So here are my boys. A week or so ago I started working with them daily. They are great and excited to learn. I began by going through the tools that I brought from home.
Hammer and tape measure - everyone knew what it was.
Saw, square, and level - a few knew what they were, but I’m not sure anybody had ever used one before.
Chalk line, utility knife, crescent wrench, vise grips, hole punches, and hand drill - I don’t believe anybody had any idea about these.
It has been fun teaching them how to properly use each item and they are quick learners. At least it seems that way. It will become obvious if I am mistaken once we start building. The area that I have found to be the most problematic is math. In general I think that Uganda does a poor job with education and it is apparent with simple math. Obviously, I’m a certified genius when it comes to simple math, but even if I were average I’d be about 10 steps ahead. I’m still not sure how much time and effort I want to put into re-teaching math to these boys, but we have spent a decent amount of time on it so far and I figure that it is so foundational when working in construction that it deserves the attention. I have not thought about the terms numerator and denominator in probably 15+ years. I have done mental math for so long it took me a while to remember how it was all taught to me. This has also been an issue because I have found that teaching techniques are often different from back home.
They have started to clear the land that the playground will be built on and I’m getting excited. Elisha (my nephew who loves heavy equipment) would be disappointed in their land clearing techniques. Instead of bulldozers and skid loaders they have one man with a hoe. Give him long enough and he will accomplish the same goal.
Pray that the Lord will bless me with creativity and resourcefulness in the next month as I start to plan.
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