My excursion to Kenya involved a full two weeks of teaching and working with the elementary students of Kipevu Primary School. Each day involved a circulation amongst classes following the school's daily schedule. Classes that I taught mainly consisted of mathematics and English. Teaching through the use of pictures and songs made the experience that much more intriguing. Connecting with each and every one of the students provided a basis for my overall understanding of the current situations within Kenya. My understanding touches on the scopes of the problems residing within Kenya and the needs of the people of this society.
The learning outcomes that I had success in accomplishing within this experience include having an increased awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth, working collaboratively with others, considering ethical implications of my actions and engaging with issues of global importance. Within the Kenyan trip, I have increased awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth by realizing my strong capability of connecting with younger children. Previously unaware of the fact that I was able to work with children with ease, I quickly adapted to the classroom and discovered that it was possible for me to be a teacher. Another learning outcome that I have gained through this experience included the opportunity of working collaboratively with my peers on this Kenyan trip. Within the classrooms we were in pairs, teaching together. This caused us to rely on one another on how to run the lessons for more than 50 students a class. Considering ethical implications concerning the trip to Kenya included how we perceived the streets in Mombasa. We perceived them with pity and sadness; however, our moral perceptions of the environment within Kenya may not be the same as the inhabitants. Perhaps, the Kenyan people are happy and content with their environment because most of them may not have experienced two different living environments which they could compare, unlike us who has seen our own environment in Vancouver and then Kenya's. The main purpose of visiting Kipevu Primary School was because of the issues that we wanted to solve as a fellow school. Issues in a Kenyan primary school, on the other side of the world are considered as global issues which we were engaged in by bringing over donated school supplies and teaching and helping them with their taught subjects.
What I hoped to accomplish before going to Kenya was to at least make one child's life within that third world country inspired because what I believed was that education is the catalyst in providing successful futures for people. If I was able to motivate a number of children within that school to study hard and try and get into those middle schools after they graduate from primary school, it would help increase the life quality of their families. I believe that by just giving these children money, it only lasts for a short-term; however, if you provide a child with inspiration and motivation to strive for excellence, it lasts forever. I was able to accomplish my vision after my trip and all of the small children that I became close with promised me that they would study hard and do well in school. I feel extremely satisfied with that promise because I know that I motivated students to reap long-term benefits.
A difficulty that I had when teaching in the classrooms at Kipevu Primary School included the fact that all of these children were extremely excited and were hard to calm down. Therefore, I overcame this difficulty by yelling louder than I have yelled before which gave the silence I desired.
The skills that I obtained from this service opportunity included public speaking and working with small children. These skills were essential in working in a primary school. The attitudes I gained from this were being enthusiastic, extroverted and friendly every single minute when working within the school.
What I would do next time to improve my experience in Kenya was to be able to meet more of the students. It was only 2 weeks worth of work within the school which limited me in being more acquainted with more children. Inspiring more children will always be something that I would do differently if I ever got the chance to experience it again.
Other life situations that would link to this experience include teaching and working with children in general and being able to adapt comfortably in new environments. Being a risk-taker in teaching children and adapting to new environments are life skills one should acquire because one will sometimes be in uncomfortable situations.
