Connecting with Twatasha Community School

​As part of the G2 unit of inquiry into how we learn and connect with others through shared stories, the Grade 2 teachers and students decided to take action and meet with Twatasha Community School and test out the ideas that we had been learning about. 

Twatasha community School is located in Chongwe District and was set up to serve the children of the  local farm workers by Mr and Mrs Elsinga. While Twatasha is a very good community school, it is still quite different to AISL in many respects including the preferred language of its students, so how to communicate and connect then? Through the power of stories  told in a variety of forms such as music, games and poetry, the children of Twatasha and AISL were able to find common ground.

On our first get together, AISL visited Twatasha. Our children were very excited to share their well rehearsed plays with the Twatasha students and they were equally curious to see what stories they might hear from their new friends. Despite the fact that the children did not all speak the same language, they still managed to bond through watching one another’s presentations and playing games together; the sharing of treats like biscuits also helped to connect the children in their discovery of common childhood interests. 

When the Twatasha students visited AISL, our students were excited that they had come and showed this in the way they participated in different activities including art, games, drama and songs. In a globally accepted connection ritual, the children also shared food with great generosity.  

In our reflection sessions after each visit with Twatasha, our students had the opportunity to share their feelings and new knowledge about how people connect through stories. The general consensus was that despite some difficulties, the effort to connect with other children was well worth the effort and that stories were a great help in bridging cultural differences.