Day 11: Mural Day

Today was a great day. I feel so comfortable in the school now because I know all of the faces and most of their names. I started one last project today and hope to complete it before I leave. I’m re-doing a mural in the school. The mural is of a tree and handprints from all of the students make up the leaves. However, this mural has been there for 6 years so the sun has ruined all of the bright colors.  The first step was removing all of the handprints. They were made from construction paper and then glued to the tree that is painted on the wall. After trying to rip these off for a few minutes I thought “this is going to take forever.” The younger kids were on break so I had them help me scrape. We added soapy water which made they come off much easier. One of the kids said, “It’s working!” Then he said the cutest thing. He explained to me how this is what they talked about at bible study on Wednesday. He said they read a passage where someone wanted to give up but they kept their faith in God and in the end they were successful (long story short). I loved the fact that he was making this connection with our little mural dilemma. They look up to God so much that it motivates me to work harder at my own faith.

Next, I went around to half of the classrooms to collect everyone’s handprint. In the very young rooms I would just trace the hands for them and write their name. As they got older we were able to make it into a little activity. They would trace their own hand and then decorate it as they wish. Things were going well until I introduced glitter. Big no-no. I can feel glitter in my hair right now. Anyway, I’m very excited to see this mural come to life and know that I was a part of something that will stay on the wall of the school for a long time. 

We also organized student council elections this past week. There are six positions: school prefect, office prefect, and compound prefect (a president and Vice President for each). Laurel and I went around to each of the classes explaining the three positions. We told them that if they want to run they will have to write a short speech and they can come to us during break or lunch time if they want help. The first day no one approached us so I was worried that no one would run. Soon enough there was about 15 people signed up for each position. This was a lot considering the entire school is about 200 students. We helped them write their speeches and finally we held a voting ceremony where they presented them. A lot of them seemed very nervous to speak in front of that many kids which I felt bad about. In the end, all six winners were CORM kids. I am excited that they will have the opportunity to learn new leadership skills. I think they can set a lot of good examples for the younger kids.

After dinner the CORM children have 2 hours of study time. I’ve noticed in two of the classes there is an outlier student that is much older. This is because they started school so late into their lives. The majority of their childhood was spent on the lake or other forms of human trafficking. This extra study period helps the students who are behind catch up a little to kids who are their age. Tonight, I helped the older kids with their math homework. I’ve learned that I really like working with the older kids because I can tell they’re listening. I’ve also noticed that the older kids are very dedicated to their school work.  Especially the final grade level: Junior High 3. This class has their big entrance exam for Senior High coming up in July. Every school day that I’ve been here for they’ve taken practice exams. It is so rigorous. Their senior high admittance is based solely on their exam score.