Today we had the privilege to see a preschool called "Bright Stars" in action. It is run by two Zambian women, one of whom we met earlier in the week at Fran's house. Fran is a missionary who has been in Zambia for quite some time. Throughout her years, she has taken in/adopted 5 or 6 girls. Nesi is one of them and she is running the school. As with previous posts, I'm not posting photos with the kids' faces, but I am posting photos of the outside of the school (the one with JJ), photos of the "playground" equipment, and a photo of a girl in her school uniform washing her hands before snack.
Although I have no photos of the inside of the school without showing kids' smiling faces, I will tell you a bit about it. Picture two miniature tables, about the width of your kitchen table and the height of less than 2 feet. Then picture 8 or 10 children sitting around it on tiny stools. There were 3 different rooms for the kids... The morning session was divided into 3 year olds, 4 year olds, and "reception," which is basically our kindergarten. The afternoon session had grades 1-3. I helped mostly with the three year olds in the morning. We did not stay for the afternoon session. JJ and I taught the kids how to play "Simon Says" and "Red Light, Green Light" (which we called "Stop and Go"). I learned a new song/chant that I can do with my little ones this year.
Another thing I learned, which was a trend throughout the trip, was to be grateful for what I have. I knew I would be grateful when I saw how the Zambians lived, but I didn't think about how I would feel in a classroom. Especially since we saw the preschool. These kids were packed so tightly together. I used to complain about being in a portable classroom without much space for the kids to play. Well, these kids had NO space to play in their classroom. They had no toys, no housekeeping center, no creative writing/coloring table. It was very different and very sad. I feel even more grateful this year. I have transferred schools. I will get my first indoor classroom and it is large! I am also getting all new equipment and materials. It's amazing how I have been blessed with all of this stuff. Even without all of the toys and materials, these children were still so happy to be at school. I think part of it was because their teachers were happy they were there. In these last two years of teaching preschool, my main goal was to make sure my students knew that I love them. These Zambian teachers seemed to love their students, too. I guess we are not that different after all....
One last thing that I will mention is that a new building is in the works for Nesi and her school.... This photo shows the floor and walls. When more money is earned for it, construction will continue. Hopefully the kids in the new school won't have to be so squished... and maybe, just maybe, they will be able to have room to play :)
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