After three meetings together we really are making progress in the cluster unit in planning for next year. We haven’t actually started to create “the plan” for next year, as I am deliberately engaging my two colleagues in a very slow process of exploring the various issues we have to deal with. I’ve really learned that there’s a big advantage in taking time and giving space to the issues and trying to fully understand them. To my surprise, Meleshew and Mulugeta have responded to this slowness enthusiastically and positively. They have both really engaged with chewing over issues together and, with some gentle pushing from me, are engaging more with series of “why” questions instead of just stopping with the first simple explanation they can think of for why something hasn’t worked. As far as I’m concerned we can keep doing this for the next month if the action plan we finally produce together is one we actually use to guide our work. Some of the suggestions that have come out of this process have been good and point the way towards how we should work with schools next year.

After several aborted attempts we finally got to meet the college academic commission (a bit like a senior management team) on Tuesday morning and share our experiences of working in the college and how we think in-service teacher training and professional development for the staff can move forward. There was a certain amount of interest, pessimism and polite attention and a distinct lack of interest from many in being involved in making some of the better ideas happen. We’ve done our bit and just have to hope that something shifts.

Gill and I are talking a lot about the immediate future. Gill’s placement is still almost non-existent due to ambivalence and sheer crap leadership in the college. She is underutilized, unappreciated and undervalued by the college and is either going to have to find some other role for herself, in Gondar or elsewhere, or perhaps go home early. For me, I’m often bored and understretched, but I’ve been feeling more and more committed to what we can achieve in the cluster unit as time has gone on. After five months I can see how the unit and its support of teachers can more forward and I believe we really can make a difference in the coming year. I’m a bit surprised about how much I care about my colleagues, their development and what we can do for schools, even if trying to work with them all frequently drives me to the edge of tears with frustration and anger. Frankly I’m jaded and tired with dealing with living in Ethiopia and need a break, but I also feel like I have a mission and can make a difference.

Speaking of being driven nuts, yesterday morning provided a good example of what to me, as someone from “the north”, is a crazy way of working. At 10am morning 48 teachers and a school director from Debre Tabor, a town about 50km from Gondar, turned up at the cluster unit to see the model classroom and learn how to make and use resources. They had made no prior arrangement and hadn’t even phoned to let anyone know they were coming. Meleshew and Mulugeta were not around, so I was supposed to just drop everything and “show” them how to make and use all the resources on display and how to use active learning methods. If only it was that easy! Swallowing my irritation, I politely explained to the director that if they made an arrangement with us in advance then we could prepare something useful. Besides, we already have a plan to go to Debre Tabor and work with the teachers in their schools. He finally got the point, apologized and I managed to improvise a 20 min session explaining how we can support them. On the bright side, these teachers were enthusiastic and want help to improve their practice, so full marks to them for dedication. Unfortunately, turning up and expecting attention is how people work here. Making prior arrangements is an alien concept.

Today I’ve done mundane things like make a checklist for Meleshew and Mulugeta to use when we are preparing to deliver training. I also visited Kebele 16 primary school, with Hiwot who delivered some of the science training with me, to observe Loza, a science teacher. Loza’s lesson was really quite good. She used a variety of methods and two demonstrations using simple pieces of kit. The kids (Grade 5) were interested and her manner was positive and encouraging. She impressed me during the training and impressed me again today.