A Tale of Two Preschools

My story begins back in Tacoma, when I was home for Christmas. One of the highlights was getting back into the classroom, surrounded by my former preschool students! I realized how much I missed teaching and the constant joy that children bring to my life. I had the privilege to teach on four different occasions, to four different groups of children between the ages of 4-11, sharing about my experiences and adventures in South Africa. It was a delight for me to open their eyes to how other children, clear across the world are living in economic situations that these children would never face. To grow compassion within a child at an early age has a lasting effect…that could one day transform the communities they will live and serve in! As I prayed about my next season in Cape Town, I realized that a desire of my heart was to get back into some preschools and not only love on children…but come alongside and encourage and bless the faithful teachers.

Well in only a matter of days of being back two opportunities came my way to serve in two very different schools! Wednesdays I have been volunteering at a Preschool, also known as a ‘Crèche,’ in Khayelitsha (the largest township here in Cape Town). The simple one room school is run by the wife of a friend of mine. I had visited this school last year, but the timing wasn’t right then to make a weekly commitment…but now that I have a car, and also some companions (3 young interns) to make the 45min journey with me it has felt so peaceable to go. We arrive to the crèche at around 9am and leave about 12:30pm. It’s a very full morning as the classroom contains three sectioned off classes (3yrs, 4yrs and 5yrs)…with a total of 90 children and 4 teachers. The sweet children who attend this crèche, speak limited to no English at all…but what’s amazing with children is you can communicate without words the majority of the time. I think a child understands the word “No” when they are hitting another child, in a variety of languages. The children love to be hugged, and when we enter the room in the mornings we are literally trampled by little bodies embracing our legs…one time they even managed to hug me to the ground! I have loved embracing children closely and praying over them, whispering in their ear who God has created them to be. I know the child doesn’t fully understand everything I am saying, but I know it can sense my love! This past week we had an amazing time talking with the teachers during the nap time (all 90 kids sleep on mats for an hour and half!)…We laughed and learned more about each other and are going to give manicures this next week. As we were leaving one of the teachers looked and me and said, “Thank you for coming…I love you”. Just shows that a little love goes a long way!

On Thursdays, through another contact, and am now volunteering at another preschool closer to town…it’s a posh boys school, called South African Collage Schools (SACS). There are two preschool classes, each with 25 boys (between the ages of 5-6)…so a total of 50 little boys I get to be with from 8:30-12:30. I LOVE it there and they have captured my heart! So different from my Wednesdays but just as important. As you can imagine these two teachers and their assistants do need help with 50 boys! What I am most excited about is teaching these little guys (mainly white and privileged kids) about my work on Wednesdays and doing some slide shows to show them about how other kids are living in their same city! Jesus is growing a passion in my heart for this…bridging the gap between the social, economic and racial divides! These boys are all so unique and very precious in their differences. Sometimes as I’m on the play ground I look down to a full head of blond hair embracing my legs…I love that these boys need to give hugs and cuddles just as much as the Khayelitsha kids do. A highlight for me is having conversations with these little boys. The other day I was talking with a boy named Dominic, he kept asking me very mature questions while we were doing craft together. At one point he said, “What is your favorite thing in the whole world?” I couldn’t help but answer, “Jesus”…he looked at me with tender eyes. I said, “Do you know who Jesus is?” he replied, “Yes, is he the same as God?”…I said he was God’s son and that they are the same. He replied, “Well I like God!” Another conversation happened with a boy named Ethan, he has brown hair and big blue eyes. While we were playing he asked, “Do you have any children?” I replied, “No, not yet”…he said, “Oh, then I can’t ask you the question I wanted to ask you?”…intrigued, I asked what he question was…he said, “I was going to ask if your son likes science?”…this made me laugh. It then led into a very interesting conversation all about his love for science and explosions (go figure!). The teachers are in shock that I come back weekly to serve alongside them…but these little boys have captured my heart!

Other Pictures:

The sandpit...its as large as my bedroom!











Playing babies the African way!











3 year olds at nap time