Welcome to Preschool!

We have begun to work at a local preschool in the mornings.  The kids know the language of  kinyarwanda.  We are helping the kids and the teachers learn English.  

We arrive at 8am and stay until they go home at noon.  Aimble (ah ma bley) is the teacher who started this school. He has a wife, Beatrice.  He has 2 daughters and an adopted daughter.  He is in a wheelchair after having an accident which left him paralyzed years ago, but that doesn't discourage him from seeking to provide for his family.  He cannot take the wheelchair off his property because the roads are steep and rocky so he stays around his house and the two small classrooms where he teaches.  

He has one other teacher to help him, Janet.  He has one toilet shared by the family and the students - it is a hole in the ground on a dirt floor.  That is typical of homes here.  There is no electricity or running water in the school, but they do have a set of desks/chairs for the middle level class.  The baby level class has only chairs.  They learn for 2 hours and then have recess outside on a short driveway.  After recess, there is another one & a half hours of class and then the students go home.  Can you imagine 40 three and four year olds sitting on wooden chairs in rows for 2 hours while learning verbally only?  Occasionally they can come to the blackboard to do a short assignment.  It's quite amazing, really.  

We brought many boxes of preschool learning books from the dollar stores at home, crayons, pencils, etc... - that should be be helpful.  Aimble has big dreams of building larger rooms, having a real toilet, lunch for the kids, more teachers, supplies, computer, copy machine, etc.... He is just determined enough to do it, I think. 

Enjoy these pictures!

Levi walking home with a little buddy after school.

Mackenzie walking home with her little buddy!

Anna and a couple of new friends

Queeny loved playing with our watches, necklaces & white skin.

Lauren is the best gym teacher!

Mackenzie is so gracious to let the girls play with her hair!

Playing ball in the shade during recess.

This is a circle.  That is a circle..... 

Point to yellow.  Point to red.

Match the shape to the word.

Where is 4?  Where is 7?

This is the "Middle class"

Levi is teaching the vowels.

This is the "Baby class"  All of the students are similar in age
but some are a little more advanced.

Teacher Aimble.  He is so good with the kids!  They don't have many resources
but they are learning well - it seems to be higher level than preschool.