Steven Labarakwe's third day of visits to Washington, DC area ESHA-member schools took Laurel and him to Norwood School in Bethesda. There, in addition to making a presentation for second graders, Steven had the opportunity to discuss curriculum and school issues with Norwood administrators and participate in an evening meeting with leaders from several schools.
I joined the ev
ening session to facilitate the discussion, which allowed representatives from schools hosting Steven's visit to share their expectations for the program and, for some, to compare and contrast the experience to what was anticipated. Particularly interesting for many of us was hearing Steven's perceptions of his first three school visits and his first week in the United States. When asked, Steven outlined the most critical needs in northern Kenya: water (in a region that has seen no rainfall for a full year); education, particularly textbooks and trained teachers, and infrastructure. An underlying theme throughout the evening, 
as you might guess, was the importance of giving elementary school students experiences to develop a sense of belonging to a world larger than their own immediate communities.
Participating in the evening discussion session gave me the additional pleasure of a reunion with my fellow Kenya travelers -- a rendezvous with Steven and Laurel at Norwood, with Muddy joining us later in the evening and for the next day's program.
Claudia
Photos:
"Second graders model kangas," Quanti Davis
"Steven and Norwood mural," Laurel Seid
ening session to facilitate the discussion, which allowed representatives from schools hosting Steven's visit to share their expectations for the program and, for some, to compare and contrast the experience to what was anticipated. Particularly interesting for many of us was hearing Steven's perceptions of his first three school visits and his first week in the United States. When asked, Steven outlined the most critical needs in northern Kenya: water (in a region that has seen no rainfall for a full year); education, particularly textbooks and trained teachers, and infrastructure. An underlying theme throughout the evening, 
as you might guess, was the importance of giving elementary school students experiences to develop a sense of belonging to a world larger than their own immediate communities.Participating in the evening discussion session gave me the additional pleasure of a reunion with my fellow Kenya travelers -- a rendezvous with Steven and Laurel at Norwood, with Muddy joining us later in the evening and for the next day's program.
Claudia
Photos:
"Second graders model kangas," Quanti Davis
"Steven and Norwood mural," Laurel Seid
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