The name of my blog comes into its own!

These last two days I have been actually teaching! A whole class! For the whole morning! By myself! And as a result I have been liberally coated in chalk dust as well as red dust, hence the title of this post.

The two days have been rather different from each other, and I'm glad I had today, because after yesterday I felt exhausted and a bit of a failure. I think I was a victim of 'supply teacher syndrome' in middle class yesterday! Having seen how well-behaved they are with their teacher, and beginning the day with them listening attentively, it was a little bit of a shock how quickly things deteriorated when they'd had enough time to get used to me (about 5 minutes!) They did what I asked them to but they were very noisy about it, and kept asking for the rubber or the toilet - ah, the old tricks! As the morning progressed I started to learn ways of dealing with them - not the same ways as I would use at home - and things mostly improved. In fact I took one child outside the door to have a quiet word and made her cry - oops - but she was really well-behaved after that and she had been a pain before!! As a bonus I think the rest of the class were a bit shocked by how mean I could be when it was needed. My best part of the day was doing a 'creative' lesson where I'd decided to read 'The Gruffalo' (a favourite of mine!) and then get them to draw their own monsters. I drew the characters on the board and named them (ooh just realised that was sort-of pre-teaching like we learnt on the TESOL course I did!) and then began to read... and they were engrossed! They were so quiet! I read but also talked about the story to make sure they understood, and acted bits out for them, and they listened the whole time! I was wondering just how long I could spin this story out as it was so peaceful! Anyway, they did some nice drawings afterwards too so I felt at least that lesson was relatively successful!

So today I had to take the top class. I felt on slightly firmer ground with them because I know them from choir, where I've had to be pretty strict to get them to stay on task and sing rather than mess around! I had prepared a 'fill in the gaps' phonics sheet for them for language, then I gave them zillions of + and - sums for maths (they're mainly doing revision). After long break we had half an hour of music and movement, where I did choir-type stuff and action songs, then we had 'social skills'. I'd checked it was ok to use this time to get them to do a picture of themselves and write a couple of sentences to make a book that I'll send to All Saints (my school in the UK). I managed to explain this to them and get them to understand the task (thank you again, TESOL training!) and the results are quite fun!

 Anyway, it's getting late so I shall leave you with a photo of my extension task from the phonics lesson - not the most thought-out list of words (sea was too difficult) but I was quite proud of my board work with chalk! (By the way that's a hook as used to get fruit down from a tree, before anyone quibbles with it!!)

Creating chaos in baby class!

This is the week when the teachers are visiting the Montessori nursery - so far the visits are going really well. On Monday it was Lucy's turn, so I helped with baby class which she teaches with Elizabeth. I had agreed to do a 'creative activities' lesson before lunch, and I wanted to try a few different activities and let them choose, rather than get the whole class to do the same thing. So here's what I set up:

 A 'graffiti table', covered with a big sheet of paper. Children came and wrote/drew/made marks and patterns with crayons.

'Make a tower out of toilet rolls' (snappy name there!). The children could try to build a tall tower and I also provided them with masking tape so they could attempt to fix the pieces together so their tower wouldn't collapse. This could be developed further but at this stage it was just fun and also good for co-ordination and problem-solving. I heard lots of language too, sadly I couldn't tell what they were saying but I got the impression at least some of them were talking about the task which was great. Also we could re-use the toilet rolls afterwards so it wasn't too wasteful an activity!

'Sand pictures' - ie PVA glue applied with paintbrushes in patterns, then sand sprinkled over the top. Simple but effective and fun - and good for fine motor skill development too I think.

I think she's pleased, don't you?

And finally my old favourite - painting with water. I even found some proper decorating brushes so they were able to choose from a range and explore the different effects created. I encouraged them to paint different surfaces i.e. the wall as well as the floor. The teacher suggested the numbers I think; I tried not to give too many specific ideas otherwise I find they only do those things. Sadly they are already used to restricting their imaginations and copying the teacher even at the age of 3 or 4; I'm on a bit of a campaign to encourage choice and thinking for themselves!

I think they all had fun and enjoyed the different activities. It was possibly quite novel to them to be able to make choices and change activities when they wanted to but they coped well. And I had fun too!

Retreating...

I have mentioned I'm going on the church retreat this weekend. I don't know much about it other than that we are staying at Lukenya Getaway and studying the story of Joseph from Genesis. The overall weekend title is 'Navigating your journey' which seems quite appropriate to me, as I'm on quite a journey at the moment! I originally thought it would be good to go at least partly to get to know people better, which I'm sure will be a feature of the weekend. But as it gets nearer I also think it will be a timely opportunity to reflect on my journey so far, both in England and more recently in Kenya, and take time to listen to where God wants me to go next.

