"Hello" Answers a Prayer
Friday, 3 August
Yesterday had been a hard day at school for Rosie and me. No matter how simple a lesson we devised, the children seemed unable to find their creative voices. So we began the day with heavy hearts and walked directly into the headmaster’s office before school, instead of stopping to talk with the waiting students.
In a matter of minutes, Perpetual (a student teacher who was among the graduates) knocked on the door and walked in holding her left shoe in her hand. The leather thong had pulled out of the sole. “Do you have a pin?” she asked desperately. Rosie had two safety pins, fastened to her backpack. (I shall never know why, but she had mentioned the existence of those pins just that morning as we were gathering our things for school). The three of us took turns forcing the pin into the torn leather, then through the upper part of the sole of the shoe. When Rosie locked the safety pin, and I saw the smile on Perpetual’s face, I had to turn away to hide my tears. It was another lesson in “sustainability.”
At lunchtime, I had a meltdown, and sat alone under a tree in the school yard, wiping away tears, trying to figure out what I was really crying about. I just didn’t know.
I talked about my overwhelming emotions to Carol on the walk home. She said, “Don’t expect to have the answers for awhile; from my experience, it takes about a year to finish your transformation.” Now, having been home for only two weeks, I'm certain she's right.
Tomorrow: Learning the Ropes at Kakum Park
Yesterday had been a hard day at school for Rosie and me. No matter how simple a lesson we devised, the children seemed unable to find their creative voices. So we began the day with heavy hearts and walked directly into the headmaster’s office before school, instead of stopping to talk with the waiting students.
In a matter of minutes, Perpetual (a student teacher who was among the graduates) knocked on the door and walked in holding her left shoe in her hand. The leather thong had pulled out of the sole. “Do you have a pin?” she asked desperately. Rosie had two safety pins, fastened to her backpack. (I shall never know why, but she had mentioned the existence of those pins just that morning as we were gathering our things for school). The three of us took turns forcing the pin into the torn leather, then through the upper part of the sole of the shoe. When Rosie locked the safety pin, and I saw the smile on Perpetual’s face, I had to turn away to hide my tears. It was another lesson in “sustainability.”
At lunchtime, I had a meltdown, and sat alone under a tree in the school yard, wiping away tears, trying to figure out what I was really crying about. I just didn’t know.
I talked about my overwhelming emotions to Carol on the walk home. She said, “Don’t expect to have the answers for awhile; from my experience, it takes about a year to finish your transformation.” Now, having been home for only two weeks, I'm certain she's right.
Tomorrow: Learning the Ropes at Kakum Park
posted by Bonnie at 7:33 AM
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