Contact Information:
Blog: helenashappenings.blogspot.com
Phone number: +244936896649
Mailing Address: Helena Foster Fabiano
C/O UIEA
CP 33
Lubango, Angola
Via Portugal
Here are a few of short snippets from my class…
“Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena, Miss Helena….” And on and on it goes…
One of my little girls comes up to me, “Miss Helena it is plopping on me.” Talking about the rain drops that she felt shaking off the tree that she was sitting underneath.
“Miss Helena, Marson is not making a good choice.” When Marson chooses not to put his head down like the rest of his class mates are. I hadn’t realized that I had been talking so much about making choices.
“Miss Helena, please push me!” Shouted across the playground at me from three children at once, apparently it carries more weight if everyone asks at once instead of just one at a time.
“Criss-cross, apple sauce” I hear across the classroom where I am teaching art to my older students. I look up and there all lined up and sitting criss-cross are my younger students with one of the older girls sitting in front, “reading” them a story. After the story she stops and they all do “head, shoulders, knees and toes” another game that I have taught them and what we do when we are sitting criss-cross. It was one of my favorite moments of teaching.
A phrase that I have to repeat many times in the day and mostly to the same student is “Stop eating Miss Helena’s pencils.” Apparently I have some very nice tasting pencils!
I usually put my pen or pencil behind my ear because I don’t always have a pocket that I can put it in to. The other day I looked at my student, who was working at their desk coloring a picture. They had put their pencil behind their ear just like mine, except that their ears are a little bit smaller so it was mostly falling out but they were very proud of their accomplishment! They say imitation is the best form of flattery!
“You know that it is a lot easier to read the book if it is open, and if you are planning on trying to make me think that you are reading but aren’t actually going to read then you should at least have it open and be looking at it even if you aren’t reading it.” I tell one of my older students who comes in the afternoon, who is just sitting there at his desk staring into space. He smiles at me kind of sheepishly and then opens the book.
I have just answered the call from one of my girls to “Please push me!” and I am walking back to my spot where I can watch everyone and make sure that they aren’t doing anything that will get us in trouble when I look at my two five year old boys and I was stunned for a couple of seconds by what I saw. There are my two boys facing each other with about four feet in between them with their pants down trying to pee on each other! I told them to pull up their pants and then march over to near where I sit and to have seat. They both headed over and they had to sit there for five minutes and at the end of the five minutes we had a little “chat” about where and who you can pee on. It was one of the funnies things that I have ever seen and I had to wait until the end of the day to really laugh about it. I had several students that wanted to know why the boys were sitting down and not playing and all I could say was that they were being punished because if I tried to explain it I would burst out laughing. I have asked both boys why they decided that this was a good idea and neither one have given me answer yet.
At the end of the days as the students are leaving to go home, one of my girls comes over and gives me a kiss on the cheek and says “See you tomorrow, Miss Helena!” It was a very sweet, unexpected end to the morning. I love my job!!
A Dream Coming True…
The first day of school dawned bright and clear. I left the house at 7 am even though class was not scheduled to begin until 8am. On the Friday before when I had been at the classroom setting up the desks had not been brought to the room yet, and they assured me that on they would be there by Monday morning so I wanted to get there early to have to time to find desks in case they were not there. I walked in and there they were! It was a very exciting moment; to walk into my first classroom for the first time on the first morning of school. I could hardly believe that it was happening. 
Walking in on the first day.
I had a couple of Brazilian missionary kids, who are now my students that lived next door, and they had driven to school with me and they had been a tremendous help setting up the room the week before. We spent the rest of the time before the other students arrived arranging the desks and doing last minute preparations.
By 8:30 every one had arrived and we began our first day. I had ten students that day with various levels and knowledge of English but it worked out and it was a typical “getting to know you” day. We went through names, classroom rules, learning to walk in a line and etc. All in all it went well and the students all had a good time.
Class was over by 12:30 and most of the kids were picked up by then. I then ate a quick lunch at my desk and then got ready for my afternoon group of students that were to arrive at 2pm. I only had 5 that first afternoon but by 4:30 when school was finished I was exhausted but thankful that it had been a good first day.
