A Moment of Hope

                I was getting frustrated with my 4^th and 5^th grade classes as I tried for several weeks to teach them about nouns and verbs with very little progress.  Aware that some have difficulty with my English and that the style of education is different here, I had them write down the definitions and told them to memorize them.  A few days later, when still no one volunteered to repeat the definitions back to me, I thought, “this is ridiculous.  Am I wasting my time?  Do they just not want to learn?”  Then I pointed out to several students exactly where it was written in their notebooks, and asked them to simply read the definition to the class.  They all just stared blankly at me.  “I guess this one’s too shy,” I thought.  “That one’s too stubborn.  This one’s trying to be funny.” Etc.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks:  Oh my gosh.  They. Can’t. Read.   Another SLM had off-handedly suggested this possibility previously, but I’d rejected it because a) I couldn’t imagine 5^th graders being illiterate, and b) quite frankly, I just didn’t want it to be true.  But the problem couldn’t be overlooked anymore.

            Suddenly it all made sense – why the teachers read their exam questions to the students one by one, why it takes the kids forever to copy something from the board because they look up after writing each individual letter, and why I see “opus7.r” on a paper instead of “verb”.  After being confronted with the ugly truth, I gave them an alphabet quiz, and almost no one was able to write it correctly in both uppercase and lowercase letters.  So I’ve scrapped my plans for the year, and we will start with A-B-C handwriting, then move on to the sounds of letters, basic reading, and recitation writing.

           Why is this a moment of hope?  Because despite myself, I was finally able to see the problem clearly, and I have the chance to try to fix it.  I am in the unique position of teaching a class we created (English Composition) which is not a government requirement; therefore, I can do whatever I want.  It’s going to be a huge challenge – I know how to tutor one kid in reading with full-on personal attention, but 68 in a class?! – but I know that it’s a God-given gift to have this opportunity.  Imagine how much easier it would be to study if they could actually read and understand their notes.  Maybe even a few kids will stay in school longer.  From here, I can see the light dawning for the rest of their education.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more critical than literacy.  Please pray for me that I can help them get a better grasp on that this year (so far, I feel highly incompetent).  For now, there are no books here (and no money to buy them even if there were), but maybe someday that will change and these people will get the chance to fall in love with literature the way I did when I learned how to read.  A whole world of possibilities will hopefully open soon for my 5^th graders, starting with The Cat in the Hat.

PS:  If anyone has any ideas/tactics that come to mind, please send them my way (seymour.caitlin@gmail.com).  I can use all the help I can get!  (Keep in mind the only resources I have are a blackboard & chalk and the dirt outside).