DONATE!!!!! please?

See that new really cool orange-ish colored button on the right side of this screen? It reads....DONATE!!!!

I have set up an account to accept donations for my reading program at St. Paul's Government Primary School. Our vision is to paint the room with kid friendly animals, beach scenes and vocabulary words in hopes of getting the children even MORE excited to read. The students currently LOVE laying on the reading mat (see previous post) that I recycled from the hallway "dump", but its not enough. We want the atmosphere to be much different than the rest of the school so kids want to come in and read, learn new vocab and play reading games. With the help of your kind donation, the paint and supplies needed to update the room WILL BE POSSIBLE! My initial goal is 1,000 US dollars. I know that sounds like alot, but if we reach that goal we can not only paint, but get new posters and furniture for the room. The kids are going to be SO excited!

So, I'm kindly asking you to open your hearts and wallets and donate to this great cause! Its a tax right off right? haha. C'mon my people, you have supported me through this crazy journey, now support my school!

Thanks in advance and now GO CLICK DONATE!!!!!

Reading Program Update

This is a photo blog of the reading room at my primary school. Things are finally getting organized and it's a great feeling.

Moment of Gratitude #4

Over the years I have learned alot through my work with children but if I could name one of the most important things to remember it would be this: You must celebrate the little moments to appreciate the big moments.

I have been working really hard on this reading room at my primary school. Between ordering books, receiving donations, cleaning and preparing resources I have been up to my head in work. My counterpart and myself have been wandering the school attempting to find anything we could put in our room to make it kid friendly. Its been a fun little treasure hunt we have embarked on and it lead to some big winners today. We found two old tables that were the perfect height for our little readers, a teachers table with plenty of room to work and the BIG treasure, an old gymnastics mat that will now be in our new reading area. It was piled under tons of books and filled with dirt but I was determined to clean it up and make it work.

After unloading the new books I received from Darien Book Aid (thanks guys!) and rearranging the room, I really felt like the area was starting to take shape but was still worried about if the kids would really enjoy this "nontraditional" set up. This is where the beauty of my job comes into play...

The lunch bell rings and I felt like I was back in the Midwest on a farm herding cows. In a matter of two minutes I had 20 children in my little room jumping up and down ecstatic at all the new stuff. They were like children in a candy store, admiring the new pictures on the walls, the new books and furniture lining the walls. After settling them down I got myself caught up in helping a student with her math. I look up a few minutes later and nearly burst into tears. I saw four children at the easel with magnetic letters making word families I had just taught them moments before; I saw three children admiring the new books I brought in while trying to determine which to read first; I saw 6 kids with their shoes off lounging on the new reading mat peacefully reading books to themselves; and a group of girls quietly coloring pictures as they smile from ear to ear. I was truly in awe as I watched kids chose to come to my room instead of running around the school like mad men for an hour.

It's these small moments that make me cherish what I'm doing and realize just the gift I have been given.

This truly is "The hardest job you'll ever love"

PBC Presentation and Camera Hijack

Did you know that high school boys are STILL immature, giggly and disrespectful to authority? no way right? well...I learned the hard way today.

Myself and another volunteer designed a workshop for secondary students on "Building Healthy Relationships" in hopes of raising awareness about domestic violence. Grenada and most of the Caribbean isn't well known for their healthy relationships, with violence and infidelity deeply rooted into the culture. It is going to take a drastic social movement and shifting in thinking for the rates of domestic violence, rape, incest, etc to decrease, but with each workshop and awareness drive we hope to begin that shift in thinking. We are here to bring about change right?

Today we introduced the Power and Control wheel to the students, gave them scenarios and had discussion about what they felt were the proper ways to express themselves in relationships. It was shocking to hear high school boys truly believe that hitting their significant other was absolutely acceptable because "they deserved it" and "thats just what you do". It was tough to swallow, but I tried my hardest to keep an open mind to the cultural differences while explaining the correct actions in relationships. It was a true test of my ability to bite my tongue.




After my tongue was bleeding from biting it for an hour (kidding), I rushed to my primary school to see my sweet innocent little angels in the 1st and 2nd grade. They seemed to be more out of control then usual, so I decided to have a bit of a "do whatever" day in the reading room. We played ABC memory and I read them two story books. They LOVED it. I worked with 4 children who are struggling readers. At lunch time the children swarmed my classroom as usual, wanting to color. I thought "ok, whatever, as long as they are having fun". At the end of the hour long lunch (i know what your thinking, an hour lunch is ridiculous), I had glitter EVERYWHERE, seven cards that read "Happy Teachers Bay" (still working on the difference in B's and D's) and books spread out across the floor. Thankfully, I'm the non traditional teacher that gets to send kids back to their normal classes when the bells rings. THANK GOD!

Oh yea....And they got ahold of my camera also. They LOVE taking pictures for themselves. Here is the aftermath. I love my life.

