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Hello friends and family.
What an incredible day today! We headed out of Sikasso City to visit our teachers in the surrounding villages.
The villages were about one hour from Sikasso. We travelled for quite some time on the tarmac but then headed off on a dirt road for a half hour or so so find our first teacher waiting for us with his headmaster. None of the villages we visited have electricity. One of the classes we visited today had 100 students in the class....these were grade 7 students crammed four to a bench. None of the students had text books; the teachers had to write everything on the board. The only resources they have are chalk and the board. And yet, the two teachers I visited had perfect classroom control (the students are very respectful) and did so without resorting to yelling or intimidation. Indeed both were obviously natural teachers.
What really made our day was observing these teachers trying some of the things we talked about in the workshop. They made an obvious effort to ignore the pleas of "Me sir, me sir" in order to better distribute questions and making sure that girls also answered. They waited for students to have a few seconds to think. The tried some of the games and energizers we taught. Best of all, they did so with genuine pleasure. The youngest teacher thanked us profusely, saying that we had awakened something inside of them that they did not know was there. What more could a teacher want to hear?
Are you wondering what a chicken has to do with all of this? You will see two chickens if you look closely! This gift was presented to us by our first teacher of the day. This must represent a considerable sum for these people who, really, have so little. We protested but they would not hear of it. The other pictures show the class with 100 students (you can't see them all in the picture) and the school yard of one of the schools.
We headed home by the dimming light of the setting sun, the trees painted a soft, grey-green, the sky steely grey and the setting sun a perfect white disk, hovering above the trees. It was a particularly lovely end to a wonderfully satisfying day.
100 Grade 7 students in one class!!! I have so much respect for the Malian teachers!
ReplyDeleteThe gift showed a heartfelt gratitude for what you brought to the community.
Kathryn
15/04/10
ReplyDeleteAs we drove to Bamako yesterday, still on the dirt road, we stopped to take a picture. there was a young girl on the side of the road collecting mangoes. She came to the window with 4 mangoes. I thought maybe she was selling and I was starting to rummage for money when Siddi said, "Y"ou must accept them. It's a gift. He explained afterwards that to accept a gift brings happiness. I thought about that afterwards. At first, I thought it brought happiness to the receiver but upon reflection thought of how gift giving brings happiness to all parties and just because people are poor, they should not be denied that pleasure.
patty