Number 4 out of 61

One of my favorite things about teaching is watching the students "get it" in class. There are some students that take a little bit more time to really grasp a concept, but when they do grasp it everything begins to change for them.

When Glory first came to us in March she was enrolled in first grade. She struggled. School was difficult for her. She didn't get it and she worked at a snail's pace. Often I would have to leave Glory at school for a few extra hours in order for her to complete her work. She would cry watching the other kids in her class walk out with me to return home.
I was not punishing Glory. Her tutoring teachers at the orphanage and I knew she could do the work...and with excellence. By having Glory stay at school we were telling her that we knew she could do it...it was up to her.

It did not take long for Glory to see that she could do the work. It all began to click. She was embarking on a journey of understanding concepts and completing her work in a timely manner while doing it with excellence. Soon she no longer had to remain at school to finish her work.
During tutoring time at the orphanage we began to see a marked difference in the way Glory was working. She was enjoying herself...the work wasn't so hard.

Last week I walked into Glory's classroom at school. Her teachers said they wanted to show me something. They opened up their grade book and showed me their list of most improved students in the past two months...Glory was one of them. Then they showed me the class rankings. Class rankings are a very big deal in Tanzania. There are 61 students in Glory's class. For the first two months Glory's ranking was in the late 50's in every subject. But last week her teachers showed me her ranking in each subject...it was wonderful to see. In each subject Glory ranked between three and six. And her overall ranking in the class is number four.
We have been rejoicing over this news since last week. Everyday I congratulate Glory on a job well-done.
We knew she could do it...we knew it.
Glory has inspired the other children at the orphanage to work to their best ability.
Fatuma told me yesterday she wants to work towards ranking number one in her class...you know what? I believe she can do it...I really do.