Ganster Spirit Day.

November 29, 2011

Me and Vera all dressed up for the Gansta Spirit Day.

Education CAN be fun.

In order to practice comprehension in both reading, listening and speaking, we tried to incorporate fun games into our class. The girls have been taught many domestic and artistic activities but our goal is to try to better prepare them for every day life. Not only do we want to teach them English, we'd like to teach them about their future lives and we want to better prepare them for it.

Today we took it slow and we used games to improve the girls understanding in hearing and speaking. We wanted the girls to first be able to understand what being said to them and then we saw how they interpreted it. From this we saw in which areas the girls were strong in and which areas needed improvement.

First, we introduced them to a new game, Twister Moves. This game requires knowledge of certain colors, body parts, and movement patterns. We used this because it would challenge their ability to listen and comprehend what instructions were being given on the disk. It didn't take very for the girls to catch on to the game but it was a bit hard for them to keep up with the dance moves. Because only 4 girls could play at one time, we had the other girls be judges to see if anyone had missed an instruction.

After the listening game we started a speaking exercise/snack. In order for the girl to be able to verbalize what they're thinking we practiced communication by making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. First, we showed them how to prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and once they understood, it was time for them to tell us each other how to make one. This exercise proved to be a bit more challenging than the last. Most of the girls, though excited to make a sandwich , were very nervous to come up and speak. The thing the girls struggled the most with was articulation. The girls knew what they wanted to say but they could not find the words to use. Though the process takes time, the girls are very fast learners and it makes me happy to see that they're progressing really well. These small steps will be their building blocks in to more advanced English. Though the progress is slow at the moment, I know they will soon reveal their full potential and I look forward to seeing what they'll be able to accomplish in the future.

Spirit Days

On Monday, October 31st I participated in the Halloween spirit day. Students from all grades dressed up in order to show their Halloween and school spirit and also had a chance to win points for their houses.

One of my goals is to be very school oriented and participating in the school spirit days is a great way to get involved in school activities and demonstrate spirit. I came dressed up as my favorite superhero, Batman. Though I looked strange I really enjoyed walking around school in a Batman costume all day. I have also dressed up for the nerd day and hippie day and I look forward to participating in future spirit days at OSC and I encourage others to participate in them as well and show their school spirit.

This is Halloween.

Celebrating Halloween with the girls

Today at the orphanage we introduced Halloween to the girls. We began

by showing them various costumes such as the Burger King man, and a missing person on a milk carton. We also brought a big afro for the girls to try on. The girls had a lot of fun with the costumes and they loved learning about Halloween.

After having fun trying on some costumes I both taught and learned how to do origami. I first thought the girls how to make a fortune teller and they got the hang of it pretty fast. Then it was onto making a cup out of paper which they also got easily. Then, it was time for me to learn from them. The girls do a lot of arts and crafts so they thought me how to make an origami rose. My rose turned out perfect and the girls were happy to teach me for once.

After the origami session, we gave the girls notebooks in order to start writing to a pen pal. The girls all wrote to their new friends about themselves. Because English is a bit of a struggle for the younger students I asked them to draw pictures of the things that they liked and try to briefly write about themselves.

A small group of girls decided to write to celebrates such as Christiano Ronaldo, Shakira, Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) and David Beckham. I worked with my mom in hopes that we can send these letters to these celebrities so they can write back to the girls. When they heard that they had the opportunity to write to their favorite singers and football players they immediately became ecstatic. I loved the seeing the girls so excited to be able to write their letters and it reminded me why I wanted to work with them in the first place. Today was a great day at the orphanage and I can't wait to see them again next Sunday and the Sundays to come.

A is for Action!

On the first day of the IB orientation trip we spent the day with borderlands doing team building exercises. These exercises helped us to develop trust with our class mates. We also learned good communication skills as well as team work. On the rock climbing trip we strived to persevere and push out of our comfort zones. By facing the rock we gave ourselves a challenge that required not only to be strong physically but mental strength as well. When I began climbing the wall there was no doubt in my mind that I could climb it but once I got up on the wall, my feelings slowly began to change. With encouraging words from my friends and teachers I persevered and pushed through it and continued up the wall. Though I did not reach the point I would have liked, I still pushed through that fear and that alone was a great accomplishment.

Creativity, Action, and Service

My goal for CAS:

Achieve a sense of leadership, accomplishment, and confidence in my every day life by working to help others.

During CAS I plan to work with the Fatima Girls School and participate in SAISA Track and Field as well as other activities. I will also try to work with other CAS programs provided in school.

Task 1:

Over the years I have learned that it is a lot better to give, than to receive and if you do good things, then good things will happen to you. During CAS I plan to devote my time to helping others, rather than just myself. My first task is to work with the Fatima Girls School and visit the children. While I lived in Kathmandu, Nepal I visited a school for orphans called Pragya Joti. There we taught the children English and spent time with them reading, playing games, making art, and even going on field trips. While in my community service class in Nepal, we visted a center that housed people with leprosy. My trip to this center was what made me realize that I want to help people. While I was in Nepal I realized that I wanted to help people and that I really enjoyed working with children. Visiting the children gave me a strong sense of accomplishment. Because I enjoy working with children, I plan to work with Zahara Dawoodbhoy, Rachel Prins, and Arshika Chandranath at the Fatima Girls School. While there I plan to do the same activities there as I did in Kathmandu. Visiting the children will help me feel accomplished in my life and will lead me to help people around the world.

(Girls from Pragya Joti in Kathmandu, Nepal)