"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." --Henry David Thoreau


"Service is the rent we pay for being, It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."

--Marion Wright Edelman


"The fruit of love is SERVICE. The fruit of service is PEACE" --Mother Teresa

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

St.Paul Government Primary Graduation

Tuesday was the mark of new beginnings for 29 students from my primary school. The Grenada school system is a descendant of the British educational system in that there is primary and secondary school. Primary school here is from kindergarten to 6th grade and secondary school is 7th to 11th. Students here graduate at the age of 16, just shy of their junior year in the United States. The British system is tough to explain but the simplest way I can put it is in two words: Reciting and Tests. Teachers are often seen standing in front of a classroom all day making students recite things (math problems, English, spelling etc) and then testing them on it extensively at the end of the term.

This form of learning has its pros and cons but Grenadians are now finding that their children exit school with few critical thinking skills and have a hard time sharing, verbalizing thoughts and problem solving. The students aren't given a chance to critically think with hands-on activities and projects but are instead required to recite what a teacher is saying followed by a test. For example, my grade 1 students recite things all day, write little in their compositions and then are expected to remember everything they learned that day. Exams were this week and my grade 1 students had an 8 page written test of things they learned in the first week of school.

Anyways...I got off topic. At the end of grade 6 students are required to take the Common Entrance Exam which places them in their secondary school. The entire 6th grade is dedicated to studying for this test because if you do not pass (as 14 students did not), you must repeat the 6th grade and try again next year. If you pass the test you are then placed in the secondary school of your preference and continue your education until the next exam, the CXC, to complete secondary school. If you continue to fail the Common Entrance there is a similar test that can be taken but often times there are students who are 14-15 in the 6th grade because they have failed the Common Entrance so many times. It's sad.

The positive outlook though is that Grenada is looking to restructure their school system to make for less exams, more hands-on learning and more integrated classrooms/schools. Grenada is taking the right steps to ensure every student has the opportunity for a free education, it's just going to take a while.

Attached are some pictures of the graduation ceremony, all THREE and a HALF hours of it!


The choir made up of all grades of students. They sang John Lennon "Imagine"

My school

The graduates getting ready for the procession

The principal, Mrs. Peterkin

The graduates sang a John Mayer song

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Great Things to Come

I feel as if I have been slacking a little bit on my blogging so I figured I should give a quick update on the happenings of Grenada.

Since last speaking with the blogging world I have been reassigned to a new primary worksite. My original worksite wasn't a great fit for me and there were significant amounts of internal conflicts concerning employees. After holding out and waiting for improvements things just weren't getting better. Thankfully the great Peace Corps staff both on island and in St.Lucia (our headquarters) were completely supportive and wanted what was best for me, that being a site change.

Last Thursday was my first official day at the Grenada National Organisation of Women. Since arriving on island I had been doing some secondary projects with GNOW on Fridays, so thankfully I was already accustomed to the workplace. The ladies at GNOW have had many Peace Corps Volunteers and are eager to have another working with them which makes it such an optimistic atmosphere to promote positive change throughout the community.

GNOW's motto is 'Empowering for Gender Equality' but doesn't incorporate all aspects of the work that's done through GNOW. For a very macho male oriented culture, this organization is pretty radical in their thinking's which really gets me fired up to help. From the time I first joined Students Against Violence Through Education at Pittsburg State University I knew I wanted to be involved in this kind of work the rest of my life but never thought I would find it on a small conservative island in the Eastern Caribbean.

The work of GNOW spans from domestic violence prevention/support, sexual assault, rape, HIV/AIDS, working in schools to promote healthy relationships, promoting legislation and sensitization of the community. My cup of tea right? This organization is powerful on the island and when things happen the news is always asking for a comment from GNOW. Never in my life have I been able to see such a grassroots movement with such potential and motivation to change. I'm getting to see work done in pushing for new legislation against sexual harassment, a protocol being made for sexual assault cases and even participating in HIV/AIDS testing booths. Just last week our organization met with a consultant from USAID that was on island surveying the HIV/AIDS epidemic (which is the second in the world) and was very interested in the work of GNOW.

I'm very blessed to be given this opportunity to move worksites to a more fitting and accepting atmosphere and cant wait to see what the future holds. For quite some time I wasn't sure I would make it the 2 years here, but I've found a new sense of motivation and drive to change and I cant wait to share the experience...

Postscript:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!!!!!! This is one of my favorite holidays in the States and I am sad I cant participate this year but my family has done a great job keeping me informed on the events. I even got to hear the fireworks in the background while talking to a friend, felt like I was ALMOST there.

Love and miss you guys,
Mack