Final Exam and Saying Goodbye

Final exams in Nigeria are very different from final exams in America, especially when you are saying goodbye to 71 students who have become quite dear to you. This past Friday, I gave my final exam to my students. It was quite the event, and I am very happy that my husband was there to be a part of it. (I had asked him to come and help me proctor the exam.)

The first order of business was announcements. By popular request, I finally gave out my email address. I am hoping to stay in contact with my students. Gifts were presented by me and by the students. The students had taken a collection and were quite thoughtful and generous in showing their appreciation to me. I got flowers and a beautiful wood carving of Africa that I am going to proudly display in a prominent place in my home in America. I also got a unique Nigerian gift: phone credit! (You buy little cards from street vendors worth a certain amount of credit and load it onto your phone - - no monthly bills.) Even more precious to me though were the words of gratitude and affection and prayers said on my behalf. They told me that I had been like a mommy to them . . .I have felt that way about them as well! That makes for an awfully empty nest as we part ways!

The second order of business was a final class picture. This time, I am surrounded by all 71 students (both classes). This picture will also be very proudly displayed in my home!

At last, we got down to the business of taking the final. Exams are very tense events in British system schools. And it is no wonder since they count as 70% of the final semester grade! I am very uncomfortable having so much weight resting on one test, so I gave a very predictable test with directions that are familiar to the students (they have seen them before on our regular quizzes throughout the semester.) Though the examination process is brutal, the grading scale makes up for it: you can have a final average of 40 and still pass the course with a D in the British system unlike our American system schools that allow for a final average of 60. Reconciling these two vastly different educational systems has been a challenge for me while teaching in Nigeria.

One of the most encouraging things to me personally has been the students who have communicated to me what an impact my teaching style has made on them. Some of the students will in turn go on to teach themselves or are already teaching. The classes my students are used to are very teacher-centred: the teacher lectures and the students take notes quietly. There is very little interaction. There is also very little assessment to determine the students’ level of knowledge going into the lecture and very little assessment to check for comprehension during and after the lecture. The idea of meeting the students where they are at, engaging in group activities, and involving the students, in general, is a new thing here. I am excited to think that I might be passing this on to my students.

Lisa