So Far, So Good...

Yesterday was the first day of teaching for myself and my partner, Adria. We taught three classes of little niños, in preschool and kindergarten at Central. All three lessons focused on teaching colors in English. The first class held the youngest kids, but they were all participatory and excited for us to be there. Their teacher was present for our class and helped us with keeping the classroom structured. Each session lasted thirty minutes, which is good considering the kids started to get antsy in the last five or ten minutes of class. After the first session, Adria and I played with the kids at recess, and we taught them how to play Ring Around the Rosie and Duck Duck Goose. The teachers also gave us fresh piña for a snack, which was such a treat! The next session after recess held the oldest kids, and this time their teacher was not present for our lesson. However, this was not a bad turn of events because these students were the most excited to learn English. They informed us that they knew a little bit of English, and told us the phrases they knew, like “how are you,” and “good morning.” By the time Adria and I taught the third lesson, we were completely comfortable in our environment. For part of an activity involving colors, we asked the students to point to things in the room for each color. For red, they pointed to Adria’s red shirt and some red posters hanging on the walls. For green, they pointed to plants and the green walls. For white, they pointed to me. I told them they were correct.

Classtime at Cooperativa

Today Adria, Ginny and I taught English to the teachers at Central. This was rewarding because it was obvious how interested the teachers were, and they picked up the lesson extremely well. We focused on forming sentences with the “to be” verb. As an activity, the teachers received a cut-out picture from the newspaper and formed sentences to describe the people in the pictures. They had fun with this activity. At the end of class, we asked the teachers what they wanted from us in the next two lessons. In learning that they all primarily want material to teach their students, Manna has come up with a plan for a sustainable project. We will create English curriculum for teachers of each grade so that when we leave, they still have something to hold on to from us. We are excited about this project because it will allow us to leave our mark, but more importantly, give the teachers what they want.

Rainy season is here, and everything is starting to become green again.

All in all, this has been a great two weeks. I have never been out of the country, so I was naturally nervous to leave my comfort zone. The people I’m volunteering with and the relentless positive energy I receive from my Manna supervisors make me feel like I can do anything. I look forward to my next two weeks.

Not a bad way to start the day...

- Kathleen, MPIG Summer Intern 

What Teaching Teaches Me

We have been here for almost 2 months. That blows my mind! I can't believe how quickly time is passing.

As we are nearing the end of the school year (it ends the second week of October! what?!), we are all taking a step back to analyze our involvement with the schools: what's working, what's not, how can we improve? All of this analysis leads me to consider how I have changed as a result of teaching the past 2 months.

I have to say that teaching is quite humbling. Every Monday and Thursday, I put myself out there: I speak in a second language, try new activities/ways of teaching the vocabulary... and it's not always pretty. In fact, I'd say most of the time, it hasn't been pretty. Some days, I don't understand their questions. Other days, my oh-so-brilliant activity backfires and leaves even the most interested students begging for mercy. Most days, the 8th graders simply do not participate. They laugh at us, work on other assignments.

I'm not used to failing. I've always been a diligent worker, and 99% of the time, that pays off. When you work your butt off with less than favorable results, you tend to feel a bit of learned helplessness-- the mentality that no matter what you do, it will fail.

We keep reading through this Peace Corps document that gives suggestions on how to teach English in various countries. The document has many suggestions for doing a variety of activities, for making the class about so much more than English. To use English as a vehicle for talking about things that really matter, to explore and investigate various problems or themes. I would love to lead a class like that. However, when the students continually make the same grammatical mistakes, forget some of the vocabulary that's been taught previously, and most of all, refuse to participate in any activity you try with them, leading a class that is more about vocabulary and grammar seems impossible. How can you ask them about their culture if they don't have the words or semantic tools to express their ideas?

I think we had a bit of a breakthrough on Monday. Ja and I decided to try a writing activity for the first time. We had just taught them vocabulary about parts of the house, before that we taught about animals, and we knew that they had previously learned different members of the family. So we gave them a prompt to describe their family and their house. Which family members live with you? What rooms does your house have? Do you have pets? etc. In the first two classes (7A and 8), the activity went moderately well. Of course, some of our smarty 8th grade boys said they had no family members and lived alone in a big/small house, but at least they wrote something. The last class (7B), though, was magical. I don't know what happened, but it is probably my proudest moment in teaching. After they had written several sentences each, I bravely asked for a volunteer to write one of their sentences on the board. (Normally, it is pulling teeth to get them to come up and participate.)

