Ive been thinking a lot about how education and the world seems to accept that different people function differently. That makes sense. I think everyone gets it. Some are good in Math, some struggle with processing, some have physical challenges, Autism, there is a plethora of disabilities, and initials that people can have: ADD, ODD, etc, etc, etc.
As teachers in schools, we have been told to recognize these functioning differences and try to adapt by giving the student something that helps their functioning reach a "normal" level and achieve a passing grade in the class.
Im thinking that the power is not in getting everyone to function at the same level, but instead being the person that can reach the most people no matter their functioning level. It doesnt seem to matter what we "add" to their functioning because I dont think their functioning is deficient...I dont think its inferior...it is unique, just like everyone else's.
So the power and the strength is not in the person who thinks or can demonstrate higher levels of functioning ...instead the power and the strength goes to those who can succeed with many people with many different functioning levels.
#I think Im going to have to write this a few times before it gets more clear. Its been bouncing around in my head for a while now...
Monday, October 24, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Hello there
Am back again with another story about me and how I came to join Hopewell High School.
I finished my Primary school/grade eight in the year 2002 at Oljorrai Primary School which is in Gilgil division.I performed well and got good grades to join High School but I didn't join one because the fees were too high and my family couldn't get that money.
I was forced out of school.I looked after my elder brother cows for some years until one day as my elder went to visit his friend at a nearby village when he met James Yegon and some Hopewell student who came to plant some crops on a land that Hopewell had leased for a year.My brother and James talked for sometime and told him all about Hopewell and that their fees was low compaired to other school.By then Hopewell fees was 1500sh per term.My brother took me to the school the following day and got admitted.
This was like a nightmare to me because I never thought I would ever go to high school again after three year out of school.Everything was new to me from new environment, I looked weird in school uniform again and new faces.As time went- by I got used to everything.
I established better relationship with my fellow students and my teacher and I also became good friend of James Yegon who took me to visit his family and was excited about that.Yegon later introduced me to his friends.Later on september a group of travellers visited our school.Here I met Phill Klamm whom I talked as a the first traveller.I was suprised to find that Phill was known all over the school.
We became good friends with Phill over the years.On their last day in Kenya Phill invited me and a friend of mine to Hotel Kunste where they were staying.
As we finished dinner,Phill took my friend and I to his room and talked for a long time.Phill said that he was going to offers us a job at the IV after we were done with our exams in November.I was so suprised because I didn't expect that and that was good news I hadn't heard in a long time.I didn't believe that until in december when we started working at the IV were I still work until now thank to Phill Klamm.
I finished my Primary school/grade eight in the year 2002 at Oljorrai Primary School which is in Gilgil division.I performed well and got good grades to join High School but I didn't join one because the fees were too high and my family couldn't get that money.
I was forced out of school.I looked after my elder brother cows for some years until one day as my elder went to visit his friend at a nearby village when he met James Yegon and some Hopewell student who came to plant some crops on a land that Hopewell had leased for a year.My brother and James talked for sometime and told him all about Hopewell and that their fees was low compaired to other school.By then Hopewell fees was 1500sh per term.My brother took me to the school the following day and got admitted.
This was like a nightmare to me because I never thought I would ever go to high school again after three year out of school.Everything was new to me from new environment, I looked weird in school uniform again and new faces.As time went- by I got used to everything.
I established better relationship with my fellow students and my teacher and I also became good friend of James Yegon who took me to visit his family and was excited about that.Yegon later introduced me to his friends.Later on september a group of travellers visited our school.Here I met Phill Klamm whom I talked as a the first traveller.I was suprised to find that Phill was known all over the school.
We became good friends with Phill over the years.On their last day in Kenya Phill invited me and a friend of mine to Hotel Kunste where they were staying.
As we finished dinner,Phill took my friend and I to his room and talked for a long time.Phill said that he was going to offers us a job at the IV after we were done with our exams in November.I was so suprised because I didn't expect that and that was good news I hadn't heard in a long time.I didn't believe that until in december when we started working at the IV were I still work until now thank to Phill Klamm.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Life in Northern Kenya
My name is Julius Etira Ebenyo,born on July 7th, 1986 in Turkana county of Northern Kenya in a small village called Kang'atet. Turkana is the driest desert area of Kenya. It is divided into three divisions: North, Central, and South, of which North is the worst, my village was in Central Turkana. I Am the son of Mr and Mrs Joseph Jamuu. My twin brother Robert and I are 5th born in a family of eight (6 boys and 2 girls).We come from a pastorist community as do most of the people who live in this regon.My grandparents had a large number of animals (camels,sheep and goat). I grew up in this village until I turned seven.When I was seven, I used to go with my brothers, cousins and uncles to take the animals to their grazing ground which was about 7km from our home.
