Hopeland Teaching Experience

I traveled to Uganda to teach at Hopeland Primary School in 2013. I stayed in the volunteer quarters in Lugazi, with Valence and his family staying at their home right beside us. I traveled alone, but met two other volunteers and we quickly bonded and spent weekends traveling together and some evenings walking to the market to eat local snacks like rolexes. Valence coordinated my time at Hopeland Primary School, and we decided that I would work there Monday- Thursday and have Friday as a day for testing or traveling. I taught students in primary 5-7 (equivalent to 6th-8th grade in the US). My experience with the students was one of the most memorable of my life. I brought my laptop, and for most students it was their first time touching a computer. We studied, learned new material, talked, made music videos, sang under the trees outside the school, played soccer in the cow pasture; it was like a wonderful dream. At risk of sounding cliche, I left Uganda as a very different person - more full of life and appreciative of every experience I am offered. I was able to bring so much to my classroom in America and I feel like a different, and better teacher. I returned to stay with Valence with my husband after we were married, and after three years the students called my name when I came back to their classrooms - it was so emotional and I carry their faces in my memory always!