To my surprise, a couple of girls ran forward eagerly. From then on, there was a constant stream of volunteers running forward, writing their sentences on the board. Many of them wrote at the same time, which was almost chaotic (in the best way possible)! As I watched them writing their sentences, helping correct them and asking them to read what they wrote, I realized that these sentences did provide a gateway into some cultural knowledge. I learned that some students had pigs in their house. Pigs! I saw how many bothers and sisters some of our students had. And all of it was in English! Who would have thought?!

It was such a beautiful moment. I made Ja take a few pictures of the board when we were finished.

That's what teaching languages is all about: the small victories. Seeing students, of their own accord, using what you taught them to express their own thoughts. It is so rewarding to see them create sentences about things that affect their lives, rather than translating words or sentences.

I'm still far from a perfect teacher. I'm still far from confident. But I think I am finally getting to a point where I can encourage my students to use the language I'm teaching them and have some fun in the process.

-Nicole

What's it really all about?

 About a month ago, Lorena and I were up late talking, and she gave me a pop quiz. One question, four possible answers. The question was, “When you leave Guatemala, who are you going to miss the most?” The choices were varied, but my answer was easy and immediate. I said, “My students.”

Living in Guatemala had its ups and down. From making new friends but having to see them leave a few months later, traveling to exotic destinations but sometimes not being able to leave the house due to natural disasters, and having one of your closest companions, Oliver the cat, being taken away from you instantly one day. However, there always seemed to be one constant. Every Monday and Thursday in the afternoon, I had the pleasure of teaching English to 40 Primero Basico (7^th grade) and 11 Segundo Basico (8^th grade) students in Chaquijyá Central. I was not only their English teacher, but a connection to an outside, Western world that they might never see. Our relationship was much more than English nouns and verbs. I learned about their families, was given homemade crafts as gifts, and invited to community events. I watched their enthusiasm in the English language grow from simple excitement over learning bad words and swears to wanting to use English to tell me how they were feeling: “Cameron, are you happy? I am happy.”  When I walked into school every day they would greet me with a “What’s up?” They even wanted to describe their friends:  “Alfredo is fat. Claudia is pretty. Cameron the teacher is ugly."

Most of the time in life, people are focused on themselves. It is quite difficult to consistently dedicate your time to other people, while putting your interests aside. I can truthfully say that looking outside of myself and putting my efforts towards bettering the lives of my students was a truly rewarding experience.  Am I saying I didn’t gain any personal benefit and satisfaction? Of course not. I enjoyed every minute with them, whether we were learning, joking, arguing or playing soccer. However, if I had not put forth the effort to make a connection with my students, their positive influence wouldn’t resonate with me the way it does now. Was I a good teacher? I don’t really know. Having never done it before, it’s hard to tell. However, one thing I do know is that my students' personal warmth, laughter, and willingness to accept me into their inner circles made an impact on me. As I walked up the hill away from school for the last time on Thursday, I wondered if I would ever come back. I think I will. A part of me has been left in those two classrooms in Chaquijyá Central, and I guess I have to come back to rekindle that spirit. Before I left, I gave each student a class picture with words written at the top.  Estoy orgulloso de ti. I am proud of you. And I know I will be for a long time. Thank you for being part of my life. Se cuidan.

--Cameron Roth, newly-retired PD

Sunday Snapshot

Test time in Beginner's English in Cooperativa

Photo Credit: Dana Zichlin

Is ABC Really as Easy as 1-2-3?

I’ve always loved the Spanish language...from afar. Whenever I heard people speaking Spanish, my ears would perk up to the smooth yet rich sound of the language. Those rolled rr's were music to my ears. Since I’ve arrived in Guatemala, my feelings about Spanish have changed a bit. Don’t get me wrong, Spanish and I are still in a really great relationship, but the Spanish coming out of my mouth isn’t quite as lovely as when I was just listening to it. After several weeks of classes, some of the helpful grammar and useful vocabulary from high school is starting to come back to me (gracias Señora Garcia). But my oral skills are about as choppy as the bus ride down to my Spanish school in Panajachel. I try to remind myself daily that all great relationships require time, patience and heartfelt effort. “Poco a poco,” my teacher says–and she’s right, little by little, it is coming.

