2011: Sustainability and Reflection

After three internships in Nicaragua, I thought it was time to share my experiences and feelings about Los Quinchos with both the founder and director of the organization. I struggled to come up with a project that would help Los Quinchos hold their workers accountable for reading and working academically with the Yahoskas. Unfortunately, the girls are limited to a three hour school day. With ample amounts of free time, they need structured literacy instruction in order to gain the lost yards in their educations. With the library resources Nour and I have provided over the years, and the reading-workshop trainings we have modeled, they have the resources to increase academic rigor for these kids. The Quinchos have the main library, and a wonderful librarian, that is often unused.

I was frustrated to see that the books were not used on a daily basis. I shared this with Zelinda and Carlos Vidal in our hour and a half reflection/planning meeting. I proposed the development of a documentation system for the main Los Quinchos library, as well as the Yahoska library. This system requires the educators to log their daily reading sessions with the children. Zelinda and Carlos really liked this idea, so I developed the spread sheets and had them bound into accountability books. The educators (the employees who work at the Yahoska complex and the main Los Quinchos library) will need to document who is supervising reading time, the date, what time the library is opened, and what children are present at the time of reading workshop. This system will allow the director to know to what degree the academic resources are being utilized.

We also developed a concrete reading schedule for the girls - with an hour and a half of reading built into each day! Lets get reading!

2011: International Pen Pals

Letter writing is an essential fourth grade writing standard. Knowing this, I wanted my fourth grade students in Richmond, California to feel a sense of purpose when writing a letter to another person. With this notion, our class decided that we would write letters to the children I work with in Nicaragua. After much investment in our philanthropy unit, reading Three Cups of Tea, and gathering donations for Los Quinchos, my students were ecstatic when I allowed them to paint pictures of their lives via letters. Knowing that another child, in another part of the world, might enjoy what you have to say is an exciting idea! Half of the letters were in Spanish (as half of my students came out of the bilingual program and have the ability to write in Spanish) and half of my students wrote in English.

Each Yahoska received one or two letters, depending on their writing ability and age, to read and then respond to. The girls were stoked to receive letters from my students!   For the letters in English, Nour, Gloria, and I spent large amounts of time translating the letters to each individual girl. With the youngest Yahoskas, we sat with each individual and aided them in their composition. The girls enjoyed being allotted time to think through their life experiences and develop letters that describe their 7-year-old lives in Nicaragua.

I can't wait to throw my previous 4th grade students in Richmond, who are now big fifth graders, a Nicaragua party so that they can see the pictures of the girls receiving the donations they collected, as well as receive their pen pal letters!

2011: Richmond, CA Elementary Students Help Those in Need!

As mentioned below, my fourth grade students got really into our 4th grade philanthropy unit (see several posts below). After lugging the suitcase of donations to Nicaragua, my homestay sister, Leonela, and I spent a few hours equally dividing the donations into 30 zip-lock bags. Without any convincing, she decided to come with me to the Yahoskas for the day. She seemed to be as excited as I was! We spent the first part of the day doing reading workshop. I was happy to see Leonela so excited to read to the girls. She has a talent working with children. After working with the Yahoskas that day, she is interested in volunteering with the Quinchos once a week. This is exactly what the girls need, a consistent, Nicaraguan volunteer who will be there year-round.

We followed up reading workshop with the donation give-away. Before I handed out the bags, Leonela and I explained that the donations were from low-income, inner city students (the majority of whom are Latino) in the United States, who are each trying to make their world a better place. The Yahoskas found this particularly exciting, because they knew the donations were coming from their pen pals, whom they had already received letters from. Each girl received a bag of donations from my 4th graders. There were stoked to see that their bags contained new, colorful pencils, tooth brushes, pencil sharpeners, erasers, hair accessories, rulers, and pencil cases.

Several were teary, several smiled and carefully stored their new supplies in their rooms, and a few didn't know what emotion to display. Others merely carried their bags around with them for the remainder of the day, displaying that the new supplies were very special to them.

2011: ¿Vamos a leer?

Throughout the past few weeks, we have focused on identifying potential themes in the stories we read, generating summaries, and connecting with characters' feelings. The girls were more than enthusiastic to share their connections with the characters. As time went on, they also were eager to share their "resumens" of the books we read. I have seen a lot of improvement.

What proved to be difficult was having deep discussions around theme. The first few times we read together, there were few hands raised when I asked, "What do we think the author is trying to teach us? What is the broad idea or message in the story (aka theme)?" even after defining and discussing what theme is and means. Initially, those who did answer, came up with very general ideas. With time and questioning, using textual evidence and several simple examples, we learned how to draw conclusions about what each author may be trying to portray.

