Teaching Tales

Last term, due to disputes over salary, I was the only teacher working in Nagishot. When I returned to Sudan in May, I was happy to discover that four other teachers would be joining me at Faith Nursery School and City on the Hill School, the other mission school in the area, was planning to reopen for the term.

As one could imagine, with the increased teaching staff, the Nursery School’s student population dramatically increased. In my class, P3, we welcomed 15 students.

Our beginning of the term assessment showed that only three students knew how to write their alphabet in entirety and none knew all of their letter sounds. Adding single digit numbers often resulted in not only the counting of fingers, but also of toes! And well, double digit addition was a joke.

However, teaching this class of ten to twelve year olds has proved to be a true joy. They are bright and capable learners.

We had a great start to the term. As of last week, all but two of my twenty-five students could confidently write their complete alphabet! Most know their letter sounds and many are reading ‘at’ words!!! I consider this a double accomplishment on their part as they are not only learning how to read for the very first time, but also how to read in a foreign language.

Teaching the concept of double digit addition with regrouping is never easy. The idea that ten ones is the same thing as one ten baffles most learners. I was getting quite a few blank stares those first few days I introduced the idea.

Then, one morning a few weeks back, I tried explaining the idea using small pieces firewood. Bringing one student up to the front of the room at a time, I would ask them if they wanted to get firewood with me (one of the most common everyday chores for children this age). We spent the morning literally, adding their firewood to mine, binding ten pieces of wood together with a small piece of tape and then sending the child with the wood on their head to the 'tens side' of the classroom. I would be left with the ‘ones’ firewood.

I am not sure how, but this idea simply made sense to my students. Within the day, every student in P3 was successfully adding double digit numbers with regrouping.

After several unsuccessful days of stories, games and activities designed to help my students memorize the days of Creation, I went out on a musical limb (as I happen to be rhythmically challenged) and wrote a Creation song. With unmistakable enthusiasm Philip translated the song into Didinga and lead the class in the call and response song, “On the first day, on the first day…”. The song was a hit that my students sang endlessly both inside and outside of school. I would guess that not only those students in P3 learned the Creation Story, but many mothers, fathers, brothers, sister and neighbors as well.

An apple for the teacher - nope, how about a shish kabob of wild Didinga raspeberries
or a bag of homegrown avocados.

I sure do love my job and my students!!!

Note: yes, I noticed that the fonts on this post were messed up and yes, it is driving me crazy. However, after spending more than forty minutes here in the Loki heat fooling with it, I have decided to let it go....