By Mal Keenan

It’s hard to explain. It happens every time. It’s an energy that should be bottled. It’s that feeling I get every time I walk into a first grade classroom.

Excitement.

Happiness.

Not long after walking through the first grade door at School of Hope, I found myself teaching a lesson with a busy bunch of six and seven year olds including: Wanzi (my favorite), Habula, Jane, Precious, Loveness, and Enock. At times, I found myself laughing at how hard it was to keep their attention. We worked on consonant and sounds, reviewing what had previously been taught, playing a game to make things more engaging. I’m not sure who had more fun – me or the kids.

After the game, and spending time moving from one area of the classroom to the next, I looked at the teacher and said, “You are amazing and this is REALLY hard work – God bless you”. She smiled and proceeded with the math lesson. All in a day’s work in Grade 1.