Day 6:
This is Roberto. Note that his door is welded together pieces of old medal signs. He lives up the precious and narrow stairs inside this door with his aunt. Roberto, age 22, is currently attending school in the afternoons after working at PeaceCYCLE in the mornings. He is in the equivalent of the 4th grade this year. He is a typical 22 year old in that he enjoys soccer, will eat ANYTHING and everything, and loves to listen to music. But due to his circumstances in life, he has seldom been offered education opportunities, and is subsequently very behind and a bit slow in learning. (But he cuts plastic water bags like a champ!!)
In Haiti, it is not uncommon for a family to choose one child to go to school, while the others stay home. Other times, it depends which child fits into the school uniform or shoes, and they will go to school that year. In order to pass the tests to go to the next grade, the child needed to learn the material for the year, but often they may have missed many days of school due to family needs at home, illness, or societal problems (such as manifestations that make the route to school unsafe, teacher strikes because they have not been paid, etc...). The learning environment is not an easy one, with many children in one small space, and no barriers between classrooms, causing lots of distractions, children struggle to learn. Often the teachers do not arrive on time, or even at all. The teachers themselves are minimally educated and simply have the students recite and memorize things. Therefore, many students are unable to pass the test when the year concludes.
Today's Challenge: Take a moment to think about your education. Contemplate for a moment how it changes your environment when everyone is offered education, and how nearly everyone you know can read and write, and thus have access to constantly learn more. Think about those who helped make your education possible (parents, tax payers, bus drivers, school board members, scholarship donors). Think about the teachers that influenced you; appreciate that they were at school every day, on time, prepared to teach. Consider that it was never a question as to IF you would go to school, but that it was just a part of your development, an expectation. Be thankful that you never had to stay home from school to go get water for your family to drink, cook, bathe, and wash with. Think about how it would feel to be 22 in the 4th grade. Think about how that might affect your social and emotional development.
This is Roberto. Note that his door is welded together pieces of old medal signs. He lives up the precious and narrow stairs inside this door with his aunt. Roberto, age 22, is currently attending school in the afternoons after working at PeaceCYCLE in the mornings. He is in the equivalent of the 4th grade this year. He is a typical 22 year old in that he enjoys soccer, will eat ANYTHING and everything, and loves to listen to music. But due to his circumstances in life, he has seldom been offered education opportunities, and is subsequently very behind and a bit slow in learning. (But he cuts plastic water bags like a champ!!)
In Haiti, it is not uncommon for a family to choose one child to go to school, while the others stay home. Other times, it depends which child fits into the school uniform or shoes, and they will go to school that year. In order to pass the tests to go to the next grade, the child needed to learn the material for the year, but often they may have missed many days of school due to family needs at home, illness, or societal problems (such as manifestations that make the route to school unsafe, teacher strikes because they have not been paid, etc...). The learning environment is not an easy one, with many children in one small space, and no barriers between classrooms, causing lots of distractions, children struggle to learn. Often the teachers do not arrive on time, or even at all. The teachers themselves are minimally educated and simply have the students recite and memorize things. Therefore, many students are unable to pass the test when the year concludes.
Today's Challenge: Take a moment to think about your education. Contemplate for a moment how it changes your environment when everyone is offered education, and how nearly everyone you know can read and write, and thus have access to constantly learn more. Think about those who helped make your education possible (parents, tax payers, bus drivers, school board members, scholarship donors). Think about the teachers that influenced you; appreciate that they were at school every day, on time, prepared to teach. Consider that it was never a question as to IF you would go to school, but that it was just a part of your development, an expectation. Be thankful that you never had to stay home from school to go get water for your family to drink, cook, bathe, and wash with. Think about how it would feel to be 22 in the 4th grade. Think about how that might affect your social and emotional development.
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