I truly admire those who have taken the time to learn another language, particularly the students in our English classes in Chaquijyá. Our students actually learn THREE languages in school: Spanish, Ka'qchikel (their traditional Mayan language), and English. We teach an optional after school English class, and we are excited to report that our attendance rate each week is almost 100%. Emily and I recently taught numbers one through twenty in our English class, and the kids picked up on it pretty quickly. But the alphabet? That’s a different story. The simple idea of the “A-B-Cs” are the foundation for hundreds of beautiful languages. Different accents, dialects and meanings, these letters create millions of words across the world. The “A-B-Cs” I learned in the United States now are taking on a dual meaning to me. As I work on building my vocabulary and losing my gringa accent, I’m continually inspired by my Guatemalan students or other American volunteers taking time to learn a new language. Today at the inauguration of the new Basico school, one man shared that 45% of Sololá is illiterate(!). The ABCs may sound pretty standard, but the privilege of knowledge and education is something to truly be thankful for. 

So, Michael Jackson, don’t roll over in your grave but I think we have to agree to disagree on this one. However, I will say, I’m on your side with another well-known idea of yours: “if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make the change.”

Switching it Up

In an organization based around collaborative community development, who should have the power?

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Monday marked the beginning of a new school year in Chaquijyá and a big change for the Manna Guatemala team. After several discussions, we have decided to pull out of teaching in school classes in Central and switch to an after school format that we already use in Cooperativa across the street.

There are some very real benefits to after school English. For starters, after school classes allow us, as teachers, more liberty and control over the curriculum. We will be using our time more efficiently by mixing 3rd - 6th graders in only two classes instead of individually entering seven separate classrooms during the school day. Furthermore, because the classes are now optional they will be filled with kids that are motivated and sincerely want to learn English.

Teaching 4th grade English in school

Of course we cannot ignore the drawbacks to this change. The community, from the beginning, has voiced their desire for us to teach English in schools. Our announcement of the changing format was therefore met with some resistance by the principal and the teachers who will now have to resume teaching English themselves. While this may be concerning, I think we have to be realistic and realize that we do not have the manpower to be teaching 20 individualized classes a week in one school and still managing to teach 6 classes a week in another school. Our organization’s mission is not to teach English; it’s much more holistic than that. Manna is about collaborative, community-based development. Although it was never one of our original plans, we have run in-school English for a year and a half because the community asked for it. At this point, I think we have earned the right to tweak a program that is neither sustainable nor efficient.

We have learned from experience that new ideas and change are often met with resistance. Both summer camp and the bottle school project were unpopular when first suggested, but the tides have since changed and the community has shown their support by paying for their children to attend summer camp and helping to collect bottles for the school. 

A 6-year-old's take on English greetings

During our development talks, the issue has often come up whether we are forcing our ideas upon Chaquijyá. At this point the answer is frankly, yes, sometimes we do.  This is obviously dangerous because we are assuming we know what’s best for this community. On the other hand without us pushing, new opportunities would rarely arise. In the ideal situation, community members would be the ones coming up with new ideas and we would be there to help implement them. It’s a delicate balance and one that we certainly don’t enter into lightly. For me, the distinction comes with the question, why? Why are people resistant? Sometimes the answer is that they just need a better explanation and a clearer understanding of the proposed project. Sometimes people need to see a program in action before they can realize its benefits. However, when a program that has been fully explained and maybe even put through a trial period is still met with resistance, then it’s time to admit that this program is perhaps flawed and not well-suited for the community. 

Bottle school under construction.. after much debate

Chaquijyá has not reached the ideal situation, honestly we wouldn’t be here if it had. But, we are working toward that goal. The awesome part is that our pushing appears to be working. I can see the community starting to reach towards their full potential instead of settling for the status quo.  One of the clearest examples is how quickly the community has taken ownership of the bottle school addition. Six months ago we still had a lot of skeptics and now they are the ones pushing us to continue moving forward with construction.

Back to the topic at hand, my goals for the after school English program are to give motivated kids a strong foundation in English and spark their interest in continuing their education. The success and future of the program will be measured by attendance and performance. I hope that the community sees the benefits of this different approach. At the same time, I’m prepared to scrap the changes if they prove unsuccessful because, in the end, I don’t know best.

