Meeting the students

This was out first day teaching our classes. The children attend the Project either in the morning or afternoon, with both having a mixture of lessons, personal development work and a meal.

My morning class had 16 children. The afternoon class had 36, which proved more difficult as their range of abilities was clearly quite varied. The average age is about 13-15 with a few being in the 11-12 range and some twenty-year olds.

I introduced myself to the group and showed them photographs of my family. Family photos always attract great attention and it was a good way of breaking the ice.

Class-work then covered topics such how to introduce yourself and how to greet someone else. The children then asked me a series of personal questions, which was very entertaining. They started to guess my age with the answers varying from 32 yrs to 52 yrs of age. This was a load of fun, especially for me!

The afternoon group, with different children, followed a similar pattern. The rain was torrential for most of the afternoon, which caused some problems for the 4pm dinner session as the children like to sit out in the sun and take their food.

The following day we covered the correct use of capital letters. I’m trying to involve as many children as possible, but the more able and confident ones always manage to get in on the act. Tedris, the resident social worker, has been coming in at the end of each session to ask questions of the ones he knows are quieter and less able. This is a good check and balance.

On a personal note, Andy and I made our first journey to and from the Project by foot and this has helped us find our bearings and take in more of the street culture. The weather has been kind to us today, sunny all day, as it rained yesterday from 1am till about 4am this morning almost non stop.

The afternoon classes finish at 4pm, when the children get fed. Andy and I have taken to hanging around during this time so that we can have informal chats with the children. We exchange chat about food, football, family at home and school grades, which appear to be very important to the children. With classes of mixed abilities, it is not uncommon for a 23-year old in grade 4 to be sitting next to a 13 year old in grade 7, so chatting in the yard over some food can allow children to open up a bit more freely.

Tommy Dobbin
Wed 1st Aug 2007