This semester has started out so much more smoothly than last semester, when everything was new and I was scattered and not at all confident in what I was doing. I feel like now that we have built a relationship and respect, I can take better advantage of my time with them. They are slightly hormonal preteens with their share of drama, but each has an amazing heart and a desire to please and better themselves.We’ve had several teaching moments lately where something or other will happen, and a resulting conversation or advice so naturally flows. It’s a joy having girls that respond to these occasions, and want to learn and grow into people of excellence and good character. I really love my students and am proud of them.
Two days a week science is the last subject of the day, with Jacque teaching the 4th and th graders together, so I’m free during that time. Today I came downstairs and on my desk was a small colored note which said “I love you sooo much” from one of the girls, and another note from all three of them. How sweet is that. I started thinking about having to say goodbye today, and had a not quite tearful but very sentimental session of ironing wrinkly pagnes*.
*a couple meters long stretch of various african fabrics sold all around town
What do you do with Pagnes? Wear them? I bet you wish you could carry on your relationships and mentoring with those girls while also being closer to everyone and everything else, huh? How sweet to get that kind of affirmation from them. You must be a good teacher and mentor to them. How great for them, and their parents, to have women like you speaking into them!
With pagnes you do whatever you would do with a stretch of fabric. With these particular ones I’m making curtains for our bare apartment.