(thats me on the right in green)
About a month and a half ago, the nuns at the convent i teach english at every saturday told me that the classes at the convent would be stopping but clases on a larger scale would be starting at a larger church in Rajagiriya (about 5 minutes away from the original location).
It is called sacred heart to little hearts as the church is called Sacred Heart Church. It is a programme for children of low income families who cannot afford tuition and are weak in their academics. It is from 2.30 to 5.30 every saturday and there are 3 45 minute blocks. They learn enlgish, maths and either sinhalese or tamil depending on which language is their first and which they are educated in.
I go for 2 hours and teach english for both periods. I help to teach grades 7,8,9 and 10 in the first period, a class of around 18 and grade 5 and 6 in the 2nd period. the second classes is a little smaller.
The skills i have developed doing this service are speaking in sinhalese more which was one of my initial goals and learning to be patient with younger children. Additionally i have realized that i need to work on the way i explain certain concepts and this is an area i need to work on if my teaching is to be effective.
This service has really shown me how much of an impact i can have on other people. With a little time and effort it is possible to really impact the education of young children. I have been consistently committed to this programme so i think i have achieved that goal. This also links to being aware of the problems facing portions of our community which must be addressed. Not only has this service made me aware of the problems these children face but it has made me appreciate what i have and made me want to help them.
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