I say timely for a few reasons. The period leading up to me coming to Kenya was extremely busy with all the practical arrangements that needed to be made and there was little time for reflection in the immediate run-up. So the last chance I had to really take time out was in August when I had a few days away in Dorset. That seems a long time ago now! Similarly, although things slowed down to begin with when I arrived here, they quickly sped up again and I had lots to get used to on a practical level; again little time to be still. I am much better at being busy than taking time out, not that this necessarily works well for me, but I find it easier and less intimidating. However, I realise the importance of setting aside time where you haven't got jobs to do and you can focus your mind on the bigger picture rather than the little details. This is one thing I hope to get from the weekend.

Another reason this is timely is that I have been finding things at school tough this week in particular. I try not to write too much about the difficult stuff, as I'm sure it's more fun to read the funny and exciting things - and there are lots of those! But if I'm honest there have been some days where I've doubted what I'm trying to do here and wondered whether I've bitten off more than I can chew. I knew it wouldn't be a straightforward path, coming here to join an established team and try and help them make changes - no one likes change really, and especially when it's coming from someone who's new and unknown. I understand this, and I have tried to be sensitive, but sometimes I still seem to put my foot in it. Also, I have got to a stage where the staff are comfortable enough to tell me what they really think, rather than just saying "yes yes yes" which is often the way here - this is good that they are happy to tell me the truth, it's just a little bruising at times! Anyway, that's another reason I think this weekend has come at a good time; hopefully I'll be able to rest and refocus as well as pray about how I can handle things better.

So tomorrow I shall be off with some kind friends who actually come from Dorset (!) and the weekend will begin!

A few more things I have learnt...

•  Smiley faces on your work are very exciting
•  If you lean your arm on the desk next to a certain child it might get kissed (aww!)
•  You can buy nearly anything at Nakumatt... if you can find it... (phonics cards obtained on a second search of the children's book section!)
•  Kenyan classrooms must be decagon-shaped or something - here is a quotation from the curriculum handbook:

Learning corners
These are centres of interest that children carry on activities that enhance learning. This includes:
a) A theme corner
b) Activity area corners:
      - Language corner
      - Mathematics corner
      - Science corner
      - Creative corner
      - Social corner
      - Outdoor corner
      - Music and movement corner
      - Religious Education corner
      - Life skill development corner

•  You can buy any colour wellie boots (called gumboots) in Karen Provision Stores as long as they are black
•  Once you have bought wellie boots the rainy season will mysteriously turn sunny again
•  After it's been rainy there are more mosquitoes
•  A small gecko can catch and eat a large moth:

•  Geckos go to the toilet a lot, all over the place
•  Going on a safari is surprisingly tiring and unsurprisingly dusty
•  Living at 5 and a half thousand feet above sea level can sometimes make you feel rather tired and quite weird
•  It's time for bed! Goodnight!

In which I (re)discover that I love teaching!

Today was the first day of me taking small groups. I am alternating language groups one day then maths groups the next, one group from each class each day. Well, at least for now. I can already see that if I am going to do this properly I may need to see some groups every day!

So I set off a little earlier than usual this morning and managed to catch the bus and the matatu with no problems (other than bumping my head as per usual when trying to squeeze my way off the matatu!), arriving at school at 8:30. I set up the classroom and a bit before 9 had my first group - four children from the youngest class, including the famous Osman. In fact I had an extra one from the middle class who was sad and refused to go into class but was happy to come in with my little group! We made name cards - I got them to trace over their names - which was interesting as most of them struggled with this. I then played a game where they took a letter out of the bag and said what sound it was. We just focused on the first set of 6 sounds as found in the 'Letters and Sounds' scheme that I've used in England. We said each sound together and I taught them the 'Jolly Phonics' action for each one. Then we used some big paper and felt tip pens (very exciting!) and they all had a go at writing each sound. From this activity I have realised that we need to go through each sound again as they are unsure of many, and they also need practice in letter formation. We may need to do some fun activities to develop their fine motor skills and mark-making too - I feel some shaving foam coming on!!!

After break the next group was three children from middle class. They wrote their own name labels, a task which proved they too will need to consolidate letter formation! We played a similar game with the bag of sounds, and then I got them to write some of the sounds independently for me. I will have my work cut out with them! I tried them with blending sounds to make words but that was pretty hard. With the last group from the top class I did similar activities but we made CVC words (eg cat, sun, hot) with the wooden letters and then I got them to try writing them - this helped me establish the level I at which should be pitching my teaching.

So tomorrow will be maths groups, a different thing altogether. One of my groups is just one student who really struggles, but she is keen to try and I hope we will be able to get somewhere. After school I headed to Nakumatt (the supermarket in Karen that I pass on my way home) and bought some small exercise books, triangular pencils (easier to grip), a maths workbook for this student that I will use after practical activities and some boxes to hold all my stuff! Hopefully as I get used to these groups I will find activities that work really well and I will be able to share these with the teachers. I wonder what they would make of my slightly mad, over-the-top teaching personality though! - I think the children were a mixture of confused and amused! Anyway, I really enjoyed myself today, the children were enthusiastic and had fun and I remembered just why I love teaching so much!

I shall leave you with a picture of my stash from Nakumatt and bid you goodnight - this teacher is tired!

Safari celebration!

