Power of We: The Belize Education Project

In the middle of October, 33 educators (with a few support professionals), traveled to the Cayo district of Belize for a week to work with teachers, administrators, and children in four elementary schools.  This is the Belize Education Project.   I was fortunate to be able to participate in this experience, and see first hand the Power of We, reaching across the miles to educators in Belize...

Belize is a small country (less than 9,000 square miles, or a bit smaller than the state of Massachusetts), located below the Yucatan Peninsula, on the Caribbean Sea.    We were working in schools around San Ignacio, just east of the Guatemala border. 

  

One of the schools, morning assembly...

In The Culture of Hope,  Bob and I talk about the Power of We as the support that educators give each other.  The effects of working in high-poverty, high-need schools are real, and it is difficult to surmount the effects without support from colleagues. Especially in a country with very little infrastructure, knowledge, and resources for improving education. The Belize Education Project (BEP) provides that support, in a beautiful way.  For eight years, teachers from Colorado have flown to Belize for a week in October to work with schools, and flown teachers from Belize to Colorado in April.  During those eight years, the classrooms have gone from barren dark rooms to bright, lively, active places.  The teachers who travel to Colorado for professional development return, infused with knowledge and hope, which they share with their peers.

While I have many memories from this week, I want to share stories about two teachers I had the pleasure to meet: Miss A and Mr. W.    

"Miss A" is a young, bright teacher of early primary children. Her students delight in being with her, and clearly respect her.  Miss A reminded me of a sponge.... everything I said or did, she soaked up, thought about, and asked me numerous questions.  I read a story to the class, and after I sat down in a chair and noticed a few students surreptitiously scooting forward to be closer, I said, "Anyone who wants to move closer, please come!"  They clustered around in a cozy pack, and I read on. Miss A, when she saw this, said, "I never would have thought of that.  I often felt they were too far away, and losing focus, when I read to them.  But we didn't have a rug or place to gather together, so I didn't do anything.  But this. We can do this!"

Reading the class book, "The Agouti and the Coyote," for the 4th time....

Working with Miss A reinforced for me the notion that collaboration can have a significant impact when professionals are allowed to discuss real kids, without an agenda.   When I discovered that many students confused the names of English vowels with the names of Spanish vowels (The official language in Belize is English, but about 50% of the students are ESL students who have immigrated from Guatemala), I worked with the class to build a chart with the vowel names in English and Spanish. Then  I made up a quick game with groups of 5 students assigned to the vowels. When I said a word with one vowel, the students assigned to that vowel stood up.  They quickly got the game and enjoyed popping up. When students stood up for the wrong vowel, we could talk about why (Oh!  You were thinking the Spanish letter! What is the English letter?) and they could self-correct.  Miss A thought the game was wonderful, and other BEP folks reported seeing the game in action when they visited her room. Reflecting later, Miss A talked about ways she could use the game for other content.

Miss A and Class

 I felt highly honored by Miss A's trust and desire to collaborate as colleagues.  At the end of the day on Thursday, she said, "I could not sleep last night, I was thinking so much.   I was thinking about what you have been doing and saying, and I realize that we do not expect enough from our children.  We Belize teachers are products of this education system, and we do the same thing we were taught.. It is not enough. They will not do more than we expect, and we expect too little!  I want to expect more, so they will do more."  I wish Miss A all my best as she charges forward into the future.  Her students will shine.

The other Story I wish to share is about Mr. W, a young teacher of early primary students.  He has gone to Colorado to work with BEP teachers for a week, and he is clearly highly motivated and enthusiastic about teaching well. Though I did not get to work in Mr. W's classroom, he was in the group I supported for after school professional development during the week. On the last day, Mr. W pulled me aside with a list of questions he had for me about different resources. Specifically, he wanted help in determining what to teach after doing detailed literacy assessments.  Once he had the information, he wasn't sure what lessons to do or how to create center activities.  We went through a variety of resources, including the Florida Center for Reading Research curriculum, which is designed for centers.  He took my email address, and I hope he will contact me to talk more.  Again, I was impressed with this teacher's eagerness to collaborate and confer. It is a thirstiness, shared by Miss A, Miss E (another teacher I was able to work with, pictured at the end of this post) and the other teachers I met in Belize.  A thirstiness evident in the children, too, so hungry to learn, to belong, to have purpose.

Student with page from "Anansi and the Stone" book.

Student with page from "Anansi and the Stone" book.

 







The Power of We is brought to Belize by this group of concerned and dedicated educators from Colorado. My experience in Belize has opened my eyes to the possibilities of the Power of We, far greater than my original perception of teachers within a school or district supporting each other.  As educators, we have the opportunity to reach across districts, states, and nations to connect with each other.   No act, however small, occurs in isolation, and you can never know who will be impacted down the road.    How can you reach out to help another teacher?  Maybe be an email buddy, or have your class be penpals with a class from a Title I school. Maybe your school wants to adopt a "sister school" in another place (reservation school? inner city school? poor rural school? school in Central America?).  The possibilities are endless, and its a guarantee that you'll get as much if not more from the experience.  

Hope is Contagious. Go infect someone!

Miss E and Students