Some of the lovely students I will miss.
Sadly I am saying goodbye to you all a little earlier than we expected. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances I was unable to stay as long as I had previously planned. However, since I have been working on this project for over a year, I am incredibly excited to be back in Scotland and with my family – it’s been so long!
What a year it has been, there are so many things that I am grateful for, and I thought for my final update I would share some of them with you.
Being inspired by a book
One of the opportunities I am most thankful to VSO for is being asked to proof read a new grade ten English text book for the Curriculum Development Centre. It may sound like an odd thing to be excited about, but this book has really inspired me. The book taught me much about how to write material which is both culturally sensitive to rural children and easy for teachers to use. It has definitely got me planning textbook ideas and lesson plans now that I am back home.
Students taking part in more interactive lessons!
Bringing in more interactive teaching
I am so glad that I got the chance to encourage Nepali teachers to make lessons more interactive. I know I have said this before, but it really is the best way to make a difference for the students. With all my workshops with Learning Support Facilitators, Big Sisters and Adult champions, this has been the most positive area I have worked on.
My biggest achievement was a five day training session for 18 learning support administrators. I focused on different scenarios; such as lessons where the whole class is facing you, group work and pair work. As soon as they were confident enough I invited them to showcase their practice and filmed the results. The filming was a real favourite, the teachers loved being able to review their own performance and see where they could improve.
Having fun with multiplication squares.
Seeing the result for myself
One of the things that really makes me smile is that I actually got to see the results of my training sessions. Previously, when viewing their learning support classes the students would chant multiplication tables in unison; which though impressive fails to challenge the pupils individually or help them develop a technical understanding.
After my session, I and one of my teacher training colleagues got the opportunity to observe the classes again. We could instantly see the children were more engaged and really having fun during their maths lessons.
Meeting young heroes
At my workshops I met Puspa. Puspa is just 17 years old and already teaching classes of students. During my sessions, I could tell that she was putting her all in and was determined to get everything she could out of the day. One of the things I have always loved about teaching is meeting inspiring people, like Puspa, who are so passionate about helping the next generation get the best possible education.
Puspa came up to me after one of my sessions and told me that she would never forget it, as she had learnt so many things that she would use for the rest of her life. I saw this for myself when I visited her class later on. She had introduced techniques such as thumbs up, where pupils use their thumbs to signify understanding, and her walls were full of the most beautiful and colourful visual prompts- I was very impressed!
Goodbye from all of us at Sisters for Sisters.
All the lovely people that I have met
I have met some truly wonderful people whilst in Nepal such as my line manager Janak Raj Pant, who has really helped me throughout my placement, offering me invaluable support and guidance.
I will also always treasure the memory of the lovely Nepali family I rented my home from, who made me feel truly comfortable and welcome. My landlady especially, she always greeted me with the most beautiful smile that lit up her whole face.
I have had the opportunity to work with young Nepali colleagues who are the future of Nepal. Living in a country is completely different to travelling around one. I got the chance to build relationships with Nepali people on a daily basis, and for that I am grateful.
And finally all of you
I also wanted to say a massive thank you to all of you, I know there are a few of you who I have only recently said hello to, but each one of you has been become so important for me. Thank you for being part of my journey.
Future volunteers
Soon you will be receiving an update from a fantastic man named Andrea Mari. He is off to Tanzania to help primary schools improve pupils’ education. Andrea is going to be working with a number of different schools helping the teachers find new and innovative ways of studying maths. Currently only around 30% of Tanzanian primary school students manage to pass the exam that gets them into secondary school. A large part of this exam focuses on basic maths - so you can see how important Andrea’s work is going to be. Of course, I am really looking forward to finding out more, and I am sure you are too.
Goodbye,
Eunice
