Typical Day at MGS

Here is a theoretical schedule for average MGS student.  There is a lot of structure to the days here and most days follow this schedule.  A notable exception is Wednesdays when classes are over at lunch time and after lunch, students have time for formal debate teams, extra class time for teachers or exams.  Just as a comparison to the average American high school student, I have put a similar schedule for my brothers who are in eleventh grade this year.  Their schedule is not quite as formal and structured as MGS, but it gives a good comparison.  I think one of the biggest differences is the amount of independence the girls show. They do not have a parents to keep them in line and disciplined, so they rely on each other.  They wake themselves up, they clean their own dishes, they do their own laundry, etc 

My brothers’ life		MGS student’s life
	5:30	Wake up in dorm shared with 179 other people. The dorm is hall style with all the bunk beds in one room. Put on uniform.
Mom wakes each one up in his own room, complain that they have to share a single bathroom with each other, have cereal and milk for breakfast, running late so leave dishes for mom	6:00	Start prep time, meaning it is time to study independently!
Labor over clothing decision, catch the bus to go to school	7:00	Time for breakfast consisting of porridge and a hot dog shaped piece of bread
Class starts, the students switch between rooms allowing them to decide which classes they would like to take.  One of my brothers takes band, the other an extra gym class, both take Spanish and technical classes. They choose a math and science appropriate to their level	8:00	Class starts, the students stay in the same room for all their classes and the teacher switches between rooms. All students take entrepreneurship, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, geography, political education, English, Kinyarwanda, and French
	10:30	20 minute break time, then back to class
Lunch time- consisting of the their choice from the school lunch options or packed from home	12:30	Lunch time- Today it is beans, carrots, rice, potatoes and maize meal.
Time to go back to class	1:00	Still sitting with friends or starting to wash own dishes and clean up dining hall
	2:00	Time to go back to class
School is over, go to club, sports or band after school	2:45
Extracurricular time is over, time to go home on the activity bus	4:30	Class is over, time to change into sports clothes for free time. Popular activities are informal basketball or pattycake games
Home, greet parents, grab snack and work on homework until dinner	5:00
Dinner time, time to wash dishes, back to homework after dinner	6:00	Free time is over, time to shower in the communal bathrooms and change into prep clothes (uniform).  Study time until dinner
Done with homework, time to hang out	8:00	Dinner time, consisting of cabbage, carrots, rice, starchy baking bananas and cassava root
Mom encourages them to go get ready for bed	9:00	Dorm is unlocked. Students go and get ready for bed