Interpretation

Koko knocked on my door a few nights ago. Holding his notebook he asked me if I would help him with his math homework. He is learning double digit multiplication. I quickly discovered that he had not memorized his tables yet, making double digit multiplication very difficult and time-consuming. He only had six problems but we both knew it was going to take hours to complete.

Many times he looks to me for the answer, rather than finding and discovering the answer for himself. I often hear him say, “spell it”. My response is always the same, “look it up”. By now, he’s learned I will not give him the answer. He knows I will only help him learn how to figure it out. If he is doing geography or science, I open up the computer and look for maps or videos to help him understand things. He perks up with interest when I show him a YouTube video of a volcano erupting or find pictures of the stars on the computer.

So when he couldn’t figure out how to do his math problems, his question was logical. He said, “Can we find the answers on the computer?” I said, “Yes Koko, we can find the answer on the computer, but that would not help you learn math, would it?” It was a nice try.

I am happy that he now realizes that computers are tools to discover information. Most of the children in the village are not as aware as Koko because there are not enough people in the village that work with the children to help them make this discovery.

Seeing SexyMama, LoveyDoveyMama, YourSexyBabe, WildCat, and YaWannaBabe are common words in the village. What comes to mind when you see these words? Never mind. Don’t answer. I could recount a long list of these names as there are many more. Without giving all the information, these are partial email addresses. These names would probably be down at the bottom of my list just under MassMurderer@hotmail.com or SerialRapist@yahoo.com. Yet, these are email addresses of children who are ten and eleven years old. How does this happen?


For the most part, children who I have come in contact with see computers as tools for games and chatrooms. Chatrooms are huge here. What does a stranger think when YaWannaBabe logs onto a chatroom? One little girl used my computer before I understood this problem. She was receiving email messages from people in those chatrooms. I can only imagine what I don’t know.

Most parents in the villages are not aware of what their children are doing on the internet. Many don’t know how to use a computer. I drafted a training session to teach parents internet safety. I discovered they aren’t ready to hear the message yet. I try to post my blogs from a humorous point of view, but I can’t seem to find a funny angle to this story.