Giant Leaps Forward Every Term

 

It has been a little over a year since we began teaching the children here at our Village. What has evolved is the living out of our principles for teaching/learning of our School of Hope.  As we begin Term 2 of 2009, I look back on the giant steps we have made as each term began.

 

Term 1 – 2008:   We began teaching in the middle of this term with volunteers and using the living areas of the houses where the children lived.

 

Term 2 – 2008:   We hired 2 Zambian teachers and continued using the houses for classrooms, adding the large newly built room of the Guest House – now our living room. We had 3 teaching spaces that we rotated between.

 

Term 3 -2008:  We moved to the 2 classrooms at the Community Center.  There was a rough cement floor, bookshelves, and tables and benches, not painted, and no walls high up so sound traveled easily between rooms.   I set up a "Director's desk" in the big meeting room that was filled with hundreds of boxes and other things that had come over on the first container to arrive.

 

Term 1 – 2009:  The big room was finally cleared out.  The 2 classrooms were painted and the walls extended between the different rooms.  The floors in the classrooms were finished.  We expanded to use the Meeting room, but it was not painted, and had rough cement floor.  (The problem with the unfinished floors is that there is always dust and it is difficult to keep clean.)  We hired a new Zambian teacher and one left, giving us still 2 teachers.  We hired a mentor teacher, experienced for 16 years teaching in South Africa.

We were up to 24 students by the end of the term.

 

Term 2 - 2009:  We are in the process of preparing for this term.  The large room has a finished floor and the walls are all nicely painted.  We have 4 more large bookshelves.  We are using one of the classrooms for an office and have 3 bookshelves loaded with our "library," teacher resources, and supplies.  There are 2 bookshelves in the big room, and 1 in the other classroom.  We have added some desks and chairs for one room. 

 

So it is always exciting to see the children's faces as they see what has been done.  Classes will start next Monday.