First Grade recently began a study of Mexico. One afternoon this past week we were talking about the symbols in the Mexican flag and what they mean. Then our conversation expanded to the flags of each of my students' countries and the meaning of the symbols on them. When I got to my Indian student, he described the orange, white, and green bands on the flag quite well. Then he declared, "And it has a wheel in the middle!"
Of course, I asked what the meaning of the wheel was just to find out the extent of his knowledge. "The wheel is there so the Canadians will come!" he said with great excitement. "Oh really???" I think to myself. "Yes," he said, "And they will speak Canadian!"
I'm not going to lie, I laughed out loud then. "O__," I said, "Canadians speak English."
"No, they speak Canadian," O___ insisted.
"O___," I said, "I am Canadian. Canadians speak English."
There you have it, if you happen to be in the Canadian portion of my reading audience and you have felt a sudden desire to immigrate to India, you must be responding to the call of the wheel. Make plans to immigrate now. But before you go brush up on your Canadian, eh!
It was January 2012, I took a picture of my then second graders jumping off the sidewalk. Then just because it was such a fun picture, I immortalized them in black and white as my blog header.
In 2015 those second graders graduated from fifth grade and moved up to Middle School. So just for fun I took another picture, same location, same order. It was amazing that in such a transient community the core group of this class was pretty much the same. Three years later and the picture looks much different.
In May of 2018 my friend Anne organized the graduating Eighth Graders for a jump shot in the exact same order. You can see the group was significantly reduced in number. Of the group of 9 moving on to middle school, only five remained for the shot. Four of the students had returned to their home countries - two permanently and two for home assignment with their families. So in reality out of that core class of 10 that I taught in Second Grade 7 students remain which I would say is still pretty incredible! Not to mention that they have actually been joined by quite a few more students.
And here they all are! The Eighth Grade has adopted a Nigerien cultural practice of dressing up in a uniform to celebrate their graduation. Nigeriens often do this for special occasions such as wedding celebrations or simply to show their identity as belonging to a certain group.
One thing that hasn't changed - they are still a great bunch of kids!
I had a moment of panic last night which has now become the motivation for this post. You see, one of my students last year drew an amazing picture at the end of the year, full of detail and humour and I thought I had downloaded it and so I deleted it off my camera. But then I couldn't find it anywhere on my computer. Thankfully, my external hard drive saved the day and I can share this gem with the world.
My students were reflecting on how God had helped them in the past year and this is what this little guy had to say.
Note the towering stack of paper, the rubbish bin full of scrunched up attempts and the one about to hit the trash. Clearly it was hard work learning to write in Korean!
This little guy is Italian. He came into my classroom with no English at all. He had already begun to learn French so I could communicate with him through that. I have to say I have never seen a student learn a language like this guy did.
Two weeks ago in our Bible class we were reflecting on the blessings that God has given us. One little boy in my class drew a picture of our school - the sports court, Hope Hall, our playground platforms and even our brand new building with its detailed staircase.
It was in the middle of drawing those detailed stairs that I stopped to ask him about his picture. He told me about the first day he came to school to be tested for Kindergarten and how he cried because he was so afraid. How well I remember that day! He was terrified and cried incessantly. The teachers were afraid that he might run away at any moment. "But now," he said, "I'm not scared any more. I feel safe!" What a sweet blessing to hear these words and to know that Sahel Academy is a safe place for learning and growing!
But what happens when our students have to leave?
It was last year at this same time that I found out one of my students was leaving. He had struggled emotionally and behaviourally all year. I had worked with him diligently on some of those really difficult behaviours and seen some huge changes in him. But he was still struggling and needed a closer connection to his father. His mother decided to return to the U.S. It was a wise decision but I remember being so saddened because I knew that he was leaving a place where he was seeing and hearing about Jesus and he so desperately needed the healing that only Jesus can bring. I had no guarantee that he was going to a place where he would continue to hear that good news.
