“They have no ideas in their heads” said one of the teachers as she grabbed a paintbrush from a boy and started drawing red legs on the torso of the person he’d painted.
“It looks like he’s doing a good job to me” I replied.
Halfway through class I told the teacher, “I want the students to sit across from each other to paint portraits of the person in front of them. Would it be possible for them to move their seats?”
She looked at me like I was crazy, “Yes, it is possible. So you want them to draw people?” She obviously didn’t think they were capable of something so complex.
At the beginning of class I told the students that each of them would be given two squares of sponge to draw shapes on. I would then take the sponges with me, cut them out, and glue them to cardboard, making stamps for them to use next class. I wanted to let them be creative and draw whatever they felt like but the same teacher insisted on drawing some ideas on the board. I drew a handful of examples and she approached the board to draw more. At first it looked like she was drawing a house, but it quickly turned into a cross. Not exactly what I had in mind…
“Yes, I want them to use the watercolors like they did last time and paint a picture of the person across from them.”
After some directions were given in Kiswahili, the students rearranged themselves and started painting. I was blown away by what they produced. I had high hopes for them, but they really surpassed my expectations. Some of these kids have trouble even talking and many have limited motor skills, but you’d never know it by looking at some of their paintings. I think they’re a lot smarter and more creative than they’re given credit for.
“It looks like he’s doing a good job to me” I replied.
Halfway through class I told the teacher, “I want the students to sit across from each other to paint portraits of the person in front of them. Would it be possible for them to move their seats?”
She looked at me like I was crazy, “Yes, it is possible. So you want them to draw people?” She obviously didn’t think they were capable of something so complex.
At the beginning of class I told the students that each of them would be given two squares of sponge to draw shapes on. I would then take the sponges with me, cut them out, and glue them to cardboard, making stamps for them to use next class. I wanted to let them be creative and draw whatever they felt like but the same teacher insisted on drawing some ideas on the board. I drew a handful of examples and she approached the board to draw more. At first it looked like she was drawing a house, but it quickly turned into a cross. Not exactly what I had in mind…
“Yes, I want them to use the watercolors like they did last time and paint a picture of the person across from them.”
After some directions were given in Kiswahili, the students rearranged themselves and started painting. I was blown away by what they produced. I had high hopes for them, but they really surpassed my expectations. Some of these kids have trouble even talking and many have limited motor skills, but you’d never know it by looking at some of their paintings. I think they’re a lot smarter and more creative than they’re given credit for.
When I arrived at Kaaga’s library to set up for Health Club today, I just had to laugh. Two of the Reading Stars posters were laying on the ground and one hung upside down from the wall, attached by three rolls of tape. Not only is the program falling apart figuratively, it is literally as well.
In celebration of Global Handwashing Day, this Saturday, October 15th, I brought in soap for each of the students in the health club and planned a handwashing activity for them. Before going outside I talked to them about proper handwashing techniques: 1) Wet your hands, 2) Scrub with soap for 20 seconds, 3) Rinse with running water.
“OK, now I want you all to practice with me. Turn on the tap,” I said twisting an imaginary knob in the air. No one reacted. “Come on guys, I want to see you practice, turn on the tap.” They laughed as they all reached forward and twisted their hands.
“Now scrub, scrub, scrub. Make sure to get the backs, and in between your fingers, and under your fingernails.” Everyone giggled as they vigorously rubbed their hands together. “Good! Now turn the tap back on and rinse. Don’t your hands look cleaner?” I said holding mine up, obviously joking. They liked that and many did actually check their hands.
“Great! Now we’re going to go practice outside.”
I had the class prefect divide the class into three groups and assigned each group a team captain who was given a bar of soap. I explained the rules of the relay race in which they get in line with the team captain in front. The captain washes their hands first, passes the soap to the person behind them who does the same, then gets in the back of the line. The group whose team captain reaches the front of the line again first wins.
They rushed outside and formed three sloppy lines in front of the tap. Some of them had already started washing their hands when I arrived.
“OK, everybody stop. We haven’t started yet.” They kept going. “Stop! Everyone take two steps back.” Most of them did.
“OK, on your marks, get set, go!” Much pushing ensued. It didn’t work out so well.
In celebration of Global Handwashing Day, this Saturday, October 15th, I brought in soap for each of the students in the health club and planned a handwashing activity for them. Before going outside I talked to them about proper handwashing techniques: 1) Wet your hands, 2) Scrub with soap for 20 seconds, 3) Rinse with running water.
“OK, now I want you all to practice with me. Turn on the tap,” I said twisting an imaginary knob in the air. No one reacted. “Come on guys, I want to see you practice, turn on the tap.” They laughed as they all reached forward and twisted their hands.
“Now scrub, scrub, scrub. Make sure to get the backs, and in between your fingers, and under your fingernails.” Everyone giggled as they vigorously rubbed their hands together. “Good! Now turn the tap back on and rinse. Don’t your hands look cleaner?” I said holding mine up, obviously joking. They liked that and many did actually check their hands.
“Great! Now we’re going to go practice outside.”
I had the class prefect divide the class into three groups and assigned each group a team captain who was given a bar of soap. I explained the rules of the relay race in which they get in line with the team captain in front. The captain washes their hands first, passes the soap to the person behind them who does the same, then gets in the back of the line. The group whose team captain reaches the front of the line again first wins.
