Sud Academy is a Community

By: Shanequa Dasher

My experience at Sud Academy today was uniquely different to the experience that I had at JEHO, however it was equally rewarding. We arrived at the Academy and were greeted by yet another friendly man. His name was George, and he was the principal of the academy. He was all smiles as he welcomed us into his place, his pride, his school. We immediately went into Principal George’s office to formally have a conversation about how things were going at the academy. We learned about a special graduation ceremony that would be happening the following day, and how excited all of the teachers and students were to learn who would be granted the permission of participating. We shared a few supplies for the children, for which Principal George was extremely grateful. The formalities came to a close. It was now time to formally meet our children for the day.

Slowly a small group of apprehensive faces began to trickle their way into the outside courtyard draped with stone and mud from the morning rain. They lined up unsure of what the day had in store. They were very shy, except for one gentleman whom through conversation, offered to share a song in his native tongue while we waited for the other students to join us. He had the voice of an angel. Joy permeated through the space, as he shared his song. Even a few of the faces that were once made of stone, perked up in silent delight.

We were soon joined by the remaining students and we broke into a large group in one of the nearby classrooms. We introduced and reintroduced ourselves, and warmed up with my get silly, getting to know you name activity. At that very moment, smiles emerged and laughter crackled through the room. This was a symbol to me, that today would indeed be a productive day.

We had a smaller group at Sud Academy than that of the JEHO Orphanage. In comparison to the 35 students at JEHO, we instead had about 15. With this particular group, we decided to rotate amongst myself, LA, and Suzzi in small groups of 5 according to age and gender. This allowed an opportunity for every student to shine without the apprehension of being before their older, younger, male, or female counterparts. This was the best decision we could have ever made. Each of the individuals came alive in their smaller groups. Even more laughter, talking, and participation was evident. Throughout my theater groups for the day, my individual small groups shared their learning preferences with me. I was able to use immense flexibility to adapt to what their preferences were in order to make the lessons enjoyable and fun.

A Message from Sud Academy

The strongest thing that resonated with me during my time at Sud Academy was the sense of community that each group of students exhibited. There were several students who didn’t understand my instructions or what I was saying for that matter. Each of the others rallied around that student and assisted them in the entire process of what we were doing. This sense of community and genuine care for one another made my heart smile. Not only because of the help that these students provided to their peers but also the fact that after the help was provided, the student was truly engaged and enjoying the process. The culture of community was alive and well at Sud Academy, and I was so pleased to be a part of their community. I look forward to working with them again if only to share in that very culture and climate of love.