Down for the Count

I have risen from the dead...officially. I returned to work today after a short illness that hasn't been identified. Last Wednesday I was sitting at my desk at work and all of a suddenly started feeling really bad. Thankfully the bus was running fast that day and I got home in plenty of time to puke by breakfast up. I spent the rest of the day asleep in bed while I shivered a 102 degree temperature. At first I was convinced that it was the water, as we have had so much rain and I got lazy with boiling my water. But then after looking up the symptoms of Dengue Fever, its a good chance that's actually what I had. I spent Wed-Fri in bed with a fever, chills, aches and of course plenty of puking. Thankfully I started to feel semi normal Saturday. I'm kind of anti-doctors, especially here, so my stubborn self didn't dare go near the place. BUT, good news is...I'm back to full health and ready to see my school children tomorrow!!!

Thank you everyone who sent their well wishes during my sickness, you are much appreciated!

Teacher Mack? Its got a ring to it...

Coming into the Peace Corps I had been warned about the importance of keeping an open mind to ANY situation that you are exposed to. Today, I learned just that. For quite some time now, primary school has been asking me to do some literacy work with students. I'm thinking some pull out small groups work, reading books, etc. I've never been a teacher before and DON'T plan on being one. I love my teacher friends, but it's not my calling and something I'm just not talented at I suppose.

So I walk into school today and was approached by three teachers who had a "surprise". What is the surprise you ask? This...



Yep, you see right. I received MY OWN classroom. Now if that isn't scary I'm not sure what is. It may not look like a classic American classroom, but its MINE and i LOVEEEEEEE it. Its a converted hallway that used to be the lunch room? Not quite sure how this 6 ft wide area was a lunch room, but I didn't ask questions. I have fallen in love with this area and can't wait to turn it into a non traditional literacy room. I'm going to try and find a rug or carpet to make a little reading area so the kids can get out of their desks and lounge around while reading. Its not often that kids are allowed to be, well, kids. School is very structured and "sit in your seat" kind of organization.



My project now has' been making resources (ie: letter cards, games, sight words), decorating the "area" and making it kid friendly. I hope to get some funding for paint so that we can paint kid friendly stuff on the walls with the help of an artistic volunteer.

It's strange to think my excitement is growing by the day considering I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING!!! haha. I have been searching the internet for just about everything literacy related for K-3 graders. For some reason typing in "how to teach" into google doesn't bring up any helpful resources. hmmm? ha. But regardless, I'm so excited to give these students an opportunity for one-on-one help in reading. So many students in Grenada make it all the way through secondary school never being able to read. It's a sad reality we are trying to combat at a young age so that students graduate able to read and prepared for the future.

As the Peace Corps motto says...."The hardest job you'll ever love"

Breaking Rules

I have a confession...

I broke a culture norm today. ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!! busted me!

Let me explain first. I worked at my primary school today and man was it a hectic day. I was testing students reading levels all day, a task that is very repetitive and exhausting. I promised myself that I had to pay my electric bill today, as it was due 2 days ago (they aren't big on paying on time here). I couldn't just go to town to pay a bill and that only, so I squeezed in my weekly roti lunch. As I was eating it started to rain which isn't unusual for rainy season in the tropics. As I waited on the rain to pass I kept glancing at my watch to notice the time ticking away towards 3pm. Grenlec, the electricity company here in Grenada has an office in town and it strictly closes at 3pm. The last time I looked down at my walk before leaving the roti shop it was 2:40pm, I had 20 minutes to go a little bit of a ways.



I braved the last sprinkles coming from the sky and started my journey to the electric company. Now that I have been here a six months I have learned a few short cuts to avoid hills, creepy men and vendors. There is one downfall to this particular short cut; I have to walk through a tunnel that allows one way traffic and pedestrians. Scary? Kind of, but its worth it to bypass the hills, creepy men and vendors. As I walk through the tunnel and notice no one is coming towards me the other way, as usually is, and I wonder why until I put two and two together and realize the other end of the tunnel is completely flooded. Here were my two options:

1. Break cultural norms by hiking up my britches and wading through the ankle deep water.

2. Turn around and walk the quarter of a mile detour through the city.

Disclaimer: Grenadians HATE rain. I hear repeatedly "We arent scared of guns, but we are scared to death of rain".

Which would you take? Be the strange white girl walking through a tunnel with her pants hiked up, dress shoes still on while trying to make it to the electric company with 5 minutes to spare? Or would you turn around and take the detour with the potential of not paying your bill that's already two days late?

Well if you chose number 1 you win a prize, because that's EXACTLY what I did. After a few strange stares from locals, one guy that said "you crazy white girl", and some giggles from children I was through the tunnel and on my way to Grenlec. Thankfully I made it with 5 minutes to spare, wet shoes and all. SUCCESS!!!!

After that event I thought it just couldn't get any better, but man was I wrong. Let me highlight a few of the "wow" moments of the day:

1. I had a girl puke in my class this morning right after talking about if you feel sick to always just run outside, NEVER sit at your desk and puke on yourself. We are still working on listening skills.

2. While waiting on the bus at the terminal I was observing people walking by and noticed a man with nothing but his boxer brief underwear on, walking down the middle of the road then stopping, raising his hands in the air in the middle of traffic, screaming something and then wrote the word STOP on the concrete, spelled STOPP!

3. I broke a bowl in the sink this evening while washing dishes. It cut me in a complete circle shape on my finger. Weird?

Always an eventful day in Grenada...