-Emily

Brought to you by Vitamin C

(Background music for this blog)

Do you remember when you graduated from sixth grade? Neither do I. In fact, most people in the United States do not have a graduation ceremony from sixth grade; they just treat it as another school year gone by. However, in Guatemala, graduation from sixth grade is a big deal. Recently, thirty of my sixth-graders graduated from La Primaría Central, marking the end of their required schooling. Some will continue on to Basico, our equivalent of middle school, while others will suspend or permanently end their education careers in order to work for their families. I have put up with taught these students since August (shout out to Ginny, who did a phenomenal job teaching 6^th-grade English in the eight months prior), and I am sad I won’t see them at school next year. 

 Although the Guatemalan and American ideas of graduation may differ, the emotions that arise during the ceremony are exactly the same. An accomplishment is an accomplishment in any culture and in any country. Sitting on the stage with my sixth graders as they were handed their diplomas, I noticed tears come to the eyes of the proud parents of each student. This sent me on a trip down memory lane, as my Mom loved to show her emotion during both my graduation from high school and college. Tough, hardworking fathers were beaming with pride as their children walked across the decorated stage and accepted their certificates. A proud parent is a proud parent, regardless of whether you speak English or Kaqchikel. Many parents held out their digital cameras and phones, recording this proud moment, as many American parents would have done as well. Loud cheers were heard from groups of families as their child was called. I saw my students being wrangled into “diploma-holding photos,” where the recent graduates try to look excited for about…say…25 photos at a time. It was a proud day for the sixth-graders of Escuela Central, and I wish them luck in the future. I look forward to seeing them around the community (hopefully studying in basico in the afternoons), responding to my presence with a resounding yell: “Camaron sin cola!” (Shrimp without a tail). Yes, my name means “shrimp” in Spanish, but I digress.  Wherever the thirty of them may be, they all have accomplished something, and they and their parents deserve to be proud. Buenas suerte a todos!

Onward to camp,

Cameron 

Learning, Teaching, and the Space Between

The Guatemalan school year runs from January through October, which means that this is our last week teaching in the schools until January. When we, the new group of PDs, began running English programs, we did so more than halfway through the Guatemalan school year. And while we’ve only run these programs for a few short months, the semester’s end provides a valuable opportunity for reflection and evaluation.

Though I’ve spent the past three months teaching English, I’ve done so in two very different settings. The first of my programs is Teachers’ English, which equips elementary school teachers with the skills and materials necessary to teach English in their own classrooms. I also helped lead a new section of After School English. This program differs from all of our other English programs in that it occurs outside of regular school hours. It’s essentially an extracurricular activity, which gives us, as teachers, more control over the schedule, discipline, and grading.

Having dedicating hours to lesson planning, I’ve often stepped back to ask myself why. Why do we teach English? What are the community members gaining from these programs? MPIG has asked this question more than once. We teach because that’s what the community requested that we do. They see our English language skills as a valuable asset in their community. If that’s the case, then that’s what we’ll do, trusting that the community knows its own needs better than we do. But we also teach to cultivate trust and relationships with teachers, students, parents, and administrators. In this respect, it doesn’t really matter what we’re teaching. The point is that we’re in the schools, week after week, building Manna’s reputation as a consistent and reliable presence in the community.

Given these facts, my favorite part about teaching English has been watching my students learn. Some of the kids in After School English—the majority, even—learn just enough material to eke by on their exams (if that much). They pay attention in class, though they rarely study at home. But a handful of my students have taken ownership of their English education, and it’s incredible to see just how quickly they learn when they do so. Two students have even started bringing their younger siblings—kids no older than 6 or 7—to class with them. The older students learn the material and then teach it to their younger siblings. I’ve seen a similar phenomenon in my Teachers’ English class, in which the most dedicated students are both kindergarten teachers—in other words, they will never need to teach a word of English in their own classrooms. But they come week after week, studying at home, learning at a much faster pace than their peers. One of the women told me she does so simply because she enjoys learning.

In some ways, it doesn’t really matter what my students are learning. I could teach them math, or German, or cake decorating (if I knew how to do any of those things!), and some of the benefits would remain unchanged. Learning provides individuals—children and adults, Americans and Guatemalans alike—with confidence and self-assurance that is a valuable part of human development. Think about it: education is one of the world’s oldest institutions, having played a role in virtually every one of the important ancient world civilizations. I’ve spent 18 years of my own life as a student, but as a teacher in Guatemala, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in education in a new way. And so, while our English language programs these past few months have contributed to Manna’s presence in Chaquijyá, they’ve also contributed to my own growth as a person and as a teacher.

