Mr. Trussell Goes to School

I usually wake up at 6:20 and scramble around in my apartment until I leave with the Cochranes (parents of one of my students). We drive over the Niger River, through Badalabougou, then to the district where BCA is, Niamakoro.

On my way in the gate, I greet the guards and then work my way upstairs to Sarah’s classroom. We read the day’s My Upmost for his Highest and write out the verse of the day on an index card. Then, if I don’t have recess duty, I meet with the other teachers for a prayer meeting. Our principal, Miss Kim gives us each a card with the name of a BCA student written on it. Then we pray for that student. Afterwards, I go downstairs to my classroom. When the bell rings, I call for homework and enter the grades on my computer. Then we share prayer requests and have a class prayer time.

The first class of the day is Bible. Over the last few weeks, we had been covering the gospels and today, we started an overview of Acts and the early church.  The kids acted out the fourth chapter in the courtyard of the school and we discussed how the Holy Spirit helped the early church. After bible we transition into reading class. The 5th graders are reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They designed their own golden tickets and made character maps. The sixth graders are in the middle of a unit on quests. They read an excerpt from The Hatchet and wrote letters to the author. Once they finish their reading work, they have a break for snack. The kids go upstairs to eat, and then they go across the street to the playground where they swing, climb, and run their energy away.

After recess, they have French class twice a week. On the days the kids don’t have French, they learn about science; right now, we are learning about adaptations and how they help animals survive in their environment.

At noon the kids eat lunch. Lunch is my students’ favorite subject. On Thursdays, they get to have a Coke for 250CFA (50 cents). After they eat, they go across the street for some more recess.
After lunch is a mix of social studies, art, music, and/or math. Today the kids are writing all of the things they learned during our unit about Egypt on a poster.  The bell rings at 2:15 and the kids are happy to go home after a hard day of work.

Once the kids have left and I have finished with the work I need to do, Sarah and I walk about a ¼ mile to the sotrama stop. Sotramas are the Tri-Met of Bamako. They are green vans that fit about twenty people on wooden benches that hug the inside perimeter of the back. They cost 150CFA (30 cents) to ride. The benches get crowded as the number of people approaches capacity. Rump to rump, shoulder to shoulder; it can be a challenge to squeeze yourself down onto the seat. Then at your stop it might take a push on the back to get on your feet.

It is about a 15 minute walk from the sotrama stop to Sarah’s apartment. In the evenings we usually have dinner with a group of our friends and we rotate cooking responsibilities. Sarah and I cooked falafels last time. Throughout the week we have different things we do; choir practice (Vivaldi’s Gloria), bible study, movie night at the bakers, Dr. Who nights, and other activities. At the end of it all, I sometimes catch a taxi home, but usually I just walk back across the bridge.