After thirteen weeks of teaching, we have reached the end of Term 1!

The last week has been relatively light, since all the teaching for this term is finished. There were a couple of days set as for revision, and then the end-of-term exams. Marking those was a big job, but it was lovely to see the faces of those students who had been struggling with maths and had success in their exams. Now the students are returning to their families for the Christmas holidays, and I am going to join Lesley in Europe.

Last weekend there was some light relief before exam week.

On Friday there was a jazz concert in the cafeteria:

Then on Saturday was the Pinewood Derby. Although I had never heard of such a thing, apparently this is a big event in the US. Children (and adults) make small wooden cars and race them down a track. There are strict rules on the size and weight of the cars, to ensure a fair competition.

There were around 100 entrants, with the majority from the primary school children, but including all years of the school, and some adults. There were plenty of prizes, not just for speed, but also for engineering, design and uniqueness. Here are a few of the entries:

The track was set up in the gym. I was part of the team whose job was cleaning the track between heats.

Although the races only lasted around 3 seconds, there was still quite some excitement generated.

Then on Sunday there was a special baptism service, with several children being baptised in the amphitheatre. Note the pupils hanging from the trees to get a good view.

End of Term Report

It’s not really for me to say, but on the whole I think this term has gone well.

It took some time, and plenty of prayer and advice from colleagues and family, to settle back into the role of a maths teacher. I am fortunate that the pupils are very well behaved, and generally want to learn.

I have been very encouraged by appreciative comments from some of my students, feedback from parents, and my Head of Department seems happy with my performance. Not everything has been perfect, of course, and I have learnt many lessons, some of which I will be able to put into practice next term. But on the whole, I am happy with how things have gone.

As is often the case with teaching, it is not the brilliant students who present the biggest challenges, but those that struggle with the subject. Although I have had some successes this term, it is area that I want to improve on next term.

Apart from the classroom, it has been great to see something of what else goes on at the school, and in particular to be involved with the lives of the boys in the primary school boys’ dorm. They are particularly looking forward to Lesley coming back in January.

This weekend I am at the Africa Inland Mission Eastern Region conference in Nairobi, meeting up with missionaries from Kenya and Tanzania, including some we met at our orientation training in July, which is lovely.

I fly back to Germany at the very end of November, to meet our new grandson, and to visit my parents in the UK. We will spend Christmas itself in Germany with all four children, and then return to Kenya at the end of December. I will pick up with the blog in January.

In the meantime, thank you for your interest, comments and prayers. They are all very much appreciated.