Tsoaing Primary School (World Wise Post)

Students at Tsoaing Primary School where I teach begin and end their days with morning and evening prayers at assembly.

This blog post is part of a series of activities that I'm doing for the Peace Corps' World Wise program. The program links Basotho and American schools through various activities such as blogs like this one and friendly letters.

    Hi kids! My name is Jennifer Jiggetts and I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer currently living and serving in the small southern African country of Lesotho.
   I've been here for nearly a year and a half now. I teach English and Life Skills to 5th and 6th graders at Tsoaing Primary School.
   The school is located on a small mountain in the shallow south of the country.
   Tsoaing has no running water or electricity but but its students continually score high on standardized tests.
   Here are some more things about Tsoaing Primary School:

-Classes here are big; the average is around 40-ish students per class. We utilize the co-teaching model so there are two teachers per class.

-Students learn about all kinds of subjects. Those subjects include Maths, English and the country's Mother Tongue of Sesotho.

-Women (and some men) from the village called "cooks" make lunch for students and teachers. Students eat cabbage, hard-boiled eggs, beans, samp (a corn dish), and papa, the country's staple food.

-Boys play morabaraba, a popular game similar to chess:

-Girls play 'mantloane, a popular game similar to "playing house:"

   So, kids, my students are just like you!
   They work hard. They play fun games. And they're smart!
   I will be posting more about our school and country soon.
   Is there anything more specific you'd like to know? Please let me know. I'd be happy to answer your questions!