How We Became Teachers

This week I gave the last test I'll give before I leave Guatemala.

When I arrived thirteen months ago, I'd never taught a class in my life. "I'm not qualified," I reasoned. And I wasn't. But that cut at the intersection of our most important principle: letting Chaquijyá dictate what kind of work we provide. It's critical that we're conscious of our skills and weaknesses, and our preference is to place Program Directors where they can leverage their expertise to positively impact the organizations alongside which they work.

Nevertheless, for much of the past year, that wasn't our most pressing concern. Doing what the community leaders asked of us took priority. So when they asked us to teach English in their elementary school, we agreed. They felt that English comprehension was essential to their children’s future opportunities. Our plans to launch a small business incubation program and an import/export cooperative took a back seat. And thus, I became an English teacher.

My first few classes were difficult; in a class of 38, it's hard to keep the boys from joking in Kaquikuel, and it's even harder to get the girls to volunteer a response. On the first test, which covered colors and numbers, the class average was a 29.5. But slowly, almost without notice, my teaching and the students’ retention improved. Now, on their most recent test, the class average was a 63. Thirty-one students have shown double-digit improvement on each exam. On the portion of the exam that covered complete sentences (such as They wear two red shoes and He is not tall and ugly), they averaged a score of 58.

These are students who, six months ago, didn't speak any English. These are my students. I'm not sure if English will ever benefit their future endeavors, and I'm confident that I'd improve as an educator with experience and training of my own, but they've worked incredibly hard. As I leave, I know I'm incredibly proud of these kids. And I know that, if you met them, you would be too.

Back to School!

“¡Otra vez! Otra vez, seña,” several of my third graders eagerly yelled. Excited to see such enthusiasm, I quickly agreed and started to direct the students in singing their ABC’s again. The song turned out to be surprisingly popular among the kids, and it was a fun way for them to practice the pronunciation of the alphabet. While I went to my first day of English classes expecting a group of timid students, their readiness to participate and sing along really got me energized for the year ahead.

This school year we have some significant changes in store for our English program at La Primaria. We have expanded to include third grade, making this year the first ever that students in that grade level receive English lessons. This is a great opportunity to not only get to know more students at the school but also start preparing them at a younger age for the English courses they will have in years to come. In working with the three third grade classes, my goal is to help the students develop a strong foundation of basic English knowledge and to get them excited about learning the language.

In addition, our team has been hard at work creating a new overall strategy and structure to the English program. As mentioned in previous posts, the concept of sustainability has become a key element in the preparation and execution of our programs and projects. This year, we are making a considerable effort to work more closely along side the third through sixth grade teachers at La Primaria and involve them in both the planning and implementation of English classes. The teachers, who have each been given an English curriculum developed by Hudson, meet with one of us each week to discuss and prepare lessons for their students.

Though nearly all of the teachers at La Primaria have been very receptive to this idea of planning and leading English classes together, some are also understandably nervous and hesitant. In my first meeting with two of the third grade teachers, one of them described how she felt like she had nothing to contribute since she has never taught English and does not speak the language. I explained that we would teach as a team; she will use her extensive experience to help create engaging and successful classes, and I will use my knowledge of English to make sure the material is presented accurately and the words pronounced correctly.  Nonetheless, her hesitation is understandable. As Dana noted, it would be like someone asking us to start teaching German tomorrow. I know that I would be completely intimidated considering the only thing I can say (and probably not well, at that) is “guten tag.”

Despite the teachers’ concerns, I believe that this new partnership with them will be very constructive and that such collaboration really promotes sustainability of the English program. Our aim is to both equip the teachers with a curriculum and train them to teach English so that they will eventually be able to lead an English class without our assistance. And, once they are ready to do so, the teachers can then share their materials and know-how with other instructors, increasing the impact of our program. Clearly these are long-term goals, but I think that we are moving in the right direction. I am very excited to see this partnership with the teachers take root this year!

In all, we have many things to work towards and look forward to this year. Check back with us regularly to see how it’s going!

Karen