Kenya 2011: School days

10:30 Tea time

      We have just completed week three of the school term. My team and I have all been assigned a primary class to be teacher assistants--I am class 2 and 3. It's been really fun watching the kids in class and being able to teach some material, but I think my favorite part is getting to know the teachers. At first I was spending a lot of time in grade 2, but Mr Onditi is THE MAN and has those kids in tip-top shape. He is a young fellow of few words but has such a commanding presence--he talks above a whisper and sometimes you can crack a grin out of him. Grade 2 will be chattering away as he reads at his desk, and without looking up he will say in regular talking voice from his desk "Keep quiet" and the kids will respond immediately, bright eyed and sitting stick up. It's hilarious.

      Most of my time, though, is spent next door in grade 3. Mr Guthu is 24 years old and a riot. He too has a soft-spoken voice and fantastic little facial expressions. The kids in there are a bit more energetic and fun to watch, as they like to participate more.

Andrew, Grade 3 

Me, Mr Guthu, Elle and Kristyn

During the school day I either make copies, work on projects, grade, tutor, lead a learning activity, or just sit in the back of the class until I am needed. 

I must say that there are times I want to scream and go up to the board to teach material, especially math. It's hard for the teachers because they are used to Kenyan academics (which is based on memorization) but are given american curriculum. As I tutor, it breaks my heart when kids just can't get the material because the foundations for those concepts somehow were lost in translation along the way. Having taken a class on teaching math this past year, things like addition, subtraction, and units keep coming up and it's SO FRUSTRATING because they don't get the reason why we do certain operations. Things they should know by this age aren't there, like looking at a clock and knowing what time it will be two hours later. But the teachers know what they are doing much more than me, and i'm in no place to criticize--they have some of the hardest jobs. These teachers care so much for their students, both academically and personally, and wake up an hour early just to pray for them. Talk about commitment.

      Us mini-missionaries especially enjoy tea time with the staff, and will usually talk about our mornings as we sit on the benches outside. After tea time the day goes pretty quickly, and we are usually done with tuition (tutoring) by 4pm, at which time most of us either go for walks or runs around the compound. Our evenings have been great, filled with play time, devotions with the cottages, games back at Wageni, and oh so much silly conversation before bed. 

      As our time here is coming to a close (10 days? Craziness), my prayer request is that I could begin a more thorough reflection process. There has been so much that has come about from this experience for me personally and spiritually, and so I plan to make more room in my busy days to really process these things before the Lord. Expect a blog post about it within the next week!

Also, check out this cute video of grade 3 performing at recitation last term: http://vimeo.com/26009677