Written by Anna S.
Last week a team of four European volunteers spent a couple of days teaching at a Sudanese refugee school in North Africa.
The young team consisted of three teachers and the pastor of their church. Preparing for the lessons they would conduct was not that easy because the team didn't know what to expect. There were so many unanswered questions: What will the classrooms look like? How many kids will there be in one class? Will they have the means to photocopy some worksheets? Will they even be equipped with basics like school books, exercise books, pens etc.? Will they be able to understand English?
With only a vague idea of the circumstances they would have to teach in, the teachers decided to use the story of the Good Shepherd as a framework for some simple but fun activities that could easily be adjusted and did not require any material on the school's part.
On Monday morning their local host took them to the refugee school for the first time. They hadn't even reached the front door yet, when more and more kids came to meet them with smiling faces.
The team had to shake a lot of hands but eventually they made it inside the building and started climbing the stairs. This turned into a challenge soon enough since there was no light in the narrow staircase and the light streaming through the front door only lasted so long.
However, everyone arrived safely at the floors used by the school. There they were greeted enthusiastically by the headmaster, some of the teachers and another very lively crowd of happy children.
The team took a few minutes to go over the plan for the upcoming days in the headmaster's office. Each of the three days the team would teach one third of the 120 students. Since the classrooms are incredibly small, the kids would have to be split into two groups. So the team also split up into two teaching teams of two each and were assigned a local teacher who would help with translation.
The first day of teaching would be dedicated to the youngest students. Each team was eagerly awaited by about 25 excited children, crammed into a tiny and very hot classroom. After a brief introduction, the children were shown some photographs of Europe. Pictures of typical animals made for the perfect transition to the story of the Good Shepherd.
With the help of some more pictures, the teams let the kids tell the story one part at a time. Each section was followed by an activity that was not just fun but also had the kids solve some maths problems or train their memory or ability to concentrate.
The teams wrapped up their lessons by explaining the meaning behind the story about the lost sheep. Before the students were sent home, they all received some sweets as well as a packed lunch. When they left the classroom as excited as they had entered it, it was obvious that every single one of them had enjoyed the time with the teachers who had come all the way from Europe to visit them.
Since everything had gone so smoothly - thanks also to the amazing teachers who had assisted the team and translated for them - the volunteers decided to stick to the plan of using the same lesson for the next two days as well.
They just made some minor modifications to adjust it to the age group they would teach next. The following days revealed that the team's decision had been the right one. On Tuesday they worked with grades 4 to 6 and grades 7 and 8 concluded the team's rewarding time at the Sudanese refugee school.
No matter which group of students the team taught - they were all extremely happy that a group of volunteers cared about them enough to visit and support them.
So the team said goodbye to the students and the amazing staff of the school with joyful hearts and the resolution to come back again - so God willing.