I have officially lived in Kenya for a month! In celebration of this (well, actually it was just a coincidence really) I went on safari in Nairobi National Park on Saturday. Su who lives just up from me had a friend to stay and so we all went together with Su's little boy Zac. He was extremely good and we were able to stay all day - from about 9am till 5pm! The park is literally in Nairobi itself, I hear it's the only city worldwide that can claim to have this feature.

By the way, I feel I should mention that things like this which are none-essential are not coming out of the money that I raised as I feel that should be used for my daily expenses and things for school. This is also true of the church retreat which I am going on next weekend. These things come out of my own money, I am trying to be careful about how I use the money I have been given.

Anyway, we entered the park and quickly came across this buffalo:

A well-hidden bee-eater followed:

And then several zebra and hartebeest:

We passed a waterhole with beautiful waterlilies and birds:

And then came the sight that every visitor to the National Park hopes for:

We were alerted to her presence by the fact that a couple of other vehicles had stopped and then she appeared, stalking through the long grass and coming really quite close to us.

Then she crossed the road in front of us and moved off into the grass on the other side and out of sight. Meanwhile a nearby gazelle seemed distinctly unbothered by her presence:

 After that we saw ostriches...

...several baboons...

... a rhino pretending to be a rock...

... some giraffes from a distance...

... and closer-up.

This one was sitting down:

We came to the Athi Dam where we stopped to eat lunch and watch the wildlife around us. There is a big lake so there are lots of animals to see. At the edge of the water were lots of marabou storks... and in the water was... a crocodile!!! At some points he even had his mouth open, but he didn't catch anything that we saw.

Here are some more animals we saw there, including some babies:

I found it hard to stop taking photos of the zebras! Then we moved on and went round some other areas of the park, where we saw more hartebeest, giraffes and rhinos as well as a secretary bird, some vultures and a different stork.

 

It was a brilliant day and an amazing encounter with God's creation. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to experience this beautiful country and its wildlife. And it's possible we may try to organise a trip for the children of Mahali to the park next year - apparently it's been done before using a coach or two and it would be so good for them to see the animals they learn about. Because of their poor circumstances many of them would otherwise never have the chance to go into the park even though it's on their doorstep. Watch this space!

Half term

This Thursday and Friday Mahali Pa Watoto has been closed for the half term break. It's shorter than in the UK but I was still extremely grateful for it, I wasn't feeling too well on Wednesday and it's done me good to have some time to catch up.

On Monday we had our staff meeting after school. I had to lead it which was a new experience! I was pretty nervous but it went really well. The teachers are all very supportive, they had some ideas of their own for things they felt would improve Mahali and it seemed like a constructive meeting. They were also really pleased to hear that I've arranged for them to spend a day each observing in a local private Montessori nursery. Although it is a very different setting from ours, I felt it would be helpful for them to observe a very different way of doing things, particularly with the emphasis on play-based learning, and we can talk about it afterwards and see whether there are any ideas that they would like to use. I know from my own experience that just visiting another school helps you think about what you do and how you could do things even better, and I hope this will be a really useful experience. This will happen the week after next and I will be covering their classes while they go - could be a challenge! Another outcome of the meeting was that the teachers were keen to have individual feedback from me, which I was happy to give them.

At the end of the meeting when we were just chatting

So on Tuesday I wrote up feedback specifically for each teacher, as well as the minutes from the meeting and a few other things, and met with each teacher. I was as nervous as them, as I'm usually not the one giving the feedback, but our chats went well I thought. I did feel pretty exhausted by the end of the day, and my eyes were a bit frazzled with so much time on the computer. Anyway, the next day I overslept and woke up feeling yucky. I made it into school eventually and did the things I needed to but I felt quite sick and didn't eat lunch. I also decided against homegroup in the evening as I felt quite migrainey. Thankfully after some tablets and about 10 hours of sleep I felt a lot better!

Over the last couple of days I've been relaxing, doing washing, getting food shopping (fun fun fun on a crowded matatu with umpteen bags!) and also thinking about next week. I have agreed with the teachers that I'll take groups during the first three sessions of each day, alternating maths and literacy ones. I'm going to take small groups of children who are struggling in class out from lessons and give them some extra help. This should help the teachers but also it will hopefully be an opportunity for me to try out some new ideas such as learning through playing games, and then if they are successful I can pass that on to the teachers.

Anyway, I need to get to bed, there's moths flying round the lightbulbs and it's getting late. More tomorrow perhaps - including safari photos - I had a day out today!

Giraffes!

On Sunday Jon's sister-in-law Annabelle came to visit me. She had been in Nairobi for work and had a free day before she flew back so we organised for her to meet me at church, after which we came back to my place and had lunch, then went to the nearby giraffe centre. It was so nice to have a visitor and also an excuse to go to the giraffes!

Look at that tongue!

Annabelle feeding the greedy one

"Come on, I'm still hungry!"

"What, no more food? This is unacceptable."

So elegant!

There were warthogs too!

Proof that it rains in Kenya too!

Osman's new socks!