We had just presented the school with 90+ National Geographic magazines that had been generously donated and to break up the daily routine I brought a stack into the JHS 1 class I was teaching. I thought the the magazines would hold their attention for 30 minutes max but 2 hours later the 32 students were still reading. Not only were they still reading, but they were asking questions, and sharing what they were reading about with their friends! It was amazing! They were sounding out words and asking me for definitions of ones they didn’t know. It led to impromptu lessons on sharks, volcanoes, igloos, and much more! I had to make them stop because it was time for their next lesson and they asked when they would get to read them next. They loved it! It has now become a part of our weekly lesson plan. One day a week they get two hours to read, ask questions, and see where it takes us.
I knew that a library would be a huge asset for the children at Bakpa Avedo and surrounding schools, but until giving them the National Geographics I had no idea how much they would enjoy it! I have no doubt that each of them will take full advantage of whatever resources we can make available to them.
Even the younger children who can’t read flock to the magazines when they are out and will spend hours looking at them. They will point to a picture and say the word for it in Ewe and I will say the word in English, we go back and forth several times until the student will repeat the word back to me in English. Yesterday the little girl to left learned that xevi is bird.
So thank you again for all of your support. We are making a difference and I know that the impact on the lives of these children will be bigger than we can even imagine! We couldn’t do it without you all and I hope that you will continue with us on this journey. I am very excited to see where it will take us!
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