"The most fun part of the presentation was watching Mr. Hayward do one of his dance moves. It's all about the hips," said McKenna Sheehan. They squealed when he discussed the need to slaughter your own meat in the country and watched in amazement when Hayward showed students all the labor that goes into gathering and preparing food and water in Zambia. "People in Zambia don't have it easy," said eighth-grader Morgan Hurd, "they can't go on the computer or watch TV all day. They have to work and do physical labor because otherwise they might not have food, shelter or clean water." Hayward addressed global issues and perspectives, asking the students if there could possibly be any benefits to living one's life below, by American standards, poverty level. Students brainstormed possible benefits, the greatest being a more tightly-knit community that works together to meet its goals — a community in which all are respected, supported, and cherished. "I learned a lot about what Zambians are like," eighth-grader Joe Flynn said, "and I also learned if there is a poor person in Zambia he or she relies and depends on neighbors. (In that respect) being poor can be good."
Gregg Hayward visited Hampton Academy to discuss his experiences during the two years he spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia
Eighth-graders 'tour' Zambia
Peace Corps member visits Academy class
By Christina Hamilton
hamptonunion@seacoastonline.com
June 10, 2008 6:00 AM
Caption: Ryan Doherty, an eighth-grader at Hampton Academy, dons African clothing during Gregg Hayward’s visit to the school to discuss his experiences during the two years he spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia.Courtesy photo
HAMPTON — It's not every day that the eighth-graders in my social studies class at Hampton Academy get to see authentic African dancing, wear authentic Zambian clothes, and hear the Bemba language spoken aloud.
That's exactly what happened, however, when Gregg Hayward visited the school last Monday to discuss his experiences during the two years he spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. Through a combination of storytelling, class discussion, videos, slide shows, and even some dancing and celebratory chants, Hayward engaged the students in a lesson about Zambian culture and the mission of the Peace Corps.
Hayward began his presentation by asking students what they already knew, or thought they knew, about Zambia or about Africa in general.
"Africa is a continent, not a country!," some students declared, putting them, according to Hayward, in the 50 percent of Americans who know the difference. Two students, one male and one female, were then dressed up in traditional Zambian clothes Hayward brought with him from the country.
"It was fun when I went up in front of the class and dressed up," said C.J. Wooster, one of the students who wore the clothing. Brandon Ciaramitaro added, "It was especially fun when Mr. Hayward dressed people up in Zambian clothes and they looked a lot different than how we dress here."
The students then had a lesson in communication barriers when Hayward spoke to them in Bemba, one of many languages used in Zambia, and asked them to figure out what he had said. Many students were able to identify the word for "school," but none could identify any other words.
"You can see now how difficult it would be to try to communicate with the people (in Zambia) if I only spoke English," Hayward explained, then told the students how he spent two months before his service learning basic language skills, and then his two years of service becoming more fluent. "Knowing the language was a way to communicate with the people of Zambia, as well as a way of showing respect for their culture."
Hayward used a combination of a PowerPoint slide show with video footage he shot while in Zambia to show students how Zambians make their own bricks to build their own houses and help their neighbors rebuild the straw roofs on village homes.
"I thought it was cool that Zambians make and do everything themselves," said eighth-grader Bailey Harrington.
Classmate Quinn Parker added, "I learned that just to make houses, people in Zambia have to use all the resources around them and can't just go out and get nails and wood. They make their own bricks and make roofs out of cut grass. Reuben, one of Mr. Hayward's friends in Zambia, made 10,000 bricks. It seemed really cool using all the resources around them. There wasn't anything that isn't natural which is great for the environment."
Students also learned about the small schools in Zambia where there may only be two teachers for every 100 students, giving them a new appreciation for the resources they have at Hampton Academy.
Students giggled while attempting to mimic Hayward's Zambian dancing.
"The most fun part of the presentation was watching Mr. Hayward do one of his dance moves. It's all about the hips," said McKenna Sheehan.
They squealed when he discussed the need to slaughter your own meat in the country and watched in amazement when Hayward showed students all the labor that goes into gathering and preparing food and water in Zambia.
"People in Zambia don't have it easy," said eighth-grader Morgan Hurd, "they can't go on the computer or watch TV all day. They have to work and do physical labor because otherwise they might not have food, shelter or clean water."
Hayward addressed global issues and perspectives, asking the students if there could possibly be any benefits to living one's life below, by American standards, poverty level. Students brainstormed possible benefits, the greatest being a more tightly-knit community that works together to meet its goals — a community in which all are respected, supported, and cherished.
"I learned a lot about what Zambians are like," eighth-grader Joe Flynn said, "and I also learned if there is a poor person in Zambia he or she relies and depends on neighbors. (In that respect) being poor can be good."
Connor Arsenault added, "It was cool how he told us about the little details, for example, how the community was so close together."
Hayward also used his presentation as a lesson in tolerance.
"I went 6,000 miles to Zambia, but you don't have to go that far to meet new people," he told the students. "Sit next to someone at lunch that you don't usually sit next to or say hi to someone in the hallway. Different isn't bad, so take chances — you'll meet some cool people."
"Before Mr. Hayward, I didn't even know what Zambia was!," exclaimed eighth-grader Ryan Doherty. "He did a great job explaining things."
"What was the most fun about the presentation was learning how the people are really nice in Zambia," said classmate Dylan Emerson, "and our presenter, Mr. Hayward, had some awesome sideburns."
Christina Hamilton is an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Hampton Academy.
