My alma mater…sort of

• School Name: Nangombe Combined School
• Location: Okahao, Onganjera (Northern Namibia)
• Number of Students: 561
• Number of Teachers: 23
• Number of Computers: 1 (an old machine used only by the secretary and sometimes teachers)
• Other technologies: 1 photocopy machine & 1 duplication machine – both are broken
• Grades: 6 – 10

When I was an undergraduate my father took me back to visit the school and without my knowledge arranged with the principal to have me go into a classroom to talk to students. I agreed (not that it was optional) and ended up having a great time talking to students about everything from doing well in school, to life at the university, music, careers, etc. Although my father passed away a few years ago, I still try to go back to the school when I come home and because it’s still the same principal, it makes the process easier.

On 09 June, I stopped by the school and spoke to the principal about the possibility of going into some of the classes to talk to students and see what they would think of the iPad. The principal agreed, especially because some of the teachers would be attending workshops the following day. Instead of canceling some class periods or finding the students something else to do, it was a greed that I would take over the class periods for the day.

The next post details my experience. It is a bit long, so readers may have to come back to it.