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A Difficult Adjustment[/caption]The first year of preschool is quite a change for our youngest students. Pre-Primary 1 Class (PP1), the foundational class for Mawewa School, introduces 3-to-4-year-old children to an environment wholly unfamiliar to them. Before the first day, they might look forward to the new adventure, but once in the classroom, reality hits.Classroom structure, rules, and discipline are unfamiliar to some of the children, and assimilating them requires patience, compassion, eyes in the back of the head, and the ability to move fast. During the first two weeks, teachers console the fearful, wait out tantrums, wipe tears, and retrieve escapees. PP1 teacher, Mrs. Mwangi, shared a few entertaining moments from the early weeks of January 2017.

Many of these youngsters know their way around Mathare and can easily find their way home. One little guy took it upon himself to go home for tea during a morning break. Waiting until the teacher was helping another student, he slipped out the door. A Mawewa parent who runs a business near the school gate saw him and sent him back to class. He tried to make his escape again, so Mrs. Mwangi moved him to a seat up front, sandwiched between other students.Another child patently disliked school and was angry that his parents brought him back every day. Several times per day he asked the teacher to call his father to retrieve him from school.Despite their 10:30 AM porridge, the tiny students collectively stood up at 11 am for several days to declare they were hungry. Fortunately, lunchtime was not far off.Even though English is one of the official languages in Kenya, and widely spoken in Nairobi, most children in the slum only speak Swahili. Their first lesson in English is to ask, “Please Teacher, may I go to the toilet?” Their teacher was heard uttering the phrase repeatedly throughout the day, for many days.Once adjusted to the school environment, the youngest Mawewa students took to learning new skills, including:

Activities of Daily Living: EatingDressingToiletingWashing face and hands

Language Skills:Vocabulary buildingSpeaking clearlyListening to and telling storiesReciting rhymes and songs

Social Skills:Learning namesCooperative playPeaceful conflict resolutionManners and courtesy

Christian Values:Prayer and devotionsKindness and respectGenerosity and gratitudeHonesty

Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalized children will be transformed and break the chronic cycle of poverty. eduKenya provides a high quality and holistic educational experience, addressing the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of each student from early education through High School.