This is the class Ariane and I were able to teach at Zakhele care point here in Swazi. If you told me I would be in front of 20 little faces teaching preschool curriculum I would’ve laughed in your face. I think my mother might of laughed even harder. But that is a true fact now. I had to opportunity to teach little 4 years the alphabet, numbers and how to spell their names. Every morning the teacher has them stand up, say their full name, if they’re a boy or a girl, and what preschool they attend. It sounds something like:
“I am Ntsika ________( insert long surname here), I am a girl, I am 4 years old, and I go to Zakhele preschool!”
After they’re done shouting their names, they begin to sing more songs about the seasons, months of the year, days of the week and Jesus. At this point they’re still really cute and I think to myself, “Aww they’re so sweet I could just hug them all forever.” After they sing they run up to Ariane and I, and say “Teacha, teacha!” and throw their hands up towards our tummies and give us big hugs, and my heart melts a little. Then there’s the couple that fight to hold my hand and I think I might burst. Then they start to yell at one another in Siswati and I can see the madness begin.
They all sprint to the bathroom and push and shove one another to get to the toilet first. After breaking up many fights and mean words, everyone gets to potty and then class begins. I know that this is the moment of reckoning. Ariane and I look at one another with somewhat blank stares and say, “ I guess we can start with the alphabet?” I hold up a stick to point to the letters, but the kids seem more interested in challenging our authority rather than learning their letters. It was at that moment I knew we had a worthy opponents.
The anarchy begins and before you know It, we’re pulling kids off of one another, ourselves, and off the tables. I knew we couldn’t last much longer like this and Ariane looks at me with the same look in her eye, that says ‘Lord help us.’ In the next moment, the teacher from the 5 year old class comes over and sets them straight. I promise you at this moment Jesus himself threw us a life line when we were drowning. From this point they were actually somewhat decent human beings and the rest of the day went as smooth as expected to be with 4 year olds. Ariane and I worked well together when it came to thinking of songs to sing, and games to play.
At the end of all this I actually am really happy I experienced what I did with these little squirts. They showed me that you really have to let kids be kids, they’re a lot smarter than I give them credit for sometimes, and they’re as fearless now as they’ll ever be at their age, and that’s something beautiful to be reminded of.
Love,
Alisha
