Spread The LUV
“Oh, so you teach…” That’s the statement I get most of the time when I attempt to describe to some people what my job entails. Level Up Village Co-ordinator, that is my job title and I invite you into my world.
I joined Exponential Education in May 2016. I must confess that it was the zeal to work with young people that drew me to even apply for the job in the first place and I have enjoyed every bit of it since I was given the opportunity to be a part of this diverse family.
So, Level Up Village (LUV) is an arm of Expo which I co-ordinate (obviously…lol). I will touch on what my duties are in the ensuing paragraphs. Firstly, the “department” is in charge of organizing after-school courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) for school kids in selected schools in the Ashanti Region from kindergarten to the ninth grade (third year in Junior High School).
These schools and children are partnered with others in the United States of America. Then they exchange video letters and ideas in STEAM through what we call “collaboration documents” for a period of between 5 to 8 weeks. The kids are also given workbooks in which they can take notes and “follow” the course.
So far (since I joined), we have run the following courses: Global Inventors, Global Inventors X, Global Communication (I am Malala), Global Communication (The Giver), Global Doctors (Anatomy) and Global Doctors (DNA).
So, do I teach? No I don’t. Our teachers are selected from the chosen schools and enrolled in online courses on the LUV platform to ready them to take the kids through the program. They are equipped with curriculums which spell out exactly how to run the classes.
As the LUV co-ordinator, I provide the data stipend and any extra materials the teachers would need for the class.
At the end of each course, the teachers receive a stipend and their school receives a grant to undertake a “project” which would benefit the school as a whole but most especially, future LUV classes.
My job can be tedious at times but what drives me is the excitement of the kids anytime there is a class and especially when they have video exchanges. I love the adventure!
The impact has been amazing as the kids have become more confident, especially in their speech, and have had the chance to practicalize most of what they are taught in school. The teachers have also broadened their horizon and improved their teaching skills.
