My wee grade three class

Grade three is a handful to say the least. Thirty six kids in one class is something you just would not get in the UK. The classrooms here are very basic. A black board, a cupboard for textbooks and metal benches with metal tables attached. There are dirty white walls with some handwritten posters that were put on the wall with PVA glue and are half hanging off the wall.  

(The boys never like to smile...) 

The kids here are great. Full of energy. They LOVE to sing and dance! Some of the best times with my class has been the last half hour of their friday class where we have a singing and dancing session. I even taught them the 'I like the flowers' song. Great fun. In lessons it is cute because they love to be picked to answer a question (they get even more excited if I ask them to write the answer on the board!). They will throw their hands in the hair all saying 'teacher teacher - teacher teacher!' (No matter how many times I have told them that I only want hands up) 

Walking about the school grounds during break is lovely. They are all playing. Football is very popular here (often with 50+ kids playing in one very disorganised looking game). They also play dodgeball (though this tends to be played with rolled up socks or a shoe instead of a ball), a skipping game is played by the girls alot (its hard to describe and I've never seen anything like it in the UK) and they like bottle games. Some of the older kids have tins and various other bits that they use to make music. They sing and dance along and it is so great to watch! 

Here it is still acceptable to hit a child or call them stupid. This has been a big struggle for me. With such a big class when I'm the sole teacher I find that whenever I turn my back to help someone a small fight breaks out. This is because they feel they get away with it as a stern telling off or asking someone to stand outside is not as bad as a small bit of garden hose whacked across their palms. It is a difficult situation I feel like I am handling it well though. 

A big problem with the schools here is a lack of understanding for children who are struggling. Instead of giving the kids who struggle extra help they will just give up on them completely and say they are 'not serious about school' or they are simply 'stupid'. This is a real shame and thats why when I'm with my class I try so hard to make sure all the children are learning. Not just the children who have a greater understanding of the subject. 

Despite these challenges I am loving teaching. I love getting to know the kids and I'm learning so much here. I just hope that I make some kind of difference for the school and the kids. One can only pray. 

My school and our problem

Being a teacher is a tough job in any country (I have witnessed my mum slave over making class materials and marking in the UK). Being a teacher in a country when your only resources are textbooks that often aren't correct and a blackboard it can be quite daunting. 

My school is called Bakau Newtown Lower Basic School. It has 2245 pupils in total. It is a free school and allows children of any religon and background to join. The school simply do not have the staff or classrooms to accommodate all the children at once so they are spilt into the morning shift and afternoon shift. The morning shift has 1450 kids and runs from 8:30 to 14:00 (apart on fridays when they finish at 11:40). The afternoon shift has around 800 pupils and runs from 14:00-20:00. Each class has around 35-45 pupils in. Its a handful to say the least. 

Now, I'm going to jump straight into one of the big problems we face in the school. The water supply to the school is not reliable. The pipe is too small and gives us only enough to water for two small taps for the kids to drink with (even these sometimes don't work). The school has no working toilets and the children go to the loo around the back of the grounds, not far from where they play. This is heartbreaking as we have toilet blocks which are from ARC and Unicef but there is not enough water. To solve this problem the school need to drill a borehole. This is not cheap and the school simply do not have the money to fund this work. I have spoken to the headmistress and people who can do the work. Overall, it will cost around £2000. So, I am starting a fundrasing page (link at the bottom) I would love it if you could share the message, put on bakesales, events or donate. Every little helps (sorry tesco for stealing that). I love this school and want the kids to be as healthy and happy as possible. 

Next post will be about my wee class and the rewards (and many challenges) of being their teacher. 

Thank you so much for reading.

Justgiving page its at the sidebar and here's a link- https://www.justgiving.com/Gvstheworld

Ps - I also just made a facebook page :) check it out in my sidebar and like it if you want... ;) 

It means no worries - a reflective piece

Taking a year out of education is the best thing ive ever done. 

In reality since I left school I have learned more than I ever did when sat behind a classroom desk. 

Dumfries, for those who don't know, is a town in Scotland. It's a place for the judgemental. Everyone is out to please others. It's a place where you can be surrounded by people but still feel alone. Don't  get me wrong it is a great place to grow up, I have made amazing friends and memories there. Even though it was a great place to grow up it's an even greater place to leave. I think every teenager feels like that when it comes to their hometown. 

The first thing I did when I left school was throw myself into work. I loved working. I was motivated to get out of bed and do something that reaps rewards at the end of every month. However, it made me realise how much I want a job I could love! I never want to be stuck doing something that doesn't excite me. It shouldn't be about the paycheck. 

The Gambia has been a game changer. I've been more confident than ever. Before coming here I was hyper and bouncy but confident wasn't a word I'd use for myelf. Others translated my bouncy nature as confident but it's never been how i felt. Here i can sing hakuna matata to a thousand kids, dance like crazy with a skirt covered in bottle tops, a wooden hat covered in beads and feel completly at home. Before I would look at a plate of food and judge it before taking a bite. Since I've arrived here I don't even bother asking whats in the dish before digging in. 

Working in the school has been so rewarding. Especially this one girl who couldn't write or read english at all when I arrived and yesterday she wrote out and read to me 'my name is Fatou'. Ah I could of cried at that moment. 

It makes me wonder of what other changes im going to see in myself after all my travelling is over because this is only the beginning. Making a difference is the most rewarding feeling ever. I want to continue to do good work that makes a real change in peoples lives. 

I've really thought about the lifestyle I want when I get home. I want to be healthier, happier and just be me. I want my life to be full of colour. To be surrounded by people who are postive. I don't want negativity in my life anymore. I've turned to God in a way i never have before. I'm constantly praying and looking to his word for guidance. I want this to carry on once i'm baptised. Acts 2:21 says 'and everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved'. Well im finally calling out loud and clear and ive never felt better. Being a lover of God has made me let go of things that don't matter. His love has given me joy and refreshed my heart in a way that paul talks about in the book of Philemon. 

I love being immersed in the culture here. I am ecstatic about the changes in my life that are to come. I try my hardest to help others and be a person I can be proud of. I am praying that I will walk the path that God has laid out for me. 

I know there is going to be hard times but you learn from every bump.