The First Last

A week from tomorrow we go home, which make me incredibly depressed. There will start to be many lasts and many goodbyes. Today I did not have the best day at school and I had to remind the learners that I only have four days left so I have to make the most of it. The day started off with me ending up teaching Life Skills. I usually teach Life Skills once a week, so I had something planned. However, I was just taken a bit off guard by having to teach it. We are learning about study skills, so I had them do an activity that they seemed to enjoy. I read to them a list of fifteen grocery items and then after I was done reading they were to write down as many as they remembered. Then I wrote them on the board and they had a few minutes to look over them and try to remember. We then talked about why they remembered more the second time and then the first. They said that they got to see the items and read them. We talked about how when you are told something once, like by a teacher you do not always remember it. But when you study something it stays with you for longer. We then talked about why it was important to study and how we studied. I also put to use a management technique that the school guidance counselor, who usually teaches the class, uses. When someone comes in late, someone of the opposite sex has to give them a hug. In grade 5 it is a big deal to be hugged by someone of the opposite sex. I have also instilled it for fighting as well. If learners come up to me and say, "So-and-so wants to beat me," I have them hug it out.

I feel like one period today was a major success, and then there were only a couple small successes in other classes. A minute before class my teacher told me she wanted to teach prepositions. So we went over sentences identifying nouns and verbs and some students thought prepositions were nouns or verbs. It was the perfect segue into prepositions. So I introduced them to what a preposition was. Earlier I had been making a teacher's aid and I was going to say "anywhere a mouse can go." However, the learners I was talking with did not know what a mouse was, so I changed it to anywhere an ant can go. I had a giant ant on a piece of paper and I had the students put it in different places. The learners got very excited. One girl put it between her back and her desk. I asked her where the ant was, she smiled and said, "behind." It was just amazing feeling knowing that they understood. I taught the same lesson to two other classes, but they were less focused.

The last period of the day one of my learners came and got me because they did not have a teacher. I asked what class it was and, of course, it was Afrikaans. Except half of the class was missing. It was not a productive period. The other half of the class was "working" with the principal, which consisted of running around and playing around the school. So I would have the learners in the classroom quiet, and then one of the other learners would come in a throw off the whole class. It made my day incredibly unsuccessful. I was incredibly frustrated and down afterwards.

Earlier in the week, I had had my 5E learners write letters to my learners back home. Then my teacher said I should just have my 5C learners do it because they are better communicators. Today during class one of my 5E learners told me that he had finished my letter and he gave it to me. I read it and it made my day worthwhile. This is what it said:

I am Rudolf and you are Brendan. I am very happy for you because Miss. Walker is going to teach you. So I think you are happy to see her and I was so happy to be teach by Miss. Walker. She is the best teacher in the world and I think you must respect her. I also respect her and I respect her so much and I respect her so much I will miss Miss. Walker so much. So you must respect Miss. Walker and I love Miss. Walker as much as you do. 


It made me cry. I am going to be so sad when I have to say goodbye to my learners. Tonight was the first of our goodbyes. Uanee, our Etosha guide, came by for a farewell dinner. When he drove up, Kayla and I ran to his truck and I hugged him and he picked me up with his hug. He is the best hugger and a dear friend, whom I respect and admire a great deal. We were sad to say our goodbyes, but thankful we got to see him one last time. 

Uanee