Memories of volunteering at a Tanzanian school
When I visited my uncle, Fr Maciej Braun, at his mission in Buhemba, Tanzania, in February 2023, I decided to teach English to pupils in Years 4–6 at the local Resurrection School. It was a special experience for me: meeting and getting to know children from a very different cultural background, especially as I teach English in Poland in my everyday work.
Beyond the obvious goal of language learning, I wanted to try teaching lessons in a European style, treating each pupil as an individual, supporting their personal development and building relationships through direct interaction. My lessons therefore centred on dialogue and open-ended questions. This was something of a novelty for the pupils, whose everyday education tends to follow a more collective model, reflecting the local culture.
During lessons, I used a variety of language games and activities, such as throwing a ball to encourage lively communication. The pupil who caught it had to answer a question aloud or respond to a particular communication scenario. The class was very engaged, especially as traditional teaching there relies mainly on copying sentences from the board and repeating material. The pupils enthusiastically acted out dialogues, naturally reinforcing their new vocabulary.
As a teacher, I was surprised by the high standard of their spoken English — in many cases higher than that of their Polish peers. Lessons are taught entirely in English, with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy and writing. What stayed with me most was the children’s remarkable commitment to learning. They take great care with their exercise books, which they usually hand in to the teacher for checking after every lesson. This helps them develop consistent study habits and a sense of responsibility. I was also particularly struck by their exceptionally good manners and the respect, often accompanied by admiration, that they showed their teachers.
But what I remember most happened outside our formal lessons. While we were waiting for the school bus to take the children home, I took some soft pastels out of my bag. I had brought them from Poland so we could make art together. They were completely new to the children. Their curiosity soon turned into focused, excited creativity. We drew together: I sketched their portraits, while they mostly depicted their everyday lives and surroundings. It was a lovely, creative part of our day. I had also brought the game Dobble, which they had never played before. They loved both the colourful illustrations and the way the game worked, which quickly sparked their interest and delight.
Volunteering was not only a cultural challenge for me, but above all a tremendous pleasure. I came away from those lessons feeling that learning had not been a one-way process. I, too, had been a pupil — learning from their openness, joy and simple way of experiencing the world. My brief time in Tanzania left me with something that is difficult to put into words, but that still returns to me as a vivid memory.
Olga Michalska
