Being at Christel House for my placement was one of the best experiences of my life. When I first got there I was nervous because I wasn't sure what to expect. I was also excited to get to interact with the learners (students). My first day everyone from teachers, staff, and learners were so welcoming. They made me feel like I belonged there and were there to assist me with any questions I had. I remember when I first walked into Ms. Eveline's grade 1B class all the children greeted me by saying "good morning, Ms. we all hope you have a fantastic day today." It was such a warm greeting. So then I sat down behind the kids who were sitting on the rug and I observed as Ms. Eveline read aloud with them. My first day there I did a lot of observing and corrected some of their math worksheets.
One of the most memorable things that happened that day was when the teacher had stepped out of the classroom to make some photocopies and I was sitting at the back of the classroom as the learners did their work. One of the boys named Setirow, ran up to me gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said "thank you Ms. Cindy," then ran back to his seat. It brought the biggest smile to my face, it was so unexpected, but I wasn't sure what exactly he was thanking me for. And I'm still not sure why he thanked me, but its definitely something I'll always remember.
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| Christel House Grade 1 learners |
Afterwards, I was introduced to tea time it was 10:45a.m. and Ms. Eveline said "ok Ms. Cindy you can go, its tea time." I must've looked at her with the most confusing face because then she said "go enjoy yourself a cup of tea or coffee and be back by 10 past 11." So I smiled and said thank you. I left the class and luckily I found my way to the staff room where I watched everyone make their cup of tea. Everyone there greeted me and asked me where I was from, we chatted for a bit then I decided to go watch the learners play at interval (recess). There was 5 minutes left and I sat on a bench nearby. Then little by little the girls started coming up to me and grabbed my hand and said "hi Ms. Are you from America? Do you know Mrs. Christel? I answered and they were so happy that I came to there school all the way from the U.S. Little did they know I felt honored to have them accept me as one of their teachers. After a few conversations it was time for class again. We all went inside and as they did their work I walked around helping anyone who had questions etc.
My first day at Christel House was filled with smiles, excitement, confusion, but most importantly love. Once the day was over I didn't want to leave, I couldn't believe how fast the day had gone by. But I was glad that I would be back the next day!
Being at Christel House for 8 days was definitely a life changing experience. I really wish I could have been there longer. I thought I would be going there to teach the students, but the students taught me. They taught me to appreciate the little things. They taught me that everyone must stick together because seeing their sense of community was so unreal. They all look out for each other and make sure that everyone is ok, they rarely run to the teachers for help. At such a young age (6 & 7 yrs. old) they are well aware of their surroundings and are extremely bright.
I will miss every single child that I interacted with even ones who simply greeted me on my way to lunch or tea time. I can't wait to come back to Christel House one day.
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| Cindy with Ms Eveline (and her husband) at the Supervisor Thank You Dinner |
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