Meet Rosita, Kusi Kawsay`s 4th grade Primary Teacher. Rosita is from Amaru, one of the several rural communities surrounding Pisac, here in the Cusco region. Her community is well known for their dedication to preserving traditional techniques to produce textiles. From the shearing wool, to the making and dying of the thread with natural elements, to the weaving the finished product, Amaru´s inhabitants apply the techniques that their ancestors used for centuries.

 

For those following Kusi Kawsay's journey on Facebook, the picture above may be familiar. Rosita joined us at the start of the academic year in March 2020.  Pictured above with a cascade of flowers from the field, she is welcoming her students in such a tender and emotional way.

Last week, via Zoom, Rosita shared with us how she has been experiencing this pandemic, this In-Between time, as a teacher. Guided by Waldorf pedagogy, she strives to touch children's feelings and nurture their creative abilities. Considering this, she is sharing that, due to the current present situation, the change has been drastic, because she had to switch to remote learning till the end of this year (and perhaps longer) and transform her methodology of teaching based on practical and direct experience, using audio and video tools. Most of our children and their families cannot rely on a paid cell phone plan, so Rosita says she chose WhatsApp as it does not consume data. Another issue is that several children do not have their own cell phone to use for their classes online, instead they have to share it with their sisters and brothers, so they have to wait for the phone to be available in order to follow their classes and do their homeworks.

She`s reporting a very common issue that schools all around the world are confronting.  The children were very curious and interested when they started to learn at home using new tools and methodologies but the initial surprise gave place to weariness because to learn using mobile devices is tiring their eyes and decreasing their attention. In order to compensate for their lack of contact with the teacher, Rosita started private visits to students in need of additional support, always adhering to health and safety regulations.

This Friday, November 20th, marks World Children's Day.  We asked Rosita to share a message for the children of our community and around the world. She asked the children to stay calm and to enjoy their families because this is a very special time to summon forces together to navigate the present uncertainty toward reimagining the world that is possible.