An Education on African Education

Last Thursday I had the privilege of visiting an elementary school in a nearby village.  It was quite an education!  For me, that is!  Apparently I was not the only one who wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, as there were 12 of us, I think.  No worries . . . 

Glory, Christina, Phil, Nancy

You're not in Africa unless you have at least 12 in your 8-passenger van!  The ride to the town of Dessa was very bumpy, to say the least, and somewhat like an "Indiana Jones" adventure ride!  We left the main highway and headed north about 30 minutes away.  Soon we could see the little "hats" on the onion storage huts, letting us know people were soon to be spotted, also!

Harvest Storage Huts Ahead

Onion Storage Huts

After winding through the narrow road between mud walls and homes, we spotted the school!  

The 3-Room School

We first visited the third grade class which occupied the concrete room with the blue windows and door.  The approximately 40 students sat at "table-desks" of two and consisted of all boys with the exception of 4 girls.  I saw very few books, but the blackboards which wound around the room were filled with beautiful French writing.  The children stood and sang the Nigerienne national anthem for us.  Each student also stood and said his name for us, but like 3rd-graders everywhere, they were quick to sit back down, and I missed most of the names.  I too-quickly generalized when my thoughts were, "Oh, they are so SWEET!!!"

Third Grade Classroom

Next we visited the 2nd-grade class in the mud - and - brick (middle) classroom:

Second Grade Classroom

No desks here!  Just little children sitting on the ground with a few supplies, slates, etc.  Their teacher (in black shawl) was very young-looking.  I saw no books.  No manipulatives. Children came to the blackboard, pointed a ruler, said something, and sat back down.  There were more girls in this classroom - maybe half girls and half boys?

And finally, we had the chance to see what a K-1 classroom looked like --- in the straw classroom:

Kindergarten/Grade 1 Class

These children also lined the perimeter of the small straw classroom.  The little girls are wearing the head coverings, and the unseen rest of the class was about as many as you see here.

Let's review:

Phil Outside The 3-Classroom School in Dessa

Straw classroom --- Grades K-1;  Mud Classroom --- Grade 2;  Concrete Classroom --- Grade 3;  A husband who will go anywhere in Africa with me --- Priceless!!!

We gave each student a pencil and a "tootsie pop" sucker, and left some for each of the three  teachers, also.  Then we followed the 3rd grade class out for a game of soccer, played with the brand new ball we brought for them:

The Teacher Gets It Organized

The Soccer Field-No Slippery, Ugly Grass Here!

Meanwhile . . . back at the ranch . . . oops, I mean back in the classroom . . .  which was left "teacherless" . . . 

Take A Picture of Me!!!

Everyone wants to get into the picture!  But they all crowd too close!  Finally I got something, but note the contrast:

How Girls Take Pictures

How Boys Take Pictures!!!

This was so funny to me!!!  

And about my earlier thought, "They are so SWEET . . . "  The only girl smiling here, had just succeeded in elbowing and shoving the boys out of the way with the toughness you might see on a football field!!!  I guess they haven't had the "Bully-Proofing" curriculum yet in Africa! 

The two men in the picture below were "school officials" -  one being parent organization president, and one being on the school board, I think.

Watching Out for the Needs of the Children

And the last picture, before my camera ran out of power:

Soccer Shoes

I was "touched" by the boy with the huge shoes.  Usually children wear basic "rubber" flip-flops, but I saw many bare feet.  The plastic shoes, molded to look like "dress shoes" or "fancy sandals" are seen frequently also.  I think these were being passed around to those with no shoes so everyone had a chance to play soccer!  

Just about EVERYTHING here is fascinating and has a "story" to go with it!