Blog blong Jon

It's easy to help

One thing I am enjoying is how - in a way - it's easy to help. Even just by offering an outside (objective) viewpoint - it helps them to see things. No doubt my objective thinking will be off the ballpark at times, but yesterday I went to the local primary school.

 

We hoping our kids spend one day a week there (on sports day), so they can join in the afternoon sports events and perhaps join in classrooms in the morning. They enjoyed it. Comments that night having tea were, (William, “It was really great”, Simon, “it was OK – better than I thought”, and Phillip, “it was putty…you didn’t go to the loo…” Connie found it a bit overwhelming. The kids also felt very embarrassed to have everyone watching them etc.

 

Anyway, about the school, there must be about 15 - 20 solar panels doing nothing. (in NZ that could be as much as 20K worth of panels being wasted). It is thought the panels were given through aid about 10 years ago - they were used for lighting in the classrooms – now, only one works. I understand the problem is the batteries, I presume being 10 yrs they need replacing.

 

So I asked some teachers why not get new batteries, or sell them to use money on other needed capital, or sell one to pay for new batteries (one might be enough - I don't really know), or get some of the panels (they are all spread around the school outside each class room) and join them together outside the school office so they could have a school computer that works during the day - not only for the 1½ hrs each night when the generator is working.

 

Their comment was it is good to have new ideas, etc. Even giving lessons on simple battery maintenance would be help. Will they do anything? I don't know but I think it got the teachers thinking.

 

I am enjoying teaching. Please pray I do a good job.

 

On the farm - the 4 wheel bike was not working. I am not a mechanic - in fact the opposite, but they said there was battery problems, I checked, all it was was a fuse. I explained the connections also need to be tight, they tightened them and it's now going. (I confess I was lucky cos that problem was easy). So I am enjoying it here.

 

Although I was stung by a centipede in my sleep last night. I woke with a shock. Trying to work out what happened - under the bed was a big centipede. Two night a go - Viv couldn't sleep (read her latest blog), and when she was finally asleep, I woke with cramp (first time in years)...and yes it work her!