This first term of the year in Kenya has seen the Transition class fill up to 36 children, around 12 of whom were sent from our satellite project in another area of Kibera. Others have come to the project from the streets or from the surrounding area, hearing about the project through word of mouth. These children have benefited from having a team of three teachers working with them. New teacher Philip has shown himself to be a dedicated, caring and proficient teacher, the boys in the class are particularly enjoying having a male teacher around.
Having a third teacher has enabled teacher Margaret to spend more focussed time with six students who we found to have particular learning difficulties. Margaret has been assisted by some volunteer primary school teachers from the UK and South Africa who have given her some tips and fresh ideas to help the kids grasp the new concepts and the kids are really enjoying it!
Edwin is one such kid, at 14 years old he has repeated the first few years of primary school several times and is far behind his age-mates. Frustrated, he refused to go back to school this year. A little investigation showed he has dyslexia, something that is rarely identified in government schools working with few resources. He is now working hard to catch up and has made huge progress this first term under Margaret's care. A few creative learning techniques have made a great difference to his development.
27 APR 2011