oware

this is a game called oware. it's basically like mancala but a few different rules. you can get boards carved from wood, but the kids just make their own by digging small holes in the ground and using stones.

appreciating the small things

when i first started teaching here, i used to get so frustrated at the lack of creativity shown by my students. often they were technically very talented, able to copy things wonderfully. if i showed an example to my class, i would receive 15 exact copies of my example as their final projects. if i didn't show an example to the class, they would just sit there, frozen in fear of doing something wrong, and they wouldn't even start.

so last week, i was excited when they suddenly got it. it was as if they suddenly understood i wasn't going to cane them or fail them if they made something different.

we made pop-up figures for the books they made last term. i showed the example of a pop-up star, but i told them they could make a flower or a heart or anything else they imagined. i was so excited when i received cars and animals and letters and all sorts of other ideas that they made.

one girl even brought a small girl into the class so she could trace her hand and use that.

i know this is a small victory, but it was really rewarding.