In Turkana, insecurity and death from hunger are the order of the day.We don't experience any rain at all and when we do experience it, it floods the area, sweeping animals and killing people and the residents prefer the the dry season than the rainy season.Life in Turkana is TOO HARD.Nothing grows here because the area is dry and nothing can germinate between 37-40 Degrees Celsius.We only depend on relief food from the Kenyan Goverment, use animals meat and milk as food, fish from the largest lake in Kenya (Lake Turkana).Turkana borders three countries,Sudan,Uganda and Ethiopia.
Ethiopians have always been a threat to Turkanas.There is this small tribe from Ethiopia called Merire which invades our county when they feel like it, killing large numbers of people and stealing animals. As I am writing now, we are still mourning the death of more than 150 turkanas in Todonyang' village, killed by the Merire tribe from Ethiopia. We also have enemies within us called the Pokot. Pokot are our neighbours and they also attack us, raiding our animals and killing our people. People here walk with death each day and even living for another day is a miracle to us. Turkana experience death in every passing second of their life. If you escape death from Merire, you can't escape from hunger or the Pokot tribe. Death surrounds us from every corner and becomes the order of the day and now death is part of life to many.We are now used to seeing our people dying and tears are dry in our eyes, crying for our friends and family. Now most Turkanas walk around with guns to protect their animals, land and their families.
Going to school in Turkana remains to be a dream to many of us. Hunger and insecurity can't allow most of us to join school. People from Central and Southern Turkana are the only ones who sometimes get that chance of going to school.The major problem in Turkana as a whole is insecurity from our neighbouring country and hunger which our Government in many years has been unable to solve this problem.
As a small kid I grow up with my family in Turkana Central. Life here is so hard. We struggle accessing clean water, geting food and geting medical treatment. Also looking after our animals and looking for grazing land was risky because Pokot sometime invade, raid our animals and kill our people. We carry loaded guns to the grazing land for our own security and for our animals. The Pokot also have guns loaded and come in large numbers and attack unaware people. My dad and my uncle used to escort my brothers, my sister and my cousins to school in the morning and back in the evening.
After my elder brother finished his High School, he got a job out of here to a town called Gilgil. He settled here and took my two brothers, my young sister and I to Gilgil where we finished our Primary school. By the begining of 2011,we finally had our whole family here in Gilgil.
This is a tiny piece of my story, and a small look into Northern Kenya (Turkana). Thank you for reading I will share more of my story very soon.
In Turkana, insecurity and death from hunger are the order of the day.We don't experience any rain at all and when we do experience it, it floods the area, sweeping animals and killing people and the residents prefer the the dry season than the rainy season.Life in Turkana is TOO HARD.Nothing grows here because the area is dry and nothing can germinate between 37-40 Degrees Celsius.We only depend on relief food from the Kenyan Goverment, use animals meat and milk as food, fish from the largest lake in Kenya (Lake Turkana).Turkana borders three countries,Sudan,Uganda and Ethiopia.
Ethiopians have always been a threat to Turkanas.There is this small tribe from Ethiopia called Merire which invades our county when they feel like it, killing large numbers of people and stealing animals. As I am writing now, we are still mourning the death of more than 150 turkanas in Todonyang' village, killed by the Merire tribe from Ethiopia. We also have enemies within us called the Pokot. Pokot are our neighbours and they also attack us, raiding our animals and killing our people. People here walk with death each day and even living for another day is a miracle to us. Turkana experience death in every passing second of their life. If you escape death from Merire, you can't escape from hunger or the Pokot tribe. Death surrounds us from every corner and becomes the order of the day and now death is part of life to many.We are now used to seeing our people dying and tears are dry in our eyes, crying for our friends and family. Now most Turkanas walk around with guns to protect their animals, land and their families.
Going to school in Turkana remains to be a dream to many of us. Hunger and insecurity can't allow most of us to join school. People from Central and Southern Turkana are the only ones who sometimes get that chance of going to school.The major problem in Turkana as a whole is insecurity from our neighbouring country and hunger which our Government in many years has been unable to solve this problem.
