Classrooms
 |
When you think of a primary school classroom, perhaps you think of little chairs and desks, paintings all over the walls done by different students. Bright colours and a happy smiley teacher at the front. Ms Chamberlin or something like that.
Why is it like that?
The room is supposed to be confortable for you, the bright colours chear you up, you try your hardest to get your painting on the wall, you want to impress and your classroom inspires you, the images of places and people broaded your knowledge just by being there.
Keep that warm image in your mind and then look at this classroom.
 |
No it is not partically finished.
This is the standard classroom of most schools in rural areas. The community do not see the need of spending more money than they have to in decorating a classroom. Most of them never receievd a formal education so their kids are getting much better than they had. And when you earn less than $1 a day and have 5 kids to feed, the priorities of life are different. Their homes are often not as good as this.
But they are missing the point.
The schools like this cannot inspire, they cannot really help people at all, the teachers lack motivation, the kids are bored with their lack of stimulus and despite wanting an education, actually getting one is very hard.
 |
At Waangwaray Primary School we have plastered the walls and painted them bright colours, we have put in the windows and doors. we have put up notice boards to put posters on, we have created a better studying and working environment. The teachers are more motivated, the students more attentive and the results are showing improvements. Now we can prove to other communities that the environment in which you study matters and if they want to get the best for their kids they ought to follow our example.
Classrooms are where the kid spend over 6 hours of the day. They need to be lively and fun, they need to spark an interest or a skill. Who knows maybe someone will want to become a game warden or an artist because of these drawings |
Simba - Lion |
You can be sure that each student will learn the English for Lion because of this image. But also nose, ears, mouth, and so it makes learning fun. I don't know about you but i learnt the most when I was enjoying the class and the least when i was scared of the teacher and the class was dull.
Whilst we have painted all the classrooms, not all of them are as exciting as these one, but it is our intention to continue to brighten up all the classrooms, and we are looking for some reflecting panels for some of the harder classrooms.
Of course we are not acting alone, we consulted the teachers who wanted the alphabet on the walls. Another wall has got a boy and a girl with the body parts pointed out so that the students can learn from them.
 |