School Days

 

For the months of September and October, I have enjoyed working at Blessing School For The Visually Impaired. Before joining the staff I knew I would be sitting in on classes and giving assistance as needed, but I didn't count on all the sweet little moments that have meant so much! 

The classes I attend are English, French, Kinyarwanda, Social and Religious Studies, SET ( Science ) and Math. 

In French, classes are taught in mostly French and some Kinyarwanda when needed. I studied some French last year, so I understand a good bit in these classes and I offer support to the students. French used to be Rwanda's second language, then the second language got changed to English. There are many people in Rwanda who speak French and it is a useful language to learn.

In Kinyarwanda, classes are taught entirely in Kinyarwanda. As I am learning more words in Kinyarwanda, I understand the subject of the lessons better, and I can follow along with the lessons more. 

Teacher Franciouse makes sure her students understand what they are learning.

In English class, I help with the pronunciation of words, meaning of words and what is the proper grammar in writing sentences.

In Social and Religious Studies I get to learn more about Rwanda. I also share any information I know about the US, other countries, and about the Bible.

This was a fun hands-on learning experience as teacher Moses taught the Primary 4 students how to make mats.

In Science, I enjoy hearing about the different subjects I had studied in school and I mainly offer support to the students. Here science and math teacher Wellars makes sure that student Emmanuel, who is totally blind, can understand the topic of light angles and reflection.

When it comes to Math, it has always been a difficult language for me to try to understand! 😂 So I offer support to the students and try to pick up some math knowledge at the same time.

The school gets many visitors from organizations who give them encouragement and materials for the visually impaired. 

It was very neat when a group from the Rwandan Bible Society came and gave the students books of the Bible written in braille and solar powered audio Bibles!

I have spent many months learning to read braille by sight, so when a student asks me to check a word I can read it. As I watch them writing I can point out when they need to make a correction. If I give a written assignment I can read their work. I am still very slow when it comes to reading braille, but I am very happy to be of assistance in this area!

On this day in particular I was able to read and help student Josepha understand many words on the topic of carpentry .Because my dad had the hobby of woodworking I saw what he did and the tools he used often. Given that life experience of my dad and his wood hobby, I had knowledge about the subject; God is amazing!

I enjoy all the small moments like sitting and talking with the kids during break times, laughing with the students about the different ways we Americans and Rwandans pronounce words, letting them joy in teaching me new words in Kinyarwanda, and celebrating with them when they overcome hurdles in their schoolwork!

Lastly, it is a joy working with the teachers and the staff. There have been many moments of laughter, getting to know each other, and rejoicing in seeing the students succeed!

I can hardly believe that November is already upon us. In December there is Holiday Break for the schools, and when school resumes I will be up north no longer working with this school in person on a daily basis. I will definitely miss seeing my students every day, but until then I will continue to take in all the moments, big and small, and enjoy seeing them grow!