Our first day back teaching at Irigithathi Primary went great! We spent the past three days on safari in the Samburu National Reserve and hit the ground running when we returned to Naro Moru Thursday night. This morning, Emily and I started out teaching science class, explaining the states of matter and what happens when their temperatures change. Social Studies was next, with some interestingly Kenya-specific topics. The textbook discussed the various methods of drying fish, the types and locations of forests in the country and their uses, and what do do in dangerous situations like village raids or encounters with rabid dogs.
Science Class with Standard Five
P.E. was next, which basically consisted of tossing the boys a soccer ball and leaving them to their own devices out in the field, and giving the volleyball to the girls, who preferred to play catch or other games. Fortunately for the students, that P.E. class also let out into lunch, so their outside break was longer than usual, for a total of 1 hour and 55 minutes of play.
Standards Four and Five During P.E.
I sat in on Emily’s last class of the day, and the 4th grade students read in unison from the English textbook. After going over some review exercises, Emily taught the kids how to play Hangman, but with different animals in place of a person. Her favorite version was named “Brilliant Butterfly.” This brought the most interaction and excitement from the students we had seen that day, and I took some nice footage of their reactions and smiles.
Emily Teaching English Class
One thing that struck me today while Emily and I were waiting for classes to start was the fact that all but a few students cannot take effective notes during class time. There are generally enough textbooks to share between 2 or 3 students at a desk, but the they rely on visual-only or rote memorization to learn. The simplest and cheapest of pencil and paper supplies could make an enormous difference in getting the students to retain information and perform better on exams, but a steady supply is a luxury they most likely cannot afford.
Social Studies Class with Standard Five
It was great to get back to interacting with the kids. Recess is always a competition for our attention, with most trying out their English on us to show how much they’ve learned, and to ask us questions they couldn’t have in during class. The boys coaxed me to run around the track with them to see how fast I was, and while I easily left them in the dust around the first turn, I ran out of steam around the halfway point, swearing to myself that I would get into shape when I got back home.
Fun During Break
The kids still had fun, and I started them off on a race of their own after a few false starts, and they ran off the rest of their pent up energy. Emily and I left the school long enough before the students were let out for the day and walked back to Batian’s View without our usual following. All in all, a fun day!