UW ECE Nepal Internship 2016: Reflections from Hayley

Hello everyone!

I’m Hayley Pedersen! I am teaching in a first grade classroom at Sanskriti International School. Recently the students have been learning about maps and identifying where they live in their social studies curriculum. Today in social studies the students split up into three large groups to draw their own versions of maps about space, the country of Nepal, and the city they live in, Kathmandu. They are learning about their neighborhoods and important landmarks they see as well to and from school!

We also had a session of Nepali dancing which was lively and colorful! The kids clearly enjoy this special part of their curriculum!

At the end of the day, one of my mentor teachers approached me and wanted to talk about a student who hasn’t been as involved with the classwork due to a head injury she received not long ago. My mentor teacher told me that she talked with the girl’s mother about how she’s noticed the girl wanting to read and write a lot more at home. Before this, the girl hadn’t shown much interest in opening a book or sitting down to write. I have shown particular interest in wanting to work with this student on some of the activities the other students are working on daily. At the end of the conversation with my mentor teacher I was presented with a huge compliment that truly brightened my day! My teacher told me how thankful the child’s mother was for the time I have spent with her daughter. The mother has seen an increase in her child’s want to read and write again at home and she said it has improved greatly! I am amazed by the gratitude that I was left with today from something I thought was so simple!