"The emphasis now is in the 'software' " ~ Schools 4 Schools

It's been very exciting to be a part of the Teacher Exchange program because of the rich dialogue that I get to have with other teachers; North American and Ugandan. Just last night over dinner several teachers and I were talking about if completely free education creates a culture that doesn't value education as much as they should. And today Robert and I were talking about the effects of 'result-oriented' education; when test scores for me and National Exams for him, rule our curriculum.

I love conversations like this!

However, building into the 'software', investing in relationships and in people, can be hard. It takes time and energy and it isn't always a smooth process because there is no simple plan to follow. During one of our orientations the first week here, the Schools for Schools staff was sharing with us how the shift in their programing is going to be in the 'software', the investment of relationships instead of the buildings.

The IC clubs in the States have worked tirelessly to raise funds to build dorms and flush toilets for all the 11 schools, which is referred to as the 'hardware.' Their work has made a huge impact on the beautification of the schools.

As part of the Teacher Exchange we're now working on building the energy around the schools through our teaching partnerships.