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| Thanks to all who donated a Something Beautiful book for our August training! The teachers loved them! |
With the August teacher training just recently behind us,
Bethany, Melissa, and I are already planning the next training for
October. We will have the same
teacher-participants from the previous training and will build off of skills
from that week. We are still in
the process of deciding the theme of the training, but we know the Sudanese
teachers will be enthusiastic and will rise to every challenge we place before
them. This is undoubtedly the most
interactive and thoughtful group we’ve had to date!
To ensure that we will have the proper supplies and resources for each of our teachers this fall, the educational ministry in Mundri is setting up a sponsorship program for each participant. Join us in helping a South Sudanese teacher attend our upcoming training!
Teachers to Sponsor:
Lextion Ruba (back row, far left): Lextion teaches at
Lendrewa Primary School. He is one
of the more shy students and is less confident with his English, but he is
always brave to raise his hand and give an answer (particularly when reviewing
vocabulary). Unfortunately, he did
not get to receive his certificate on the final day of training, because he was
stung by a scorpion that morning!
(Oh, the things that cause a sick day in Africa…)
Rachel Yunia (back row, blue dress): Rachel teaches Arabic at Mundri II. She is a pro at the language
and can even write in it! She was
one of the more quiet students, always sitting back and observing while the others
chattered away.
Mashiri Aggrey (back row, yellow shirt): Mashiri has much experience in
education, having lived in Khartoum and Juba. He towered over the other teachers and was aptly given the
nickname “big fish” after his role in a class drama. I was grateful for all of his insightful comments during
group discussions throughout the week.
He is currently headmaster at Okari Primary School, which is struggling
to maintain a strong student population.
Julius Nbatala Nyere (back row, black shirt): Julius teaches
at Gullu I Primary. He is a math
teacher and a bonafide riddle king.
He was the first to answer many of the “brain teasers” we put on the
board throughout the week. He
understands the importance of having students use problem solving skills in a
real world context.
Victoria Mayiba Enosa (back row, purple dress): Victoria teaches Nursery at Gyanga
Primary School. She was an
extremely attentive student and sat in the front row with her bff Nabeita.
Nebeita Dawa Eliaba (back row, green headdress): Nebeita teaches Nursery at Miri Magya
Primary School. She is undoubtedly
the classclown, with her dry sense of humor and tall, lanky body that is usually
standing at the front of the classroom, performing in dramas and
demonstrations.
Linda Nichol Yofam (front row, white T-shirt): Linda is another well-experienced
teacher who was so kind as to indulge us crazy kawajas in our planned group
activities and games. She teaches
at Gyanga Primary School.
Mary Nadi Wilson (front row, green dress): This group of participants had a lot of
overachievers, but Mary Nadi takes the cake! She was always one of the first to volunteer, provide an
answer, read in English, and speak during closing ceremonies. She loves catchy visuals, and I have
seen them first hand in her nursery class at Mundri II. Off the record, she is this teacher’s pet.
Linda Malia Otiniel (front row, pink shirt): Linda, like Mary, was another strong
returning participant who teaches nursery school. She was a hard worker and even had to cut out of our
workshops early each day to power walk over to her afternoon classes. She
teaches at Hai Malakal Primary.
Cecilia Enaba Gadi (front row, black and white dress): Cecilia was a new participant who
impressed me more and more as the week went on. She had great English skills and was noticeably focused
during each lesson, soaking up as much new information as possible. She teaches
at Mundri Adventist Primary School.
John Samuel Manya (front row, striped shirt): John was the youngest of the group. He volunteers at Jarangala Primary
School and has the least experience out of the participants. He surprised me with his strong memory
for facts and vocabulary, and was good to always raise a hand during daily
review, despite his shyness and English speaking difficulties.
Elizabeth Silivan (front row, black shirt): It was a joy to teach each day and see
her bright face smiling from the back of the classroom. She impressed us all on the final day
of training when she presented her own model lesson incorporating graphic organizers like we had
discussed earlier in the week!
Talk about applying what you’ve learned! She teaches at Miri Kalanga Primary.
Alison Aboud Kayanga (front row, blue shirt): This man really gave some spice to the
week, freely sharing his opinions, thoughtful ideas, and wise-guy
comments. The best thing about
Alison is that, despite all of his experience, he doesn’t take himself too
seriously. I’d love to see this
man in the classroom. He teaches
at Hai Malakal Primary.
Jesselina Kyila Patrick (front row, gold dress): Jesselina was another one of our
super-sweet, hard-working, ever polite, nursery school teachers. She had a quiet demeanor, but showed
intense focus and concern for education.
She teaches at Baya Primary.
The cost to put one of these teachers through a week-long training is $50. To give, go to S. Sudan Edu. Fund and leave a comment about which particular teacher you'd like to sponsor. Thank you so much for your generosity!
