Our first taster of teaching in the Palana West DUCK school has been a very enjoyable, if tiring, experience! The whole community – from the permanent teachers at the school to the families we have our lunchtime meal with – have been incredibly welcoming. They seem delighted at our efforts to assist with their recovery after the devastation left in the wake of the tsunami.

Our routine last week in Palana West

The school day begins at 9.30; we approached the school to the distant sound of young Sinhala songs. Quickly discarding our bags, we immediately joined in with the games and songs, trying to keep up with all the Sinhala action songs. There are three teachers, two of them are training and although they do not speak much English, we get by with many enthusiastic hand gestures. Being the first day of school for the tiny pupils, many of them clung to their mothers lining the classroom, themselves reluctant to leave. It is clear that the overprotection all mothers feel for their children has increased 10-fold since the events of December 2004. With a small amount of persuasion, playing on the fascination with our ‘strange’ pale skin, most of the children were enticed to join in some of the singing and playing by the end of the morning.
At 10.30 there is a break and the children munch through their various ‘elevensies,’ unconcerned about the flies that congregate as soon as a food packet is opened! The playground equipment is extremely popular with lots of arguments about taking turns on the swings, always the most popular part of a playground! Some children insisted on being pushed higher and higher and giggled with delight as the swing gathered speed!

The children settled down to play with the wooden toys (our successful fundraising means that the classroom and playground are already well equipped.) The emphasis through the games is very much learning to share. Bianca was especially keen on reinforcing this idea. We help the children draw pictures and build models trying to prevent too much chaos when they topple down everywhere.
The children leave just before Midday, exhausted from their morning’s exertion. We help to clear up the chaos left behind. After a short break for lunch we help the teachers prepare for future lessons. We have already produced plenty of wildlife posters and weather charts to adorn the walls!
At 3.00pm our activities begin when the older children return from school – gathering in the community hall to help with their ‘after-school club.’ About 40 children attend, they start the session by sitting together and singing songs. The sense of cohesiveness among the community is abundantly clear as they all eagerly join in. We were asked to sing some of our songs; they loved the “Hokey Cokey” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. Even the small action of sharing our respective cultural traditions is incredibly beneficial and they all seemed fascinated with what we had to offer. Later there is a was then a period of education … whether it is teaching English, discussing home gardening, or instructions on how to make a fruit salad. These are very basic but important parts of life which will make a difference as these children grow up.
We leave at 5 (give or take a final song or prayer to the Buddhist shrine in the classroom) absolutely exhausted, but with the evening task of preparing the next day’s activities.