One year later and I just had another student leave. Her father was transferred to Senegal. They have known since before Christmas that this move was coming. Just after finding out, her mother came to me and asked me if I knew of any schools like Sahel Academy in Senegal. What a joy it was to be able to recommend Dakar Academy, a Christian school serving the international community in Dakar!
So on her last day at school we put her in the middle of a big group hug, prayed for her and joyfully sent her on her way, confident that she is going to a place where she will continue to hear the truth of God's love for her.
I'm so thankful that Sahel Academy is just one of many Christian schools serving the international community around the world. It is truly a blessing to know that when our students leave here, God can take them to other schools where the good work He has begun in their lives here can continue there!
Would you consider praying each day this February for Sahel Academy and other international Christian schools like it? These schools play a critical role in the building of God's kingdom in the hearts of their students and in the countries in which the schools reside. We need God's provision.
For a link to Sahel Academy's specific staffing needs click here. One of those needs is someone who will cover for me while I am away on home assignment next year. Thanks for praying for teachers!
Tomorrow is the first day back to school for us here at Sahel Academy. Back to school always means that there are many new friends to be made. What better time to get some advice from a Second Grader about how to best go about making a new friend! So with out further ado, I give you a short "How To" on making a new friend.
1. First you say hi. Then shake hands.
2. I think you should play with your friend if you want to know him better.
3. Then your friend will have to leave. But don't be sad. He or she will come back tomorrow!
4. Then you can play with your friend after you to to sleep.
5. Later at school in recess, I recommend you play soccer with him.
6. You can teach your friend how to spell April, Saturday, January, May, backstroke. (All words from the Second Grade Spelling book...too funny!)
7. And that's how you make a new friend. The end.
There you go, my friends, get out there and play some soccer and spell some words. Today is a day for making new friends! And by the way, if you happen to meet and make friends with Xopop be sure you tell him he's got quite the cool name!
It's the most wonderful time of the year...Report Card Time! Did I just say that? I'm kidding really but I do enjoy report card time because it's when I discover these awesome little writing treasures in my student's writing folders.
First here are some of my little writers being very serious about the business of writing.
Now for the treasures!
The back story for this one is that one day my electrician (designated student to turn the lights on and off) went into our second classroom where he was to turn the lights on. Sitting right below the light switch was a big black spider. He screeched and immediately went to the other side of the room where he turned on the lights. Meanwhile, I killed the spider and teased him that one day he was going to have to be brave enough to kill spiders for his wife. A day or so after this incident, we went into the room again and he crossed to the other side of the room to turn the lights on. He didn't want anything to do with the scary spider light switch! So after all of that I found this little gem in his writing folder.
Telling it like it is, I would say! I'm convinced there's a brave guy in there somewhere.
This second one just makes me laugh because of his plans for the terrible creature of which he writes...not to mention the way the incorrect spelling of "like" changes everything. :)
"Why I don't like cockroaches they are ugly." And the little guy says, "Down the toilet!"
No argument here, little guy. You've definitely got the right idea!
Every year before the annual NUTS softball tournament here in Niamey, Sahel Academy celebrates spirit week. We break out our nuttiest costumes and our most amazing cheers. Here's a peek into 2015's Sahel Academy Spirit Week.
Monday was Sweets Day. I loved this little guy's fruit salad and then there is the most refreshing sweet of all - Coca-Cola!
I thought the bottle opener was an awesome touch.
Tuesday was Fanatic Day so the kids all dressed to show what/who they cheer for. Here's a picture of my whole class minus one student.
Wednesday was class theme day. We chose to be Minions. I made myself into GRU and even had a bald head. What!!!!
Better than that though was the Benji Minion pictured beside me in this photo. His costume was awesome. He had a bit of a hard time seeing through it which provided some very entertaining moments as he stumbled here and there and tipped from side to side. It was great fun!
Before school started that morning, I could hear my students all the way down the sidewalk and into my classroom yelling, "Banana! Banana! Banana!" You know you're in for it when....
