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So for one of our many activites designed to utilize the language we are learning, we had to actually teach a class of fourth graders.... in Swahili!!! We visited the school on Thursday and decided what to teach, planned our lessons that evening, then returned on Friday to teach!! I taught Swahili.. they wouldn't let me teach English or Spanish! It wasn't too bad... the kids are super obedient. Everytime we walked in the room, they would all stand and greet us "Shikamoo", the greeting used for a younger person toward an older person, a sign of respect. Every time the teacher asked the students a question they would all reply in unison. The class my group taught had 60 children... It was amazing... It's so sad how they have so many students to one teacher; you can only imagine how hard it is for each student to really get the attention they need, especially at such a crucial age.
We should really be thankful in America that we have such smaller classrooms and paraprofessionals in every elementary classroom, because it's definitely a luxury! If one student doesn't understand something, they just don't get to understand it because there aren't enough teachers to help them! Anyways, it was an amazing experience.... the children here are incredible, they have such a yearning to learn... You can really see the difference... when education is so easy to get, we take it for granted, but when not everyone has the luxury of getting an education, they take it so much more seriously and really care about it. Every single one of the students wanted to answer every question so badly.
And books... in the classroom of 60 students, there were less than 10 books... It's so difficult to properly teach kids when they have to try to share a book with five other people! Our education system back home is definitely something we should learn to appreciate!!
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Kim Force
non-member comment
Education
I hear you Tara. It is sad to hear of so many children that are hungry for an education that can not be fully satisfied. It is nice to hear that they desire to learn though. Good luck with your teachings. It is weird how one educational experience can stick with you for life. Just always remember that every lesson helps. :-)