What do you have now? Are you able to discover what you have? Is it a myth that you have something now? Think about what you have as you read this article.
You are a classroom teacher. Your complaint is that you don’t have enough tools for making the learning work in your classroom. It is true that you need enough teaching aids. But I have a message for you. I have listened to Prof Bismark, the English Fellow in Uganda. You have learners. Your learners can be your teaching aids. You have yourself. You can be your best teaching aid. You have desks, chairs, and many other things in the classroom. Don’t you know that they are enough for you to teach? The most of all, you have nature. The nature is the best teaching aid we have. Remember, the emphasis of this article is for you to USE just WHAT YOU HAVE and make learning a success.
Dear countrymen and women, when we fail to use what we have, we will definitely fail to see what we will have. We have enough to make our country a success. Our problem is ignoring the fact that what we have is enough. The philosophy of using what we have is the philosophy which will change South Sudan. Let’s USE WHAT WE HAVE and the best we can have tomorrow will be clear before all our eyes.
At home there is flour but there is no sauce. The woman will decide that she won’t cook because there is no money for the sauce. Is it a wise decision? I don’t agree. Why can’t that flour be cooked? There is water, salt, and sugar, among others. The children can eat it and survive. There are times when we just need to survive in life. USE WHAT YOU HAVE.
You are a student. You want to study. You have any of the local universities you could go to. You neglect joining the university you have at hand hoping to get a scholarship to go to the university you don’t have. I advise you to USE WHAT YOU HAVE. It is okay when you, fortunately, get a scholarship but wait for it as you are studying. Or you are a student who doesn’t have enough to join the university. You only have a little for registration or some other small expenses. You neglect the philosophy of USING WHAT YOU HAVE and wait for the money you never know when you will get. If you can take it the way I can see. You can register and look for the much you want while you are moving on. God doesn’t drop food into an unopened mouth. Take a step WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, and the next will follow.
You need to build a house. You can possibly start the foundation with the little you have. But you put your mind to building your house when you have much. Much never come before the little. The little must come first. Let’s use the little we have to begin what will be the better thing tomorrow. USE WHAT YOU HAVE to build a house.
As school, you have plans to do for the school. You of course have something in the account. You are not doing anything because you think it is not enough to do the activities. But you forget that the little there can finish some of those activities. You keep procrastinating and things get worse. People forget something. People think things will get better. You don’t know that things get better when what is there is put to use. In the context of our country, I promise you that you will realize things get better when the little available is used. I advise all the school administrators to USE WHAT THEY HAVE to bring success to the school plans.
When will you be kind to yourself? You have the best tools with you to transform your life. You ignore using such tools like Bible or Quran, books, experiences from elders and your personal life experiences. You forget that the move to transform your life does not come from other people than yourself. You are the available tool to create a new human being of you. Take a decision to transform your life today. It is only you to change your life. USE WHAT YOU HAVE.
My dear reader, there are many scenarios we can bring to view and convince us that success is not brought by what we don’t have. What we have is enough to move far beyond the sky. I wouldn’t have learned it if I hadn’t gone for the African Lake Zone English Language Consortium.
African Lake Zone English Language Consortium (ALZELC) sponsored by the Regional English Language Office (RELO) conducts its conferences for English Language Teachers Associations in the member countries which include Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, DRC, Djibouti and Uganda. All the English teachers have the privilege of attending its organized international conferences. ALZELC focuses on impacting English Teachers with 21st-century skills. It was conducted this year in Addis Ababa from 18-19/05/2024.
Through RELO, American Embassy and British Council, scholarships and training are provided for English teachers. Some of the Association leaders have gotten scholarships to study in America and UK. I am writing to inform every English Teacher in South Sudan to join the South Sudan English Language Teachers Association which was registered in 2019. The chairperson of the association is Mr Okot Santos who is the head teacher of St Joseph Primary. He is deputised by Nyak Lam, the author of this article.
I had the privilege to go to Addis Ababa and present in a conference. I must not be selfish to aware every English teacher in South Sudan to have the same privilege next year. If your proposal is accepted, you get full sponsorship. That is, you are given a two-way flight ticket, full accommodation among others. I appeal to every English teacher to grab the opportunity and develop in the profession.
USE THE FOLLOWING TOOLS TO GET MANY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY THE REGIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE OFFICE.
- American English OPEN (Online Professional English Network).
- American English MOOCs.
- American English for Educators Facebook page.
- American English @state Facebook Page.
- RELO East Africa Facebook page.
- OPEN Community of Practice.
- American English YouTube Channel.
- Announcements from RELO East Africa on WhatsApp.
- Education USA Website.
- US Embassy, Addis Ababa Website.
- Critical Creativity in Action.
- English Teaching Forum.
We need to continue learning in the profession and such tools will help us be the best teachers for English in South Sudan.
To conclude, the philosophy says, USE WHAT YOU HAVE. What do you have now? You have this article, please, use it. Identify the more you have. Use it right now and have great success in life.