Observing Lessons

This last week I started sitting in on some lessons at one of the local primary schools. The teachers have been so open to allowing me to sit and watch them teach and interact with their students. They understand that I want to learn more about the schools here and what it is like for them as teachers. I believe just sitting in a class will better show me how to encourage and pray for the students and teachers here in Mundri. I have no idea what it is like to teach more than 30 students at a time, under a tree outside where there are dozens of distractions. Even when I taught in Bundibugyo the classes I taught were smaller than average because they were the older students. There were plenty of times I taught large groups games outside, but there was no pressure to meet the goals on the syllabus or prepare students for exams. On Tuesday I sat in on an English lesson where P6 (6th grade or so) students had to match words like impossible, argument, and agree to their correct definition. It seemed like a difficult lesson with lots of guessing. Then on Friday I sat in on a math lesson for P1 students. The teacher had her students pull out some counting sticks they must have crafted at home. She taught the students how to use their sticks, those who had them anyway, for simple subtraction. Then she listed about 5 subtraction problems on the board for students to work on independently in their exercise books. When they finished they all lined up and waited patiently for their turn to meet with the teacher for correcting. This teacher looked at 60+ exercise books during this time! The Lord continues to place a vision in my heart for how he desires for me to be involved in the schools here. He also continues to challenge me and broaden my views and ideas about education to see that different things work in different places.