This month me and Sara (one of my team mates) are teaching 2nd grade together. We are working with ABGAF School in the town where we are staying. The school is very different than those in America. The classrooms are much smaller and the children do not have activity books like most 2nd grade kids in the states they need to write everything down. When they make a mistake they will wait for the rub (eraser) since the pencils do not have them on them. They also want everything to be perfect so it takes them a long time to write things down. They also go wild when the teacher is writing things on the board and make noise and hit and kick each other. The school is also very loud and all times since the 1st-3rd grade kids share the same building
There was a day where the teacher said that she would be back by the end of break (Lunch) but she did not show up until noon (when we leave). So me and Sara needed to come up with a lesson plan on the spot. So we decided to do a lesson on if the animal comes from an egg or not an egg. We tried to do a check if they laid an egg but they did not understand what to do. We then did what the baby was called and if it laid an egg or not. I showed the class a picture of a snake with eggs and some of them went crazy and were afraid of the picture and some loved it and still ask to see the snake and the eggs.
On a different day we were trying to teach the kids how to tell time. One of the kids was having trouble understanding it so I tried to explain it to him. I told him ‘If it is in the afternoon and its 1 its 13 hours” I then asked him “what time is it” as I pointed to the clock that was 1 in the afternoon on the paper. I think I went over it 10 times but he still did not get it. By this time the kids were going wild since both me and Sara were very focused on explaining how to do it that we did not notice the dog pile and the kids chocking each other and hitting each other. We then had to stop what we were doing and break up all the fights and we kept a better watch on them.
On the average day we will grade papers and help keep the kids in line and better behaved in class. I bought some school supplies like rubs and pencils and pencil sharpeners to help with the class so the kids all have something to write with. I also bought markers and coloring books for art for if/when the teacher leaves early or needs to go somewhere to do something. During the break we will go outside and find some shade and eat some popcorn and drink a soda and talk or just hang out till the break is over with.
Just a few days before we left there was a fight that caused one of my students to bleed from the back of his head. I did not see what happened (since it was in the classroom and we were on break) but the kid had to go home from school early. Later that day kids started to leave the room in class and did not see why so I went out and had to break up a fist fight. I sent the other kids back to their rooms and made the kid who was fighting to stand facing the corner for 2 minutes. I then had a short talk about what Jesus would do. I asked him if he would rather have me punch him or give him a hug. He said a hug, so I gave him a hug and gave him a bible lesson that he could understand at a 2nd grade level.
On the last day that we were at our location for the moth me and Sarah went to see the kid who got into a fist fight just to say goodbye. We walked to his house but he was not there so we walked back to keep on packing. Sarah left to say goodbye to someone else and he came asking for me. So we took some photos and he asked “Teacha Paul, take me to America” and I told him that he would not fit in my bag and that I would not see him again this year.
Even though they are wild and crazy I love them.
