One of Extension's Rising Stars

Katharine Poleynard

Over the years I have enjoyed hearing adult students talk about going back to school. While everyone's experience is slightly different, the common denominator for many of them is that they find themselves looking forward to their time in the classroom because it's a respite from the daily grind. They talk about the pleasure they get from spending a few hours a week doing something solely for themselves, surrounded by people who are also trying to improve themselves or learn something new. Their stories touch my heart and remind me that what we are trying to do here at Extension is of value to people—on so many levels.

But there are levels and there are levels. Meet Katharine Poleynard. She's a 25-year-old UC Riverside graduate who took our TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Summer Intensive Program in 2000. The program teaches students how to teach reading, pronunciation and writing to non-English speakers. The program also covers things like creating lesson plans and how to deal with language differences. The intensive format allows students to earn the entire TEFL certificate in four weeks.

After earning her certificate, Katharine put her training to work as a volunteer in Uganda teaching English to illiterate women refugees from the war-torn Sudan. She says that men value their cattle more than they do their wives and female children in Sudan. Most of the women she teaches are beaten and overworked by their husbands and have to share their husbands with multiple wives.

"These women are up at 5 a.m. to chop wood so their husbands and children can take baths with water heated by a fire. Their days are filled with chores to keep their families fed and clean." The women take time usually reserved for resting to attend Katherine's classes, which she purposefully scheduled during the heat of the day in the afternoon when most Africans are taking a break because that was the only time when these women could attend.

"The English classes become a place where they can get away from life's problems for a few hours a week and enjoy themselves. I see these timid women come alive over time in my classes. Becoming literate and learning English instills in them a sense of hope and self-worth."

Katharine said the TEFL training she received at Extension prepared her for her experiences in Africa. "The classes were small and so there was lots of time for questions," she said. "The class wasn't just theory, it was all about applying what we had learned. I really felt equipped to teach these women."

Katharine said that many of the women don't even know the alphabet of their own language, Acholie. She describes one woman in her classes who told her that her seven year-old son used to make fun of her because she couldn't read. Now that same woman is helping her son with his homework. "Another woman told us that she had never gone to school because her family was always running from the war. She had lost all hope of becoming educated, but now was receiving the opportunity late in life," Katharine said.

"It really has been rewarding teaching these women. It's forced me to stretch and flex in ways I'd never imagined," she said.

Katharine and her husband live in a hut in a community with no running water or electricity. Across the river are lions, giraffes and other wild animals. Malaria in Uganda is equivalent to our common cold. But if you give Katharine a compliment on her generosity and her selflessness, she smiles and says, "I get way more than I give."

This is a vivid example of adult and continuing education touching lives at so many different levels. I hope Katherine's story inspires you to find a way to overcome whatever challenges might be keeping you from pursuing your dreams.

John F. Azzaretto
Vice Chancellor, Public Service and
International Programs; and
Dean, University Extension and
Summer Sessions, UC Riverside