It was a bright and sunny day in Maseru when I walked up to the gate that separated me from the children and their home at Beautiful Dream Society. Upon arriving, I rang the bell, told them who was there, and slowly the gate opened up. It was my second day visiting the school and the kids were all playing in the yard.
Before I could even walk through the gate they ran toward me. The babies (as we call them) came barreling my way, arms spread wide, coming in for a massive tackle of hugs. The older ones said, “Hello Teacher!” with big smiles on their faces as they came to greet me.
This is a wonderful place, I thought to myself.
Each day I’ve taught, visited, or gone to the pool with BDS kids, I have been inspired by the students’ cheerfulness and positive attitudes.
The five little ones are always ready for class and so eager to learn. I’ve had some wonderful times reading to them. They are so inquisitive, smart, and most importantly, they have just the best senses of humor as their giggles constantly fill the yard! Even on days when they don’t have a lesson, they line up at the older students’ class, wanting to get involved in the learning that is going on!
The five older students are just the same, but even more resilient. Like all the children here, they come from an assortment of traumatic backgrounds, but not once do they let it affect their learning. They struggle with English, but they work hard and push on. It is so moving to see them so eager to learn, not just in Sesotho (their language) but also in English without getting tired, frustrated, or ever talking about giving up.
My favorite activity, and their favorite as well, as been the introduction of Journal Time. Each student has a journal and it’s been incredible to watch them write about various topics such as what they plan to be when they grow up, the superpower they wished they could have, and what place they want to visit.
BDS has been a great teaching experience for me in Lesotho. I feel the children and this family have taken me, as well as my fiancé, in while we spend our year abroad here
–Bryan Young, Teacher for Beautiful Dream Society in Lesotho