Day 6 Back in the classroom!

 First of all I need to send out many apologies for my blogging hiatus.  

People actually started asking me if I had deleted them from my blog list.  I was surprised that so many of you actually read my ramblings blog.  I had dinner with my girlfriends and one of them had been wanting to know all about my trip so I asked her if she had been reading the blog.  She said she hadn't had a chance so I started to think that if one of my BFF's hasn't been reading then who is???  You see I can call her out on here because I know she won't be reading this ;p. Maybe I am just writing for my own therapy pleasure. If that's the case, I'm cool with that. Do me a favor...if you do actually read this... click the link on the sidebar (right) to follow my blog. If you follow me you will get updates feed my need for positive reinforcement like a little puppy dog so you won't feel left behind. 

Rest assured peeps I did not delete any of you :).  It was the last week of school before the break,  JT had double ear infections, my house was STILL not decorated for Christmas, and not to mention all of the holiday celebrations I was running back and forth from.  Then, of course the holidays came and I was very happy to just be lazy sit and chill with family and friends.  The holidays came and went and then guess what??? A new year, somebody went out of town long term-AGAIN (if you read you know who I am talking about) and school started back for me and the kiddos.  I am into my week and surviving so I MUST get back to blogging before people unfriend me on FB because they think I have unfriended them on my blog ;).

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen have all left the building but don't worry because Day 6 is here to entertain you...

Before we went to the LCA's (Lifeway Christian Academy) we went to see what a community school looked like.  When we arrived I was stunned. Speechless.  Let me start with a little background info... First of all there is no "public" education system there.  They don't even bother "Waiting for Superman" cause he ain't comin.  The parents pay for the students to attend schools like this...

This visit was probably the most quiet any of us had been the entire trip.  I had to gather myself and pick my jaw up off of the floor.  It was a painful sight.  In case you can't tell from the pictures the room is dark and there is no light except for what comes from the little windows.  All of the children are crammed into one room.  My estimate would probably be 40-50 in one room.  1/2 of the students face one side of the room and the other 1/2 face the other side.  There is a chalk board on the wall.  The writing utensils were scarce and usually consisted of whatever they had found on the road. The paper (if any) was trash that they were writing on.

We were trying not to peer or gawk so we did leave them with some gifts.  There was a woman outside shouting at us to help them.  She would say over and over and over... "That is not a school.  Help us!" She meant that there was no quality, no standard, no hope.

We continued on and finally arrived at our LCA's.  My school had a cinder block wall all around it and a large metal gate.  The school was basically a decent sized house that had been purchased and turned into a school.  There were windows all around and it was bright.  Each room in the house served as a classroom.  Still a bit cramped, but much better than what we had just seen.  There were desks and white boards on the walls.  Materials were still a bit scarce but again, much better than what we had just seen.

The teachers were so excited to show us how they were using what they had learned in training!  They are such fast learners!  Needless to say I was VERY impressed with how they were using their new found knowledge.

After observing the teachers we began to help them with a head-start on testing their students reading skills. This process proved to be a bit discouraging.  After the first 5 students we noticed that most of them can't read words like a, do, the, be.  After testing all of the students I would say the average age that a student could read on some level was around 12 years old.

I can't imagine not being able to read until the age of 12.  So much great literature missed.  Such frustration. So overwhelming.  Where do you begin?

I have to say that I am excited to see how the kids come everyday, try hard, and give it their all inspite of the difficult road that awaits them.  They know they can't read.  They know that reading is important for their future.  They come.  They try.  Actions speak 1000 words.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to teach a lesson in each of the classrooms.  Can we just say humbled?  HUM to the BLED!  There. I just said it.  You see, I am a teacher and I think I can speak for all teachers when I say we get a bit frustrated when we don't have the materials we need to teach a lesson.  We feel unprepared and lost. We NEED our science kits, dry erase markers, Smartboards, computers, and various measurement devices.  Did I mention books??? I won't even go there.  I used to believe that a teachers world would stop spinning if she didn't have shelves and shelves of books.  Guess what?  I went to Zambia.  They had none of these things. Scratch that...each teacher had 1 dryerase marker that had been donated.  The world kept on a spinnin!  Yes sir-y...round and round and round.

Now, on to my lesson...I prepared my lesson ahead of time because hello!!!! I am a teacher and that's how we roll.  Prepared...hahaha!  That's a funny word.  I had no idea how unprepared I was until I walked into that classroom.  I was teaching a lesson on the parts of a flower.  Book to introduce the topic? Nope. Video or picture from the internet to show various types of flowers? Nope.  How about a coloring sheet of a flower? Hahaha...I told a funny.  Alrighty then.  Hmmm...oh it is the rainy season so maybe there is a flower somewhere in all of this red dirt.  Let's go on a field trip! "With the Frizz? No way!" (I know some of you are scratching your heads right now so turn on PBS and watch Magic School Bus or Google the theme song). Anyhow, off we went and SCORE!  Yes indeedy...flowers on the side on the building!  We pulled up a couple and began our lesson.  I successfully taught them about the parts of a flower using nothing but a flower.  Huh...go figure.  I also taught them how to color with the petals of the flower by rubbing them on paper.  Remember...no crayons people.  I got skillz.  A little bit of my inner Bible woman came out.  They did use that stuff to make perfume and make-up ya know.

We left that day exhausted!  I was suddenly fully aware of the magnitude of work that needed to be done.  We were only the first.  We were merely laying the groundwork.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  Amen?  Amen.

That evening we had the pleasure of traveling to the dr.'s house for dinner.  The "Dr." works for the CDC and is studying malaria in Zambia.  He has been there with his family for quite some time and they enjoy it very much.  Their home was impressive.  After the week we had I didn't think there were any "nice" homes in Zambia.  They lived in a row of houses that I believe house foreign dr.'s, business people etc.  There was a large reinforced iron gate and a wall surrounding their home.  When the gate opened we were met by an armed guard.  Once inside we were greeted with chips and salsa.  Oh yea, you read that correctly.  They knew how to greet some Texas folk.  We had a very nice and relaxing evening around the table sharing a Thanksgiving-esque meal.  The next day would be turkey day and we would still be in Zambia so they wanted us to  have some sort of meal that reminded us of home. UmmmUmmmUmmm...G-Double O-D GOOD!  It was hog heaven!  Okay maybe more like chicken heaven since we ate chicken and not ham.

Can you believe we did all of that in one day??? In Texas it feels like our days just fly by.  Before I know it another school year is gone or starting, my husbands a 30 something (I'm still a 20 something- just sayin), my princess is getting ready for Kindergarten and my baby isn't a baby anymore because he's 2 (Today in fact! Happy birthday baby J!).  When we were in Zambia it felt like the day just went on an on.  But in a good way.  I always felt like we had time to accomplish things.  It wasn't like when you go on vacation, go to sleep, wake up, and it's over.  "I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky" (thought I'd throw in a little Boys 2 Men) that God stretched those days out for us.  The best part was that I never had a watch or cell phone to keep time.    I didn't know what time it was and I didn't care.  Even if someone did have a watch we still didn't know what time it was because we kept confusing ourselves with Texas to England to Zambia in the Summer to Current Zambia time.


Tomorrow is a big day with JT's bday party.  Then Sunday is the Barney Live Birthday Bash! So what I am trying to say is don't worry.  I am not deleting you from my blog list.  I shall return on Monday.  If you read my blog that will give you time to read this novel of a post.  If you don't read my blog then it ain't no thang anyway.