Personal Interview as told to Abby Dawkins by

 

A former citizen of the Congo

 

Country of birth: Congo

Date of Birth: 1982

Country(ies) attended School: Congo

Name of City or Countryside where school was attended: Kinshasa (capital)

Size or population of the City or Countryside where school was attended: 10 million

Years of Education before coming to the U.S.: Primary and Secondary = 12 years

Date(s) of Interview: November 2006

 

Please answer the following questions, relating to your experience.

 

Education in your home country:

 

1. How old were you when you first went to school?……4 years old.

 

2. For how long did you go? .....Ages 4-6 kindergarten; ages 6-11 primary school; and ages 12 - 17 high school.

 

3. Was there ever a time in your life that you did not go to school? If so, how old were you and why did you stop going to school?……Yes, but only a short break one time because of a civil war.

 

4. What did the classes look like?.... It was very clean and organized because I went to a Catholic girls' school.  The teachers move from classroom to classroom, not the students.

 

5. Did you go to a public or private school? What is the difference?……It was a public school, but it was run by Sisters of the Catholic Church.  There are also private schools.  Only the rich can afford the private schools.  The public schools also require that the students pay school fees determined by a group of parents at the beginning of the school year.

 

6. What did you study?……Administration, Math, French, Music (singing), English.

 

7. How did you review your homework? Where did you study after school?……I did my homeowork in my house.  I did homework and research everyday.  I had to do it everyday because the teacher didn't tell us when we would have a test.  We just had to be ready at all times.  I would study in the veranda in our compound.  It was so quiet.  My brothers would study in their bedroom.

 

8. What do you remember most about your school in your home country?……At my school we all wore uniforms: white shirts, blue skirts. They taught us to be quiet and to respect everybody.  They taught us hospitality and to help others.

 

Structure of education in your home country:

 

9. How many students were in the classes?….. 30-35

 

10. What hours of the day and what days of the week did you go to school?……7:30-12:30 for primary school.  Otherwise, it was 7:30-5:30, Monday through Saturday.  We are on the French system (through Saturday). We would eat at school: a snack break at 10:30, then lunch at 12:30, and another break at 2:30. 

 

11. What kind of materials did you use in class?……Books, pencils, etc. same as here.

 

12. What was the structure of the class? Did the teacher lecture to you, ask the class questions or have you get into small groups?……It is a similar style as here. The teacher would lecture and then ask questions. We could also ask them questions; then we would get in small groups.  If we had more questions, we could ask questions again.

 

13. Who teaches the class? Does anyone else help out the class?…..Just the teacher would teach, but we would have to do a lot ourselves. We would go to the library and read a lot because the next day he would ask questions.

 

14. Who can go to college? What does a person have to do to get accepted into college?……Everybody can go if you apply and they accept you. You show them your transcript.  Your parents have to pay.  In all of the universities you have to pay.  We do not have scholarships like here.  We also have every option of career you like (technical schools).  If you want to be a doctor, you can go to the university.  Three months after you graduate from high school, they put the test results in the city-wide newspaper and if you pass, you can go to college.

 

15. Is the school system the same for boys and girls? What did people in school expect from the girls? Is this different than what was expected from the boys?……I went to a girls' school; my brothers went to a boys' school. I think that the schools were the same because I was able to help my brother with his homework.

 

16. In your mind, how does an excellent teacher talk and behave?……He/she is able to explain a lesson very good. He has to be a good person and a polite person.  He has to know God.  If he knows God it will be transmitted to all of the other things in his life.

 

17. How did the students dress for school?……They wear a blue skirt and a white shirt.  Boys wear blue pants and a white shirt - some with ties.

 

18. Did you have recess? What games did you play?……Yes. We would play rhythm games with our bodies - our legs and arms.  We would play with jump ropes.  We would play these games until the recess would end.  We had recess all the way through high school.

 

19. How did you get to school? Did teachers go to your house?……Sometimes my father would take me. We don't have a school bus like here; it is our own responsibility.  If your father is able to have a car, you have one.  There are many people in the city and there is a lot of traffic.  You have to get up early just to get to school - two hours before school starts.  If you wear a uniform, everybody (on the street) can help you out.  They ask you, "Are you going to school?" and it is safe to go with them and they will give you a ride to your school.  Sometimes they will give you money, but if they refuse, it is okay.

 

20. In school did you sing songs about your country? Can you describe the songs?……Sure. Every Monday the seniors go in front of the principal.  We sing about God, then we pray, and then we sing songs about our country.  We also have a devotion before every class.

