Humility is a good teacher

Today was day 1 of professional development/retreat day for UCBC faculty. I have spent the last week and a half planning, reading, talking to students and teachers, re-planning, agonizing, reviewing, revising. Work that used to be second nature to me--facilitating staff development--has been sitting on the shelf for the past several years. In addition, I didn't come here with PD books, resources, readings, or handouts.

Thankfully, this group of 15 was most kind, flexible, and gracious. I'm afraid that I stretched and twisted them far more than is pedagogically appropriate and healthy. But they hung in.

This is the first time I've led professional development in a cross-cultural setting. The mention of a "fishbowl" exercise, was met with laughter from the Americans and quizzical looks from the Congolese. Pets in Congo? And have you every tried to explain why and how someone would keep pet fish in a glass bowl of water? It is an absurd concept!

We did have an "animal" experience today, though. Two goats wandered into the building and bleated and baahed their way through the hallway until someone herded them back outside.

Amazing that even though I thought I understood the context, the experiences, the background, I still missed the mark in some places. Thank goodness for tomorrow and the possibility of redemption.

Although the young men who set up the room today were unsettled when I asked them to change the room set-up, they did oblige kindly. They had arranged the tables in a square--the typical board/meeting room arrangement. I wanted 4 tables in a herringbone pattern, so folks could work around the table, yet see the board. Unable to explain with gestures, I drew out the room arrangement.

We did play a game today. Wasn't sure how it would be received. But "bumpity-bump-bump-bump" was met with great laughter. Ndonga, who teaches the history of African philosophy, among other courses, said that the game helped us to "Not just be teachers."

Am exhausted but fueled with enough adrenaline to figure out plan for tomorrow.