School

So... school is very different here. It amazes me how different it is! Here are some of the significant differences:

•  They do not call it grading, they call it "marking". This whole week the learners are taking writing exams. Therefore, there is a lot of marking taking place. Today, Ashley and I graded 180 music tests. This was just one of the exams today, and it took us 2 hours to grade them. Imagine if we were not here to help these teachers! And we think 22 students is a lot... never again.
• Classroom management- How do you manage a class of 45 students? Well, you build up a tolerance to chatting and side conversations. It is inevitable! However, I do not feel like it affects the learning within the classroom. We have not been able to observe the teachers too much because we were given the class on the first day, but we immediately knew that classroom management was not something that they were very familiar with. Corporal punishment used to be used in the schools; however, it has been banned for a couple of years now. Our principal gave us the impression that he thinks that it is a bad thing that it was banned. He said that the students get beat with rocks, sticks, or whips at home, so they need the same forms of punishment at school in order to listen and obey. I believe that they need much more positive reinforcement here! They need goals to reach and standards to strive towards. It has been interesting to watch the students faces when I tell them "Thank you!" for a correct answer. It is an unfamiliar concept. I love it! I want them to know that they are doing a great job! We are working on some ideas that the teachers can implement within their classrooms next year. 
• When you sign the log sheet at school, they call it marking the registry. 
• I love how the students react to a correct answer. Anytime that a students answers a question correct, applause erupts from all 45 students. Therefore, we are constantly clapping! Talk about lifting your self-esteem:)
• There is no review for tests... it is called revision. 
• Time management- In grade 4 we are supposed to switch classes three times a day. However, this never happens. The school is not on a strict schedule at all. The classes just switch whenever the teachers finish what they want to. Therefore, some days you might see all four classes, and other days you might just see two. This gets confusing... Also, the students might just sit for an hour while they are waiting to switch to the next class. Another big difference is the use of time. The teachers do not  stay after school to do work. All of the grading takes place within class. The tests are taken, the teacher grades them while the students wait, the grades are recorded and then they move on. 
• One thing that has been wonderful is the cultural aspect of school. These beautiful people speak very loudly! Our principal, Mr. January, warned us on the first day not to be intimidated or think that the students are arguing. This has been great for me! One of the things that I was trying to work on during my internship was finding my "teacher voice". Well... let me tell you... I have definitely found my teacher voice. It is two words- Forty-five students :)

• Another admirable thing about this culture is their faith. Every morning the students sing, quote scripture from the Bible, and pray in unison. It is a beautiful sound! This morning specifically they had an assembly on the net ball court with all 1,311 learners. They sang, prayed, and then a pastor read scripture and encouraged the students. Another beautiful sound...
• All of the students are supposed to pay tuition to go to school. Every school requires a payment. However, most of the students cannot afford it. Emafini is very understanding and helps the students. However, I believe that this is why they do not have the resources that they need. Therefore, we are working on a fundraiser to support Emafini. Tuition for one student is equivalent to $11.50. Wow! We can provided this amount! Stay posted on how you can be involved!

• Kindergarten is also known as grade R. 
• The students are expected to be completely independent. All of the students get a break from 11:00-12:00. This is their "recess" and lunch time. The teachers get this break as well. The students are on their own the entire time. No one watches them or supervises. Also, at the end of the day the children are just dismissed. They just leave and walk home... It is a completely new experience watching 5 year old children leaving to walk home from school. Also, today one of my students got sick at the beginning of his exam. He began vomiting at his table. I took him outside and comforted him as much as possible. I made sure that he had eaten and my heart broke as I watched him rinse his mouth and take a gulp of the same water that was probably causing his sickness. When we returned to class, he was required to clean up his area. All that I wanted to do was to help him... 

• Everyday, volunteers cook free lunch for the children. Also, woman make different food to sell outside.
• As Ashley and I were leaving school today, we stopped along the way to take some pictures with some precious little ones. As we were walking away, a tiny little girl tugged us and pointed back the a trailer behind the school. A man was waving at us outside the door. We went inside and saw six women making soap in this trailer. They are a group of women who sell soap in order to make an income. They are mothers of some of the students at Emafini. They make soap every single day... I got some wonderful smelling soap! 

I am learning so many things about life, education, needs, wants, faith, and love while I am here in this incredible country.  Amidst the pain and the sadness there is hope and there is joy. The children have joy! They live from a place of hope and it is inspiring. I am beginning to understand what it means to have "childlike faith"...