Sunshine

“You make me happy when skies are grey.”

In Tanzania this verse of “My Little Sunshine” seems to be applicable to education. Many of the children who attend L.O.A.M.O School live in rough conditions. They have little to eat, little to drink and practically nothing to bathe with. They are familiar with life’s grey skies.

They live in poverty and have real problems, very legitimate reasons to be upset. However, they are not upset. They choose not to let their issues affect their attitudes. This is the most powerful thing I have learned on my journey. The power of choice.

In the morning when the students wake up, they choose to dress nicely, they choose to pack air tight into a school bus, and they choose to come to school with ready-to-go attitudes. They show up every morning with these positive attitudes which are truly inspiring. They want to learn. At such a young age they seem to understand the idea of knowledge being power better than almost anyone I have ever met. The things they are learning will help them in their future lives. It will allow them to get better and higher paying jobs and therefore live a more comfortable life. I believe they understand that concept on a deep level. This is why every single one of my students shows up to class and chooses to work their hardest on every task. One of my students, Mikaela, is such a perfectionist. She will not stop working until her papers are absolutely correct and very neat. You can see that school is her passion. She wants to be the best student possible. I believe her work ethic is one that she chose.  Actually, my students have all chosen to care about school.

The importance of education radiates throughout the school, which is extremely beneficial to me when I teach. The experience so far has given me a sense of empowerment, I feel as if I’m actually appreciated and truly helping. When I am teaching the kids want to listen to me because they know what I am saying will help them succeed. The feeling you get when you know that your words are actually making a difference is impossible to describe, I feel powerful and loved. I know the feeling is one I will always remember and strive to get in my everyday life.

My hope for the next six days is that I will continues to feel like I am making a difference while teaching. I hope to see enterprising curiosity in the eyes of my students. I will continue to apply the lessons I learned from my pupils, and choose to give my best effort to educate L.O.A.M.O’s beautiful children, whom I love.

“You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.”