It was exciting for the Yahoskas to realize that there can be many correct answers to the questions I was asking. All one needs is reasonable evidence to prove a point, and with textual backup, almost anything can be argued. I loved watching the smiles on the girls faces when I validated their responses. Having watched students in Richmond, California light up when being complimented and validated, even for repeated responses already given, I knew this aid me in drawing more of the Yahoskas into discussions. The teaching profession easily transcends countries' borders :)

I also want to thank my college professors and mentors - they never gave up on me and believed I could be a successful Haverford student despite my rural, public school background. Any student has the ability to achieve a high-quality education, and Haverford gave me a chance! These students in Nicaragua deserve these chances as well.

2011: Library Organization and Reading Workshops

Nour and I spent many hours reorganizing the previously purchased books into sections. Since we had no means in which to level the books according to grade level, we bunched the primary books on specific shelves and the secondary books on others, all with appropriate labels. The first go around, the books were categorized by genre, but this new system seems to be working better - the girls are learning to reference and visit the shelves that correspond more closely to their reading levels (see before and after photos above).

We taught them the rule of five, aka if there are more than five words that you do not know on one page, the book is probably too hard for you. It is time to put it back and find another book! Thanks to many of my great mentor teachers, this seems to be working.

After teaching the girls the rule of five, we modeled and practiced how to return books to the library. Starting with the smallest girls, we demonstrated just how nicely we can put our books back on the shelf (to the left is a photo of our participation line). Since this lesson, the library has been in much better shape every day we have returned.

Since then, I have spent every day doing a series of reading workshops. I start by doing a read-a-loud that has a strong message or vivid imagery. While reading the book, we stop and make predictions, check for comprehension, make connections to our own lives, and summarize what we have read.

Throughout the passing weeks, I am pleased to see that the girls are extremely eager to participate in reading workshop. I walk into their home and one of the first questions they ask is, "Margarita vamos a leer?!" This daily question has kept me smiling through the parasites and recent kidney infection.

2011: The love of reading is learned

After having settled into a concrete pattern, I am starting to feel the forgotten tug at my heartstrings as I read more and more with Las Yahoskas. I returned to Nicaragua to see the library I started in a state of disarray. The books were disorganized, all the puzzles Nour, another Haverford volunteer, had purchased were left in pieces, and the posters I had made were in a corner. Despite this, it is clear that the girls have been using the books, which is a start.

Reading books is the first step, but easy access to books that a child can comprehend is the next step. The library needed to be reorganized, cleaned, and revamped. The girls need to be taught how to organize and maintain the library without volunteers doing it for them. Having learned many things from my Teach for America experience, I have come to realize I did a poor job of teaching library procedures to the girls. Building this notion into my volunteer plans, I now realize that I gave the girls fish without teaching them how to catch the fish themselves. Over the past week, Nour and I have spent many hours organizing, planning, cleaning, and teaching. The fishing practice has begun. Details to come!

Location:San Marcos, Nicaragua

2011: La Iglesia

I had my first Nicaraguan, Evangelical church experience last Tuesday. My homestay mom, Dona Ivania, asked me to accompany her, so I thought I would give it a shot. As we entered the open-air church, it started to downpour on the tin roof above, relaxing me. I continue to be comforted by the sound of the rain's pitter-patter. As the rain came down, the small congregation began to sing a sweet song saying, "Let god rain down on us." The song continued for about an hour, and as time went on, I watched many people sway to the music while weeping. The singing provided an outlet in which this amazing community could release their emotions. In places that bear such hardships, church remains a place in which people can come together and release pent up feelings.

2011: 4th Grade Philanthropy Project

My year has been full of laughter, tears, and amazement as a Teach for America Corps Member. Teaching 4th grade at the lowest performing elementary school in Richmond, California has been an incredible learning experience. My 32 students were full of energy, excitement, and passion. As the year progressed, I started to share my Nicaraguan experiences in the classroom. My students' interest was instantly sparked and they continuously asked me questions about the Yahoskas and Los Quinchos.

Feeding off their energy, I planned and implemented a philanthropy unit, in which the students read Three Cups of Tea: The Young Readers Addition as a class. The students developed a class philanthropy project, and chose to center their goal around the Yahoskas. The goal was to fill a suitcase with useful donations. Their project was a success! I am leaving for Nicaragua in the morning, loaded with a 48 pound suitcase full of Spanish books (donated by my students, their parents, several other donors, and some that I purchased) and a 47 pound suitcase full of other donations. I am extremely impressed by my students drive and generosity.

My students also wrote pen pal letters to the Yahoskas. While in Nicaragua, I will conduct a series of writing workshops in which I will help the Yahoskas learn how to write friendly letters in a three paragraph format. I think they will really enjoy connecting with my 4th graders, many of whom are from Mexico. In several of their letters, students describe their experiences as Latinos in the United States, as well as what life is like living in an impoverished, urban community.