And here's the whole bunch of Minions together.
Thursday was Futuristic Day. For all you saggy pants haters out there - this one cracked me up!
Friday was Sahel Spirit Day and that, of course is when all the fun goes down. For example, First Grade won an ice cream party for being the best dressed elementary class for class theme day. They were over the moon excited!
Then there were the cheers/dances. These guys had been practicing a dance choreographed by one of our seniors for over a month.
And this year the girl's kept the Sahel Academy Haka alive. Go girls! You were awesome!
About 20-25 boys playing soccer on a basketball court. You scan the crowd and see a bunch of them running around wearing the same jersey...Did they call each other? You know, prearrange this somehow?
Not according to them. They just rolled out of bed and simultaneously decided it was Barcelona Day.
Who put me in charge of this little piece of blogland anyway? I've been an utterly irresponsible owner. I'm not sure it's even possible to catch you up so I'm going to hit the highlights.
In October my students made Synonym Rolls and ate Cinnamon Rolls and I hung weird things on my apartment wall just to prove that I do decorate once in a while (a real highlight, I know!).
My First Graders had an awesome cheer for Spirit Week!
In November, my friend Kathy celebrated her 60th birthday. We all enjoyed a night at Parc W and an early morning safari. Kathy is on the left in the blue scarf. She is an amazing lady. My life would be minus a whole lot of laughter without her!
We had a praying mantis and a walking stick join us for the safari. They enjoyed seeing the water buffalo with us which was a first for me!
It was also the first time I had ever seen a baobab tree with leaves on it. They were so colorful that it kind of reminded me of fall.
What's not to love about the dawning of a new day?
November saw the return of my students' Kindergarten teacher. She took time to come in and sing their favorite song from Kindergarten with them and share an awesome book. They were over the moon! If they could, I think they would sing this song every day. :)
We also had a staff retreat during the month of November which was a huge blessing to me personally and to many of our staff. November is also the month of our annual field day but I'm not sure where those pictures have disappeared to.
So I'm off and running trying to catch up. Hopefully, December's highlights will be right around the corner. :)
Who doesn't need a squinty-eyed smile and a laugh or two to brighten up their Monday?
Order up. One squinty-eyed smile coming your way!
As for the laugh or two - this little guy can provide those.
While we were exploring the geoboard and the many ways we could use it he announced,
"I'm making a Chinese word."
"What does it say?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said, "but I've seen it on Chinese tv."
So there you go...if anyone knows what "Chinese" word he has made fill us in.
And my favorite quote of the day came from the same kid as he was putting away his phonics book,
"I love this book!" he proclaimed, "It's educating!"
Why yes it is.
At the end of the day we gave this little one a group hug
and said good-bye for now as she and her family go to join their Dad at home for a little while. We will miss her but we know that it's been hard for them to be separated so we're glad they get to be together again.
We began the day with our traditional soccer game.
The secondary and some staff played while the rest of us watched and cheered.
Midway through the game we were introduced to a new animal called a bush baby or a galago.
Then we moved inside for our closing assembly where these four earned a certificate for saying their verses with no errors. I am especially proud of the little guy on the end next to Miss Carriger who is an English Language Learner and made only one mistake all year!
We finished our assembly with the "Be Happy" dance.
And if you don't feel happy after that then there's always kid writing.
And there you have it another year of "theaching" in the books for Bothers.
The end of March brought on some early goodbyes. For three of my students and their families it was time to close out their stay in Niger. Especially in this place where students are frequently coming and going, it's important to acknowledge those goodbyes. So we combined the goodbyes with our study of matter (liquids, solids and gases) and created some ice cream.
All the ingredients went into a small bag which was placed in a big bag of ice and salt and then there was a whole lot of shakin' going on while the students worked to get the liquids to mix and turn into a solid.
A whole lot of shakin' going on.
Nothing like a little ice cream to take away the sadness of saying goodbye.
The ice cream was so good this kid was covered in it by the end!
