Exhibit A: Evidence of learning taking place (well… not technically, but take my word for it).
Exhibit B: You should listen to these kids read!
Exhibit C: Have you seen their non-fiction reports being formed on Nile Crocodiles?
Exhibit D: I would be surprised if you can beat some of them saying their times tables (two can say their two times table in six seconds… will you challenge them?)
These are pencils from our neighbourhood/homeschool class. Our class shrunk a couple of months back when P4 children returned to school; but it returned back to its original size (and a few extras) when the country went into a 42-day lockdown on Monday.
All children have now returned home from school. And the poor P1-P3 children who were about to go back to school on Monday, were alerted on the eleventh hour that they would not be able to go back to school after being home for almost one and a half years.
Sadly, during the pandemic in Uganda, priority has been given to students in higher education. The older you are, the earlier you can go back to school. Our poor nursery children haven’t even been mentioned since being told to leave school back in March last year.
Supporting our direct neighbours with homeschooling has been a wonderful experience, but it’s also an insightful, encouraging and discouraging one – all mixed up together.
Two children who returned this week were in boarding school; their reading and writing levels have dropped significantly since two months ago. They have also returned quieter, more withdrawn and shocked at the quick responses and answers from their younger peers. But they will pick up…
Sadly today two of our younger class members, who have made tremendous progress, are heading to the village for lockdown. They are not sure how long they will be gone for, but we quickly scrambled to set them some homework to take to the village with them.
It’s strange times for a control freak, but I’m learning to embrace it. At least we know what life will be like (more or less) for the next 42 days…
Dan and Jodes... in Gulu, Uganda 