Tanzania Volunteer Teaching Trip | My First Day as Teacher
On my second day in Tanzania, I finally stepped into the role I had travelled so far for. I thought I was there to teach the children, but it quickly became clear that I was the one learning the most.
If you haven’t read the earlier parts yet, you can catch up here:
→ Travelling from Hong Kong to Arusha (IVHQ Experience)
→ The Three Rafikis
The Beginning of My Placement!
After the lively social night the evening before, I dragged myself out of bed the next morning, still a little groggy but full of anticipation. Together with Carolina, a warm-hearted girl from Portugal, I made my way to Greenwich Primary School. We took a local dalla dalla (like ridesharing) to the Milestone stop and walked about five minutes through the dusty streets until the school came into view.
We greeted Alan, the PIC of the school, who gave us a quick tour of the grounds. Every time we entered a classroom, the students stood up together and greeted us with bright voices: 'Good morning, teacher!'
Alan would then ask, 'How are you today?'
And they would reply in perfect unison, 'I am fine, teacher.'
In that moment, it struck me how long it had been, more than ten years, since I had last been on the student side of things. Now standing in front of them as a teacher, a wave of complex yet tender emotions washed over me.
Alan kept it wonderfully simple. 'You can go to whichever class you want,' he said, and then he left, leaving Carolina and me standing there, a little lost. Was that the entire school tour? We had no lesson plans, didn’t know any of the other teachers, and had no idea what the students were supposed to be studying.
Our local host had given us headsup that things here were quite disorganised and very different from city schools, but I still hadn’t expected to improvise so completely on the spot.
The Teachers’ Warmth and Moments Before Lunch
During break time I got to meet some of the other teachers. They were genuinely welcoming and kindly offered me sweet tea along with mandazi, the soft local fried bread. After the break, Carolina headed off to play Musical Chairs with the younger children while I chose to stay with the Grade 5 class.
The moment I walked back into the room, the students eagerly brought me a chair and updated me on where they were in the textbook. They asked me to teach the chapter about compound words. I had been a little worried that a proper lesson might feel dry, but they listened with such focus and raised their hands so enthusiastically. It was a completely different energy from the classrooms I remembered in Hong Kong. As a complete teaching beginner, I felt incredibly lucky to have met such an engaged group of students.
Later, while chatting with them, I learned that the school does follow a timetable, but there are not enough teachers, so staff often rotate between different year groups. That means some lessons have no teacher at all. The children then study on their own or simply play and chat together. It is still better than staying at home, they told me.
The classroom facilities were very basic. Even the blackboard was worn and scarred, covered in old marks that could not be fully erased, so new writing with chalk was sometimes hard to read. Resources here are precious, so I found myself using the chalk very carefully, not wanting to waste even a small piece. It reminded me of my own school days, when we would grab pieces of chalk during break time, doodle on the board, chase each other around and laugh. Breaking a stick of chalk never felt like a big deal back then.
After the lesson, I took a few minutes to share some travel photos and stories with them. Their eyes lit up with excitement and they asked me to teach them Cantonese. The classroom filled with pure, joyful laughter. They even started taking notes, carefully copying each Chinese character stroke by stroke. Seeing their strong willingness to learn moved me more than I can say.
Lunch break soon arrived. The children would continue lessons until three o’clock after eating, but volunteers only needed to stay until half past twelve. Carolina and I caught the bus back to the hotel, where we shared stories with the other volunteers about our very first day in the classroom.
My First Interaction with Students
Carolina decided to start with student introductions, then we played some simple games like Hangman and Musical Chairs. We asked them about their favourite colours and animals and were pleasantly surprised by how well they spoke English. The games worked beautifully with the younger classes, but we realised we would need to think of something different for the older ones.
During lessons, we occasionally heard chickens crowing outside. It turned out the school was right next to some local homes and a small chicken farm. That little unexpected touch made everything feel even more charming and real. At ten o’clock, a metal bell rang outside (they don’t have proper bells), and the children rushed out to the playground in a happy wave. Break time lasted about fifteen minutes, and they queued at a small hut for their porridge.
As I walked across the playground, students smiled and greeted me softly with 'Hello, madame!' The younger girls were especially sweet. Several ran up and took my hand, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by a cheerful little crowd. They looked at me curiously and asked, 'Are you from Chin-na?' (They pronounce it that way.) I smiled and replied, “I’m from Hong Kong.”
The older students had a different question for me. 'Do you know Miss Uny?' I paused for a second, wondering if she was some Hong Kong celebrity I had forgotten. Then it clicked. 'Is Miss Uny the previous teacher here?' I asked. They nodded enthusiastically. My heart felt so warm in that moment. These children were incredibly sweet. They still remembered the Hong Kong teacher who had come before and assumed that because we came from the same place, we must all know each other. I couldn’t help smiling at the thought that one day another Hong Kong volunteer might arrive and hear them asked about my name. What a lovely idea.