 

21. Did you have a flag in your school? What did it look like? What does the flag mean?……It was green and yellow and it means hard work and discipline. The Congo has been independent for 6 years. Before that it was of France and Belgium. That is why we speak French - Belgian French.

 

22. How was religion involved in your eduation?……They taught us to obey our parents, to be polite, to help everyone, and be generous to each other. They taught us how to view any situation and help.  If one of your firends suffers, you help them. The Catholic Church is the largest in the Congo.  We also have Protestants and 1% Muslim.

 

23. How were your parents invovled in your education? Did you parents meet the teachers? Did you have report cards?……They were very involved. Every semester the school calls the parents to explain how they are doing. If your children's grades go down, the parents have to know.  The teacher will call them and explain why.  We had report cards three times a year.  If you go down, the teacher has to know why.  They want the kids to go up instead of down on their report cards.

 

24. In your family, what was more valued - your achievements, career and future, or the needs and desires of your family?……In the Congo, if the children start something, then they have to finish. Our parents were worried about our future. They ask us what we want to do for our future.  Family is also important. In my family, everybody helps. Everybody knows how to cook and must wash their own clothes. If it is your chore to cook or clean, you do it. It is the same for boys and girls.

 

Money and education:

 

25. Did you have to pay for school? How is school paid for?……One trimester at a public school is $500 ($1,500 per year). At a private school it is $800 per trimester.  Your parents pay for school.

 

26. If you can't pay, what did you do?……You don't go to school.  You stay home.

 

27. How do you get money to go to college?……It is paid for by your parents. If it is too far from your house, you also have to pay money to live in a dormitory and eat.

 

28. What if you don't have the money?……If you pay for the first semester and the second you cannot pay, you cannot take your tests or pass your classes.

 

Discipline:

 

29. How were you disciplined in school?……Disrespect to the teacher or to the other students (resulted in disciplinary action). The first time, you stay home for three days and your parents are informed.  The second time - same thing. The third time - done.

 

30. What happens if you don't get the right answer or if you don't do your work?……You get a zero. Every day you have to know the answers.  If you are almost there, the teacher can help you, but if you don't know at all, then you get a zero.

 

31. What happens if you're not in school? Can you skip for any reason?……You can only skip school if you have an appointment or if you are sick.

 

32. What happens if you are late to class?……If you are twenty minutes late, the first time you get a punishment. You have to cut the grass, pull out the weeds, and clean the toilets all day long. The second time you do the same.  The third time you go home.  If you are only one to ten minutes late, you would get a short cleaning job (one or two hours).

 

Ideal teacher, student and classroom:

 

33. What is your idea of a perfect student?……Someone who is intelligent, a hard worker, polite, and curious to know everything.

 

34. As a student, what do you expect from yourself?……To be intelligent, a hard worker, and to help others. In my country if you are a new student (one or two months into school) everyone helps you.

 

35. In your country, how did the teachers act toward their students?……Polite, kind to you, and they respect you.

 

36. How were your teachers trained? Did they go to college? For how long? Were there men and women teachers?……They have to go to college for six years, both men and women.

 

37. What do you need the teachers, students and school to be like in order for you to be happy and comfortable in the classroom?……You need to be in a quiet and clean space with light.

 

Dreams and goals:

 

38. In your home country, what was the most important thing you learned?……Hospitality.

 

39. Who made the most significant impact on your education?……My mother. She asked and helped her children. If they didn't understand, she would talk with the teacher. She always had to know everything.

 

40. If you could, what would you change about the educational system in your home country?……The education is good in my country. I would have bigger libraries in the school.

 

41. What surprised you when you began to go to school in the United States?……The first school I went to, they did not help me. They were not kind or helpful. It (school) is so easy for me. It is not the same in my country; it is hard. It is difficult, but you learn through the difficult things.

 

42. If you could, what would you change about the educational system in the United States?……The children should not use the calculator for easy multiplication. If they are a junior or senior in high school and you have harder multiplication, it is okay, but not the younger children. You have to learn how to think. In my country we learn about the world, it seems that in your country the children learn only about America.

 

43. What educational dreams do you have for yourself?……I want to have and direct my own business. It would be a company of administration on how to save and distribute money. I would like to go to the U of M in Mankato or St. Mary's in Winona.

 

44. What educational dreams do you have for your children or future children?....I will be their example. They will learn more than their mother and pass it on to their children, too.

 

 

top

 

Last Revised

10 June 2008