Back to School

The highlights of all of our training trips are the days that we spend in the local communities.  These visits give our participants the opportunity to teach the lessons that we have shared with them to local people.  In this case, since we were teaching WASH in Schools, we naturally headed to a nearby primary school in Awassa.  We worked with one classroom of 50 children each from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, splitting each into two groups.  Three of our participants taught each group of 25 students.  We selected lessons that we thought would be interesting and appropriate for the age levels, and would also illustrate the variety of teaching techniques to the teachers and staff.

The day was a rousing success!  Our team was able to move around without causing too much distratction (rather, as little as a 6'4" gray-haired farenji can cause) so that we could observe all of the lessons.  In every group, our participants were animated, enthusiastic, and engaging with the students.  The students were very well behaved, eager to contribute and participate, and, of course, full of energy!  Apparently, they also asked some challenging questions!  Our participants reported that the most important lesson they learned was to prepare and prepare some more, never underestimating the students and their knowledge. 

At the end of the morning, the teachers and administrators told us that they were very impressed with both the curriculum and the teaching methods.  This participatory style of learning is unusual in Ethiopia, and they look forward to using it more and more.  As for the students, I think you can tell from the photos what THEY thought about the experience!