The Undesired Goodbye

The last stop of my volunteering was at a local village near the library. This was the only village area that Brain Spaces worked with and it was clearly the cutest.  There was one school that was just a hut with a few wooden desks and a chalkboard. Of course they made it like a regular school with all the students work hung up all around. There were two teachers that would teach the morning and afternoon shifts. The children ranged from 5 to 8.

Their eagerness to participate and be heard was adorable. It was clear a few of them had severe behavioral problems, but the teachers would work with them without using a stick. They were asked to go the corner or given verbal prompts to follow along. It was clear the teachers cared and they weren't burnt out hating their job.

 After I spoke with the one teacher, Miss Maria. When I told her my experience, she was so happy to meet me. She asked me, "How long are you staying with us?" "Can you stay for the rest of summer?

 These questions always break my heart.  Especially when I learned that her school was specifically made for kids with behavioral problem( my place to work). Many children suffer from parents of domestic abuse; alcoholism(big problem in the villages), physical abuse, and some special needs. It was clear there were some emotional problems with the kids i.e. those who held on to my leg or were very quiet in class.

Realistically, I should stay for the rest of summer, but I had made other  and the fact that Roatan is a bit expensive for long term stay. Then she said,
"Maybe you could do a study here"?

 That was the smartest things that someone  could say to me.  Why not do a formal study rather than just write about it? This is definitely a great long term idea. A true research study to write about and share with others.

After class, I went to the bus where there was a man making mango jelly. When I asked him, he said it takes three hours to make. He let me try it and taste it and all the kids came running over to also taste it. Just a normal day for the guys making jelly and drinking a beer. They said they make all kinds of jelly depending on the fruit they have, but mango is really the best.

 In the small shop next door his wife was making him lunch. I was talking with her telling her what I tell everyone, "The best food comes from the home." I walked away and I came back to see a plate on the counter. She points at it and then points to me. I told her "thank you, but I'm fine I just had lunch." She insists and I can't decline and be rude. I accept and enter into food heaven with some coconut crunch fish, rice and beans, and plantains.

My jelly buddy said, "Did you just eat my lunch?" My mouth opens wide.  "She gave me your lunch?" He says," It's okay I would rather you enjoy it."
(This is how kind these people truly are and how sincere. They have nothing, but they want to give you everything). These villages melt my heart and leaving these people was like leaving family.

God bless this village. May they be watched over and cared for in their challenges, struggles, and darkest days.

Magic of Reading

When it comes to reading, the human impact is endless.  When one reads to a child, there is opportunity to teach, connect, share, learn, laugh, and language building. Reading promotes literacy, but it also provides a time of growth. Children who are learning a new language are given the space to ask questions about pronunciation, characters in the story, how to enunciate, and connect visuals with the language. Conversation is one of the best ways to learn, but reading is also a powerful, powerful tool.

Reading is powerful on it's own, but it can receive an extra boost with the teacher. Do you remember being a teacher and having someone read to you or with you? What was that experience like? Was it rewarding? Was it boring? Did you fall asleep midway? 

People may believe that reading a story is easy, but there is a magic to storytelling. In Morocco, storytelling is a gift- a gift that has been passed down from generation to generation. These people hold such passion for their stories and they share them with enthusiasm, wit, humor, and love. It's a form of entertainment and excitement for those participating.  Having passion for a story can create this extra boost to one's reading.  Of course, just reading books in a classroom is a bit less exciting, but that excitement that the Moroccan storytellers hold can be transferred to the classroom. When people have that passion, that is when magic happens.  Children get excited about reading and learning something new.  It's already hard enough learning a new language so why not make it fun?

Therefore, there are two different types of teachers. Those who are reading to satisfy and those who are reading to get it done.  Of course, reading can be boring if you don't make it fun, take appropriate breaks, and answer questions effectively. When you read to satisfy-you are reading to make the child feel satisfied with their experience, you keep them awake, and give the extra effort.  When a child acts how to enunciate a word, you have them repeat it until they get it.  When a story is connecting to something of real life, you ask further questions to practice their English(or new language). When there is an animal on a page, you ask "What sound does that animal make," when a child looks disengaged or bored you take over reading for a bit and rebuild the excitement, when you see them struggling with a word you have them repeat it and at the end you review the word(s) again. It's not easy being a great reader, but it can be learned with practice and positive efforts. Don't just read to read, but read to satisfy, read to feed the brain.

As far as the reading at the schools. It seems like such a simple thing to do, but it's truly a beautiful when it's done right.  When you make the teacher smile, when staff is learning from you, when ten children all gather around in a bus seat to hear you read, and when you encourage others to read.  It's refreshing to see a child enunciate, to see a child ask about a word, to see a child identify a color, to a see a child's interests whether in science, history, or geography. 

These children were age 7-12 with bright minds and great potential. 

Reading should leave you inspired. Empowered to learn your language of choice. Satisfied with Self.  Interested in the next chapter. And belief in the beauty of storytelling...PRIS