The Pure Joy Of Crayons & Paper
One day, Dorothy, a primary teacher here, invited me into her classroom. I was able to get some crayons and paper for the children to use at a store about 30 minutes away from here on a day we were able to travel into town. There were not many materials in her room. Just pencils, and small workbooks. I thought about my classroom back in the North Carolina, and how I endless amounts of the supplies I needed. I thought about how blessed I truely was. She also explained to me that she did not have any teaching posters up on the walls. A chalkboard was used as her main teaching tool in the front of the classroom. The windows are holes in this small classroom. The children sit on wooden benches and have benches in front of them for a desk.
When I came into Dorothy’s classroom with the other ladies of my team, I was able to show the children how to draw a self portrait, and then Dorothy aided me in showing them how to create the Kenyan flag. When I came around with the paper and crayon packets, they were so excited to have these materials! You could tell by the way they were taking the crayons out of the packages that they didn’t even really know where to begin or what to do with them. They loved having us come in thier classroom and it reminded me how thankful every teacher should be back in the U.S. to have all the supplies and materials they have. To have such large classrooms, and playgrounds for the children to play on.
The children here who are able to go to school, is only because their parents make sacrafices and make enough money to send them. They also need to purchase school uniforms. Not all children have enough money to attend school here. There was a large group of about 20-40 kids who visited here who were not attending school. It just doesn’t seem fair to me that children and parents back in the United States think that they are entitled to an education, while here they are required to pay. Entitlement is something that needs to change. Realizing our blessings is a great start. The joy of these children as they hold up pieces of paper and crayons displaying their countries flag will remind you of how appreciative they are of the small things. The things we take for granted.
