The kiddos (#1)

The girl on the right is Savy, and she's in grade 6 with me.

So. I just have to tell y'all about my awesome kids. Because they really are super special! However, I do have 35, so I'm going to have to split this up into several different blog posts. But that's OK, because I have plenty of time, and I'm still getting to know them all!

I wish I had pictures of them, but that will have to come another day. All I have is my iPod as far as taking pictures, and it's not that amazing, but Sarah says I can use her camera and so I'm going to take that to class one day and get a picture of all of us. I have to plan that strategically so as not to disrupt class (we'd never get any study done during that period). We'll see. But for now, I'll have to paint word pictures for you. :-)

Number One: Patary

Oh, this kid is interesting! He's definitely the one who stands out most in my mind as being a troublemaker in class. Definitely not the only one, but he's the only one of his kind, to be sure. He's the kind of kid that likes to try boundaries and make me laugh while actually needing to be in trouble. Crazy boy! He is from outside (not the orphanage or the dorm), so my suspicion is that he's not actually a Christian. I should find out from someone about that. He didn't seem to know how to pray… anyway, he is the cutest thing, and I'm sure I'll miss him a lot when I leave.

Number Two: Nak

Nak is the complete opposite of Patary. At 16 years old, he's the most mature boy in my class, and is completely trustworthy, other than that I suspect he lets other students cheat off his papers. But he understands English the most, and he really tries to understand the other subjects and perform them well. I can rely on him to lead a small group if needed, and sometimes even translate to the class a subject that they're not quite grasping. He understands spiritual things fairly well, too. He's actually in the Pathfinder Master Guide class with me, so on Sundays we're classmates together, instead of teacher and student. :-) He's a great guy and I really love him!

Number Three: Moses

This guy is SO CUTE. However, the cuteness comes from his naughtiness - his utter inability to keep his mouth shut!!! It's hilarious sometimes, but it is frustrating other times. I'm constantly having to remind him to stop talking! Lol. But he is really sweet.

Number Four: Rathom

Rathom is my trustworthy girl. I don't remember if she's the oldest or not, but she's definitely the most mature in our class. She's on an equal level with Nak on the girls' side. She doesn't understand English quite as well as he does, but she does the most of any of the girls, I think. And she really tries hard in her classes. When I gave the first science test, she labored over it, and actually got the right answers, while other students didn't quite understand and didn't put everything into it, that I could tell. She's super sweet. Kind of on the quiet side, but she'll do things up front that I ask her to do. She lives in the dorm, so I see her often, at meals and worships and such.

Number Five: Sophall (Ra)

This guy is another special one (but they all are, so maybe that's not the best first statement!). He's from the orphanage, and in just these last few weeks he's become one of my right-hand helpers. He's sure to greet me with a "Hello 'cher!" at any time we might meet, and he usually has a big grin on his face. He's short - very short - but has a big enough personality to make up for it. My first Sunday afternoon before Pathfinders, I went early and sat on one of the steps at the school. Sophall came too, and we had a lovely conversation together. We chatted about family and Pathfinders (crazy that he's nearly the same rank as me, lol), as well as school and other random things. Last night his "brother" Yeremiah - the newest baby of his house parents - had a birthday, so I got to see where he lives (along with Moses and two other girls in my class). He was thrilled to have me there!

Number Six: Leakena

She's pretty quiet, but oh! her giggle! It makes me laugh so much. :-D She sits next to Moses in class, and between him chatting on about random things, and her giggling about what he says, it's hard for me to keep a straight face. I should record her laughing so I can enjoy it even when I'm gone. I think she is from the orphanage, but I can't remember for sure. Anyway, she's a sweet girl, and bright in class.

Number Seven: Ling

Ling used to sit in the back of the classroom with the rest of the bigger boys and laze around. I'd have to constantly ask him to pay attention to what I was saying... so last week when I rearranged the whole classroom, I stuck him right up front. I can keep an eye on him now! He's not really one to make much trouble (other than stealing the occasional notebook to annoy a fellow classmate); he's just quiet and more methodical at what he does. He's a great artist: I've had them draw various things and he's done amazing stuff. His most recent piece of work was a waterlily pen drawing. Pretty fantastic, if you ask me!

Today in English class, we were studying our various vocabulary words, and some of the kids were saying, "Ling, Ling, Ling!" while I wrote something on the board. I misheard them at first and thought of a joke my family says sometimes (Kenny and Hannah, this is for you!). It is simple English, so I decided to teach it to them:

The phone says, "Green green green!" so I pink it up and say, "Yellow, how are blue?"

Needless to say, they loved it, and we had a good laugh together. :-)

Yes, I love my kids. I'm still trying to decide if I actually like teaching (it's definitely a challenge!), but these kids make every day fun. They're the best class!! ;-)