As a small kid I grow up with my family in Turkana Central. Life here is so hard. We struggle accessing clean water, geting food and geting medical treatment. Also looking after our animals and looking for grazing land was risky because Pokot sometime invade, raid our animals and kill our people. We carry loaded guns to the grazing land for our own security and for our animals. The Pokot also have guns loaded and come in large numbers and attack unaware people. My dad and my uncle used to escort my brothers, my sister and my cousins to school in the morning and back in the evening.
After my elder brother finished his High School, he got a job out of here to a town called Gilgil. He settled here and took my two brothers, my young sister and I to Gilgil where we finished our Primary school. By the begining of 2011,we finally had our whole family here in Gilgil.
This is a tiny piece of my story, and a small look into Northern Kenya (Turkana). Thank you for reading I will share more of my story very soon.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Chef School
For many years now I had wanted to know how to prepare different kinds of foods from the one we cook at our homes.I love cooking but not only the one am used cooking in my house but also the one I see being cooked and sold in different hotels and restuarant in my town.Everytime I go to a restuarant I eat delicious food and sometime I wonder how it was prepared.Then as time went by I became passionate about cooking and started preparing food for our travellers at the IV.I was motivated and challenged by their comment about my cooking.Everybody said that my cooking was good.I remember last year we had a group of 12 travellers at the IV and I did all the cooking and they all loved it.
Then this year we also had a group of travellers and this time was little different because we had a chef doing the cooking for them.And on their last day at Maasai Mara after dinner,a traveller who had been here for several year,said that there was no big different on the food prepared by the hired chef and the one I used to prepare for them.He also suggested that if I go to a chef school and I can do even better cooking.That is when a traveller from last year's trip decided to take me to chef school and is sponsering me in my chef school,where am perfecting my cooking skills and hope to be the best one around here.
Then this year we also had a group of travellers and this time was little different because we had a chef doing the cooking for them.And on their last day at Maasai Mara after dinner,a traveller who had been here for several year,said that there was no big different on the food prepared by the hired chef and the one I used to prepare for them.He also suggested that if I go to a chef school and I can do even better cooking.That is when a traveller from last year's trip decided to take me to chef school and is sponsering me in my chef school,where am perfecting my cooking skills and hope to be the best one around here.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Napanda - Climbing
Sometimes you gotta take the bad with the good... or is it the good with the bad? I'm not sure how the saying goes but it seems that when things really start to roll another challenge or two sneak in there to keep things real.
I read a great book the other day called The Alchemist - it talks of this young man who had taken a chance and chose a profession that was against the grain. He was very successful at this chosen profession but was soon challenged to explore, take a risk, and reach for something bigger - even though he didn't know what it was.
Each decision may bring new risk but also brings reward. Climbers are always reaching for the big, unknown, reward that is just one more step away. The secret is that the true reward is the journey and you only figure that out when you "Get there".
Go out, make decisions, take on risk, and reach for what others think is unreachable! The best compliment I have ever heard directed at me was simply, "You're not supposed to do that because..."
*INSERT BIG SMILE HERE*
I read a great book the other day called The Alchemist - it talks of this young man who had taken a chance and chose a profession that was against the grain. He was very successful at this chosen profession but was soon challenged to explore, take a risk, and reach for something bigger - even though he didn't know what it was.
Each decision may bring new risk but also brings reward. Climbers are always reaching for the big, unknown, reward that is just one more step away. The secret is that the true reward is the journey and you only figure that out when you "Get there".
Go out, make decisions, take on risk, and reach for what others think is unreachable! The best compliment I have ever heard directed at me was simply, "You're not supposed to do that because..."
*INSERT BIG SMILE HERE*
Sunday, August 21, 2011
14 Months Later...
The last post on this blog was June 2010... um yeah, a lot has changed since then.
Napanda- means to climb... and that is how I define life. We always move forward, not every step is perfect and sometimes you even fall a bit ... just stop, get your balance and keep on climbing.
This blog is dedicated to all the climbers out there -
Napanda- means to climb... and that is how I define life. We always move forward, not every step is perfect and sometimes you even fall a bit ... just stop, get your balance and keep on climbing.
This blog is dedicated to all the climbers out there -
Monday, June 14, 2010
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