Melt-My-Heart Moments

#1: One of the Grade 9 learners, Sam, comes over just about every night to watch the World Cup soccer games. One night, he asked me, “Miss, can you please teach me how to email?”
I say, “Of course I can. Sam, is there someone special that you want to email?!”

Sam replies, “Yes, Miss. I want to email you when you leave our school.”

#2: Last week, a colleague and I went to the Okahao Community Library (which consists of about four shelves of books to inquire about the use of a computer skills typing program. While we were there, my colleague needed to use the Internet (the only place in town where you can access the Internet, as far as I know) and so I waited for him to finish. While I was waiting, a group of about 13 Grade 2 learners came into the library. It seemed like they had just finished with school and were coming to look at picture books. They were about the cutest things I have ever seen – and were very curious about the white person in town.

I remembered that I had a book of stickers in my purse. I decided to give them out to each of the kids. They were SO excited by just getting a tiny little sticker on their shirt!

Once I had made sure everyone had received a sticker, I decided to sit down at the table where they were sitting and see what they were reading. It was obvious that their English skills were poor, if they knew any at all. They were looking through the books, and so I decided to pick one up and start reading it out loud. Within a matter of minutes, I had the most silent, intrigued, and mesmerized group of 7 year-olds. I read two books to them and they were practically sitting on top of one another to see the pages of the book. I’m pretty sure they didn’t understand much of what I was saying, but it was so precious. It made me wonder if anyone ever read to them before. I hope to go back to visit the library and have the chance to read to them again.