I am an SSO at a local primary school so I was happy to go and help out at the Kids Ark school at Hera, East Timor. The school is from Kindergarten to Year 6 in the mornings with a Year 7 class in the afternoon taught in English, run by a couple from Singapore. There were about 300 hundred children at the school. School starts about 7.30am so we were up early to get ready. At home, I don’t get up until 7.10am! It was a 15 minute walk to school along the main road. Everyone greets you as you go along. You walk around the goats, cows, pigs, dodge the fish hooks hanging from the trees and get beeped by passing traffic along the way. I loved the mornings, cool and fresh, with lovely light.

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I would get to school and find a class to work with. About 7.45am it was assembly or school parade. The children measured off, had a ‘pep’ talk from staff, said a prayer, lead by one of the children, and sang some songs with actions, the Chicken dance was a big favourite. We then went to our classrooms to start lessons. The classrooms were quite roomy with concrete floors, desks and chairs. Every teacher had a roll of toilet paper on their desk. You kept your pens in the middle and it was your tissues, paper towel and white board cleaner. The white boards needed a good clean as they had no spray and the dusters were pretty old. Four new classrooms had been built in the last year but had no power, lights and some no glass in the windows.

 

I did a lot of crafty things as I had taken a duffle bag with craft and stationery supplies with me. With the kindy kids, we made necklaces, threading beads and shapes onto cords. I was pleased to see some of them still wearing their necklaces days later. They have very few resources and the teachers don’t interact very much with the children in all year levels. I would love to get some picture books for kindy the next time I go.  With the Year 1s and 2s we did paper plate faces. Each class I had to show how to use a glue stick. They do have scissors and coloured pencils. In one class the teacher sharpened the pencils with a knife. I left a pile of pencil sharpeners and she was very grateful.

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PE with the Year 1s included some wriggling, some dancing and playing blindman’s bluff. The kids were all very happy and seemed to enjoy school.

At 10am for the little ones and 10.30am for the big ones, a meal is served in the dining area. Lots of rice with a piece of meat and vegies in a stock. For some children this may have been their only meal that day. After the meal, the children had play time. They are soccer mad over there!  Teachers, please note - there is no yard duty, the kids just did their thing. However, also there was no staff room.

 

I loved interacting with the children even though I had no Tetun  and they had no English. They do seem to know their numbers in English. I taught them Hokey Pokey and at the last assembly the whole school did it! The little ones liked me doing 'round and round the garden, goes the teddy bear'.

With the older children, we did collage and while they were hesitant at first, it didn’t take long for them to get into it and an hour went so quickly. They loved the patty pans, pipe cleaners, foam shapes, pompoms, etc. It doesn’t matter where they come from, children are the same. There is always a cheeky boy clowning in the class and a bossy girl telling others what to do! With the Year 6’s, we made cards with sequins, stickers etc. The teacher joined in too, making her own. They tell the children what to do, then sit down. The children go ahead and do it. They are well behaved and obedient. School finished at 12.40pm and 12 noon for kindy.

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At about 12 noon, I left to return to my accommodation for lunch, then came back at 1.30pm to help with the Year 7s. David and Jessie Chan took this group and were much better resourced, providing the resources themselves. At 5pm, I would collect Ian and we would go back for a rest and tea. Ian spent his time installing security lights, fixing a gate, replacing fluoro tubes and power points etc. He also worked around the nearby disability centre and at the medical centre and church in Sidara, a nearby village. (Ian is an electrician). The teachers genuinely care for the children but the lack of resources is holding them back. I would love to set up some basic stationery packs for each class with sticky tape, glue, sharpeners, blutak, whiteboard cleaner, etc. If you have any of this type of thing at home, or can get some, I am willing to coordinate putting some packs together for the school. There were about 12 classes altogether.

 

Ian and I were privileged to be part of this school's community for a short time. The children's smiles really touched our hearts.