutti i bisogni dei bambini sono soddisfatti (dormono in letti comodi, mangiano bene) in confronto ad altre scuole dove si possono trovare bambini mal nutriti che mangiano una volta al giorno. Qui invece si mangia al mattino, alla
10
pausa, a pranzo e a cena.
Anche l’ambiente è molto bello, i docenti lavorano come un team, collaborano, si aiutano a vicenda.]
M.: How do you manage slow learners?
P.: First, you pay more attention, you give them more attention than quick learners. Maybe you have given
15
an essay in the class, you as a teacher you will give more time to the slow learner, you give that child more exercises to do so he can copy to the others.
While you are teaching you will help this kids in answering more of questions so that he or she can learn from the others.
M.: But you give the same exercise or not?
20
P.: The first time you are going to give the same exercise then maybe he or she cannot do the work which others are doing, you give an essay which is lighter compare to the others so that he or she can learn alone. M.: What you think about difficulties of learning? They are positive or negative?
P.: As a teacher they are positive, even a child who does know out for example how to read, as a teacher there are some words you can use so that this child can be able to read. So it will depend on the teacher how
25
positive you will be to the pupil so that you can help this kid to be able to read. M.: And as a student?
P.: As a student now it will depend on the relationship between the pupil and the teacher. Take for example, I’m a teacher and then I have kids in my class and I don’t love those kids. Maybe I shout at them, you know the child will be cowed. So what will happen to that kid, he or she will not like the school, so he will
30
disappear. But despite this kid is a slow learner I show him that he can make it in the school. Definitely that child will have positive attitude towards education.
M.: How do you think your students feel when they have difficulties?
P.: Definitely they feel bad, especially when you give an essay to the pupil and he is defeated to do that essay and he can see the others are doing it. They really feel bad.
35
The good thing with the children they keep on trying, they want to succeed but they feel bad. Sometimes they cry because they are unable to do. Like the other day they were drawing, there was one gale who cried until I do for her the flower, because she was unable to draw and the others were drawing. So it was terrible to her.
40
[Quando ci sono gli esami loro correggono e stilano le classifiche. Poi ai migliori 3 e a colui che ha fatto il maggior progresso vengono dati dei premi. Ma anche durante l’anno i docenti distribuiscono piccoli
incoraggiamenti attraverso commenti positivi nei quaderni, così che il bambino sia motivato nel continuare a lavorare sodo.
Le note vengono date solo agli esami finali o se un docente fa una verifica all’interno della sua classe. Se
45
invece si fanno esercizi al termine di una lezione teorica, vengono corretti e commentati, ma senza un voto. Per la nota finale dell’anno si guarda al risultato dell’esame. Per stabilire chi è migliorato di più si guarda però anche il risultato degli altri esami annuali, così da compararli.]
M.: What you think about competition between students to be the best?
50
P.: In Bambakofy I can see there is much of competition because when we do an exam not one child will become number one, they will be several number one and maybe the child who was number one the last time will not be the number one again, will gets somebody else to replace him or her. So that it show that there is much competition in the class.
M.: And you think that it’s good?
55
P.: Yes it’s good because it encourages others to work hard.
M.: How do you think the slow learners feel when there are the result of the exams?
P.: They feel bad, especially when they are mentioned to be the last one they really feel bad. It becomes hard for them to cope. That is why in most cases we don’t mention them to be the last one because it’s not good definitely, it’s makes them to feel bad.
60
But sometimes it’s good, it will encourage that child to work hard. M.: And how do you manage the last ones?
P.: We encourage them to work hard, maybe the most improved is from the bottom, maybe he or she is position 25, but he or she has managed to improve with more marks compares to the last exam. So we give him award so that he can see “oh I can make it” and he can work hard.
65
M.: How the best students behave with the last ones?
P.: It will depend on the attachment. You know, the funny thing with the kids they have friends, like for example Martina you’re my friend, all the time I will be working with you because you are my friend. Even in the class, maybe the time they are reading, you see them together. So they help each other but is not necessary that number one goes to number 25 and help that child. It will depend on the friendship they have.
70
M.: But is not that maybe number one makes jokes about the last one?
P.: Yes sometimes they do but we don’t encourage that because it demoralizes the other child. So what we do, we encourage them to encourage others to work hard and also to help them.