They rushed outside and formed three sloppy lines in front of the tap. Some of them had already started washing their hands when I arrived.
“OK, everybody stop. We haven’t started yet.” They kept going. “Stop! Everyone take two steps back.” Most of them did.
“OK, on your marks, get set, go!” Much pushing ensued. It didn’t work out so well.
The prefects team won and I told everyone to stop washing their hands and come back inside. When we got back to the classroom, the number of students seemed to have increased, by a lot.
“Not everyone in here is in Health Club” I said, looking around the room. I called on the class prefect, “Is everyone in here in Health Club?” I didn’t really want to call anyone out in case they’d actually been in my class all along and I just didn’t recognize them (there are 36 kids in the class).
He looked around the room, “Yes, they are all Health Club.” Oh well.
I passed out slips of paper for the Question Box then told them I would give them each a prize for participating in the relay race on their way out of the room. Bad idea. I should have known better.
I walked to the doorway with a box full of soap and the kids swarmed around me. Suddenly there were about 15 hands stuck out in front of me, each of the owners pushing their way closer to the front. I gave out a couple then kids started entering the classroom from outside. This was not working. I have never seen anyone get so excited over soap before.
“Everyone take two steps back! No pushing or no one will get any.” Luckily the class prefect came to my rescue and yelled at everyone to get in line. In the end there wasn’t enough soap for everyone and eight students didn’t get any. I felt really bad and wrote down all their names, promising to bring them some next week.
Question Box:
“how does a pregnant mother feel while giving birth” I have no idea, but I’m sure it hurts a whole hell of a lot.
“If I don’t wash my hands what I will be done”
“what is the soap made of”
“2. In united states is there any germs?”
“which topic is called OBJecTive” Really? I read the objectives every day at the beginning of class.
“what is Germs” We’ve gone over this. I don’t think they listen to me.
“How will you know that germs are moved in your hands”
“what is rinse with running water?”
“And what is so Special on the global washing day” Hmm someone was not amused.
“unable to ask Next time”
“who was the fist people to start the embu crabs how can our hand be clean” Huh?
“what if you wash your hand without water?” Is that even possible?
“(1) what if you eat and you wash you?.... (2) and you wash you hand without a soap?”
Seven students asked me what “global” meant. Another asked me “what is Global and what is health?”. Oh my, this may be hopeless. At the beginning of class I said “It is Global Handwashing Day which means all over the world in all different countries people will be celebrating.” Health Club keeps turning into English class.
My English teacher in high school always told us to proofread our work before turning it in. To illustrate her point, she told us a story about a girl who turned in a paper in which Spellcheck had inserted “pubic” every time she had wanted to write “public”. She said it really changed the meaning of her paper. I can imagine. That’s what I thought of when I got this question:
“can you Teach us how to escape pear-pressure group.”
I wish I knew; I hate being pressured by fruit.
“Not everyone in here is in Health Club” I said, looking around the room. I called on the class prefect, “Is everyone in here in Health Club?” I didn’t really want to call anyone out in case they’d actually been in my class all along and I just didn’t recognize them (there are 36 kids in the class).
He looked around the room, “Yes, they are all Health Club.” Oh well.
I passed out slips of paper for the Question Box then told them I would give them each a prize for participating in the relay race on their way out of the room. Bad idea. I should have known better.
I walked to the doorway with a box full of soap and the kids swarmed around me. Suddenly there were about 15 hands stuck out in front of me, each of the owners pushing their way closer to the front. I gave out a couple then kids started entering the classroom from outside. This was not working. I have never seen anyone get so excited over soap before.
“Everyone take two steps back! No pushing or no one will get any.” Luckily the class prefect came to my rescue and yelled at everyone to get in line. In the end there wasn’t enough soap for everyone and eight students didn’t get any. I felt really bad and wrote down all their names, promising to bring them some next week.
Question Box:
“how does a pregnant mother feel while giving birth” I have no idea, but I’m sure it hurts a whole hell of a lot.
“If I don’t wash my hands what I will be done”
“what is the soap made of”
“2. In united states is there any germs?”
“which topic is called OBJecTive” Really? I read the objectives every day at the beginning of class.
“what is Germs” We’ve gone over this. I don’t think they listen to me.
“How will you know that germs are moved in your hands”
“what is rinse with running water?”
“And what is so Special on the global washing day” Hmm someone was not amused.
“unable to ask Next time”
“who was the fist people to start the embu crabs how can our hand be clean” Huh?
“what if you wash your hand without water?” Is that even possible?
“(1) what if you eat and you wash you?.... (2) and you wash you hand without a soap?”
Seven students asked me what “global” meant. Another asked me “what is Global and what is health?”. Oh my, this may be hopeless. At the beginning of class I said “It is Global Handwashing Day which means all over the world in all different countries people will be celebrating.” Health Club keeps turning into English class.
My English teacher in high school always told us to proofread our work before turning it in. To illustrate her point, she told us a story about a girl who turned in a paper in which Spellcheck had inserted “pubic” every time she had wanted to write “public”. She said it really changed the meaning of her paper. I can imagine. That’s what I thought of when I got this question:
“can you Teach us how to escape pear-pressure group.”
I wish I knew; I hate being pressured by fruit.