I did my first “practical” or lab with my SS1 Chemistry kids this week. While it didn’t go perfectly, it was fabulous! J The kids were so excited to be doing lab!!! The groups were way too large due to limited supplies, but it worked out okay. There are about 36 in the class and we had enough supplies for 6 groups, so 6 kids per group is typically way too many, but they were so excited to be in lab that they wanted to participate and few were just observing which was good! We were doing a mixture separation lab with salt and sand (we canvassed Jalingo for iron filings unsuccessfully before we realized that we could get some from a welder but it was too late!) and I in my initial naiveté thought we could do a percent composition…yeah…not so much! It was their first hands-on experience with using a balance, so we were working on first things first. I was pleased that they had written a procedure beforehand and they were actually using them! They had to teach me how to light the kerosene burners that we were using as bunsen burners. The lab time allowed me to get to know them more and we built some great rapport! They were asking so many questions about different lab equipment that they saw. We had some minor issues like trying to use a 50mL pipette as a stirring rod, but they were trying and it was exciting!
My other favorite moment of the week was in my computer training class with the teachers. I was teaching them what the top three boxes in the right hand corner of every Word document do. When I had them minimize, they were devastated because they had just typed a couple of sentences using proper typing fingers and now they thought it was gone forever. Their looks of pure delight when they saw it the box at the bottom of the screen and then reappeared when they clicked it were priceless!
With that said, it’s been a terrific week except for the awful cockroaches at night! Thanks so much for the encouraging emails and photo comments and prayers! They are so much appreciated!! People in the internet café have told me more than once that I look so happy when I’m there and it’s because of all of you!
Here is a link to some pictures of my kids and co-workers:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35471&l=4f4c3&id=501312909
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2 comments:
What a great story about lab! I love it when they can teach you something! I feel like I can connect with them in ways I couldn't otherwise. Plus, they then know I value them! Love you girl!
What a good thing you are doing, even if it is sometimes just being present in people's lives. I pray that you can be caught up in God's love so that you can share it with so many. Your new home will surely feel more and more like home as you continue. Remember you joys, my faraway friend.
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