Children!

I have not blogged in a little while, as the children keep us busy!! But some things just have to be shared! As the children not only keep us busy…but entertained also! They have SO many little gems they come out with every day, and I wish I could remember them all well enough to tell you! But here is a small selection…

Each morning, Grade Zero are asked to say their name and one piece of information. On this particular morning – we asked what their mums name is. 2 responses stood out! David: “my name is David, my mums name is Mama David”!! haha. Second…Chido “”my name is Chido, my mums name is Amai (mrs) Taaso!”….to them…this is normal, they commonly do not mention their mothers by name, as for us as English people, we know our mums names! Humorous for us!

Grade Zero are also learning the sounds at the beginning of their names. Greg has introduce a “wiggly dance” which they must do to say their name “G..G…Greg” with a shoulder and bottom wiggle! One child – Keith – is the brain child of this activity, however has not quite grasped the sound of his name and so exclaimed “KiKi Keith!” hence forth from this moment, he is nick named Kiki! Said with a shimmy shake!

In Nursery, they are beginning to learn their alphabet (and learning well!) During the initial stages, they were asked one by one to try and say as many letters as they could..a is for apple, b is for bat and so on….one child stands and exclaim ‘K is for bat, j j bat’ – completely wrong but so entertaining – at least they know there are letters, words and sounds! Just sometimes they can’t quite get the order!!

It has been a delight to teach these children every day, especially with the language barrier causing such an obstacle! There are naturally children with big characters, and some with shy characters. There are also the ones who never seem to listen, roll around the carpet and never speak. However, I was astounded the other day, when such child in Nursery Class, had not been listening, so I chose them to come and say the alphabet to see how much they knew…and was taken aback when he named 14 letters and sounds! It is so good to know that even through personality and language barriers…these children absorb, learn and use everything around them! We may not speak the same language, but God has given us an understanding and a platform to teach on!

We thoroughly love being called Uncle Greg and Auntie Sophie…the atmosphere within the school is such a blessing to us and we gain so much from being with all the children! We can already see phenomenal progress is some children – in Grade Zero, one child had a turn around of 2 weeks from writing scribbles to writing fully formed letters!

I am thankful everyday that we are filled with joy and laughter  and see the rays of light and hope that are shining into this nation through it’s children!

I will endevour to write down humorous moments, in the hope that I can convey them to you!

xx