A day in a life of: A Primary School teacher

“I am an old woman as you see me, a teacher by profession. The subject I teach is mathematics. My work is not manual but still hard. I wake up at 6a.m, prepare breakfast for my husband and my two children, and then set-off by 7:30a.m” says Catherine Bamuramutse. I travel by taxi from home to the school where I teach. The fare is Rwf 150. 

Friday, December 26, 2008
Catherine Bamuramutse.

"I am an old woman as you see me, a teacher by profession. The subject I teach is mathematics. My work is not manual but still hard. I wake up at 6a.m, prepare breakfast for my husband and my two children, and then set-off by 7:30a.m” says Catherine Bamuramutse. I travel by taxi from home to the school where I teach. The fare is Rwf 150. 

By 8:30a.m, I am already in class but before I start teaching, I spare some time to prepare the lessons and organise the children. I try to have them seated in an organised manner and getting them used to sitting in those particular places.

I conduct my morning lessons from 8:30am up to 10a.m when I go for a break. I take tea then have a rest in the staff room.

At 11a.m I again go to class to teach, up to lunch time at 12:00. At this time I sometimes have my lunch at school depending on my evening time table.

When it happens that am to teach in the evening then I automatically have my lunch at school but if am free then I leave for home where I get lunch.

The afternoon lessons start at 2p.m and end at 4p.m. I then head back home. If my program at home is not too fixed after school, I pass via my elder sister’s place where I spend at least an hour depending on how tight her work program is.

When I leave her place I go home straight away and the first thing I do as soon as I reach home, is to have a shower.
After that, I watch television and prepare tea. I also give my children time for us to bond together.

I do not spend a lot of time in the sitting room since I enjoy cooking. I prepare supper which is usually ready by 8:30p.m. I call my husband and my two children to have supper by 9p.m depending on their whereabouts at that time.

I do not immediately go to bed after supper. I make sure I prepare what to teach the following day. This is called lesson planning.After that I go to bed, usually at 10p.m. 

Ends