Getting Ready for the First Day of School

Hey everyone!! My name is Natalie and I am one of the three senior education majors doing one of their student teaching placements this January in Africa! As many of you know, tomorrow is our first day of school!! This is the first day of the school year at Buiga Sunrise School and the first day of school for us to be here teaching. We have been planning and prepping for many months, and the time is finally here for everything to fall into place.

Today we got to meet with our teachers to make a game plan for the next two weeks in the classroom. We met some new faces on staff at the school and we were able to introduce ourselves to all of them. (Luckily for me, this is my third year coming on this trip, so I know some of the teachers.)

One of the most important aspects of this teaching experience is being able to collaborate with our teacher from Uganda. It is important to plan alongside each other and learn from each other along the way. I know that as I start my student teaching internship tomorrow, I know that I am being supported by the best group of people as well as my family. You will get to see the next two weeks develop into some of the most incredible life experiences from both preservice teachers and students from other academic disciplines. Thank you for all of your prayers and support from home as we begin creating the most amazing relationships with our students and their families, and as we begin our work at the school.