Mkwiro Charms

The kids of Mkwiro Primary School are hard at work this week, not only with lessons, but with games. There is an exciting energy about the school due to the big games competition between Mkwiro & Wasini Primary next Thursday.

Among the excitement of the children, I have my own little happy news! On Tuesday I co-led a class for the first time. Luckily my co-lead teacher was Madam Jess, who is experienced from teaching in Shimoni over the last two weeks. She calmed me of my nerves and helped to improve my lesson plan for Standard 6.

The class was overall well behaved and studious, especially when asked to write on the board, which is an activity they particularly enjoy.

Teaching is as difficult as I assumed it to be, but wasn’t as intimidating as I’d expected. So long as you keep your confidence and explain things well, the students will learn. There was one point when I was explaining something to do with the definition of overdose or drugs (such is the delightful content of their text books) when I realized I had a class of young children listening & trying to learn from me. It was an intense feeling.

-Mari teaching-

After the class we got some feedback and I prepared a lesson plan for the next day. I co-led with Megan on Wednesday, who has also had some experience teaching over the past week. She was a great help! We recapped words such as arrive and courteous and taught more about the nominal, verbs and adverbs. Standard 4 are known for having a tendency to enjoy a bit of mischief, but were overall well behaved for us. I worked on the feedback I’d received from my previous lesson and improved my technique. That’s one of the great things about teaching in Mkwiro, you learn more as you teach.

I’m looking forward to my next lesson- it’s Life Skills and I am leading on my own for the first time!! I am nervous, but happy because teaching is what I have come here to do and it has turned out to be so rewarding!

Community Volunteer, Mkwiro

Mkwiro Charms