Esther is the last born of the three sisters. She's the youngest of the pack of girls who live on the block. At 2 1/2 years old, she really has no idea of what's going on around her. She expects a broad grin will explain everything when you ask her what she's doing. But she knows how to imitate!

Her older sister set the sufria on her head to carry it back to the house.

There was little Esther trotting behind with some unnecessary object likewise balanced on her head. She's learning how girls carry things.

No singing group number is complete without some choreographed dance routine to accompany it. The children's choir contained some really little tots who should have been in the pre-school class. Even if they didn't know the words, they were doing their best to copy the actions and steps of the older children. In a short time, they too will be dancing with sway and abandon.

Nice!

In practically every class where I observed the ISP 3rd year students on teaching practice, this was the response to a correct answer from the pupils. Apart from it seeming a rather 'inauthentic' affirmation of an answer, it evoked memories of an English TV game show and I wanted to shout out with the absent audience: Nice to see you, to see you nice!

But it wasn't mainly that which caught my attention. It was the fact that 'nice!' was said with the same tonality and modulation of one of the members of staff at ISP. If I had closed my eyes I would have thought it was Mathe speaking and not the various students. So if nine students were teaching 2 classes with an average of 24 pupils this would be 48 x 9 = 416 pupils doubled - when taking into account the other half of the 3rd class who did practice teaching at the beginning of the year - to make 832 pupils all over Bunia saying 'nice!' How incredible the power of imitation!

No wonder Paul told Timothy: "Take the teachings that you heard me proclaim in the presence of many witnesses, and entrust them to RELIABLE people, who will be able to teach others also." (2 Tim 2:2)  Teaching is such a powerful tool for consciously and unconsciously influencing other people. [I wonder what this generation of student teachers will be passing on to the pupils of Bunia!] How careful am I to model best practice in my lessons so I can confidently say: "Don't you remember how I taught you how to understand a text? You teach it in the same way." "Wasn't I always on time to teach you?

You be on time to teach your lessons." "How did I write on the blackboard?

You do the same thing."

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach." Mat 23:1-3

Blessings,