This month in Ghana we are helping teach at a school named Royal Oaks Academy!! On the first day of school we were each assigned a grade that we would be working with this month!!
My assignment this month is Grade 3! I have a classroom of about 20 third graders and they are a lot of fun!! On the first day I taught them everything from English, Math, Science,Twi (the native language of Ghana), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Library class. Let alone after the first day I had to share with the teacher that I did not feel qualified to be teaching some of these classes like a language that I do not speak and many more examples.
So we narrowed it down to teaching Math and Science!!
So now let’s get to the Mango Tree!!
Well you see in Grade 3 we talk about how the earth rotates the sun and how the sun never moves only the earth does.
Now when you have Science at the end of the day and your class really want to go outside you have to figure out how to use outside in my lesson!!
Well you see there is a mango tree in the middle of the court yard at the school! Now in case you did not know Mango Trees do not move but human beings do move!!
So when Science class came I brought my students outside and we made a circle around the tree!! I explained that the sun does not move but the earth does. SO WE ARE GOING TO BE THE EARTH!!!! Is what I said to them. So we circled the tree holding hands.
Then we talked about how the earth takes 24 Hours to fully circle the sun and half that time one side of the earth is not facing the sun. So the new part of my activity was added. The new challenge was to get around the tree in 24 steps. But at step 12 we all had to turn around and have our backs facing the tree because the earth was no longer facing the sun!!
We did this activity for about 30 minutes. It involved a lot of loud counting to 24, laughing, and a group of 20 children and two teachers holding hands circling a tree!!
When we finished the principal of the school cane over to me and asked “WHY ARE YOU DANCING AROUND THE MANGO TREE?”. When I replied I shared about my Science lesson and she said that my creativity was just what they needed!!
This month is a very challenging but also very fun!! It is crazy how much your day can change when you start your day with the thought of TODAY IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!
So I challenge you this week to start every day with the thought of today is going to be AMAZING!!! And as you are going throughout your day you have the choice to make your day amazing and focus on the good or focus on the negative!! It is totally up to you!!!
Love you
Julia
