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What do you want to know?”
This conversation during one of Guatica’s evening community classes prompted a one-hour viewing session of my archived photos a few weeks later. With my hard drive in tow, I presented them with over fifty folders of photos from my experiences over the past five years. To reduce the time, they chose two: “California: L.A.” (a week-long trip to visit a best friend on my way home from teaching in China for a year) and “NYC: Aug-Dec 2011” (during my master’s program in New York City).
It turned out to be a great class not only about culture, but also a motivational talk about opportunities that exist worldwide. Ensuing discussions included popular food, politics, acting careers in L.A., Halloween, Thanksgiving, non-holiday cultural celebrations, teaching in China, health in the U.S.A., and the New Year.
The next goal: they bring photos and tell stories about themselves.
-Blog post by Elizabeth Mayer
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English Day
“Aw, how amazing! I want to go there.”
A student in ninth grade recently reacted this way after researching France for English Day.
The classes at Colegio Maria Reina are preparing for English Day on November 14th. On this day, each class in grades six through eleven – thirteen classes of over 300 students in total – will present a country in the form of a travel agency in the morning and an artistic cultural presentation in the afternoon. The countries represented will be Canada, England, France, Ireland, USA, Japan, Brazil, and five cities of Colombia (for the younger classes).
Students have been researching aspects of culture, including sports, activities, food, tourist sites, and unique parts of their respective countries with the goal of convincing the professors, people in the community, and me – of course – to choose their destination for a trip. In English.
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Life and Work in the Heart of Colombia's Coffee Region
The project, initiated by the Nukanti Foundation, an international non-governmental organization advocating for children’s rights in conflict zones, and funded by the Colombian government, involved teaching English at a school in Colombia’s coffee triangle.
On the morning of September 27th, our delegation, comprising of a representative from the Nukanti Foundation, an external consultant for the project, two officials from the department of education in Pereira, and myself, arrived in La Celia (a small village at the foot of the Tatamá hills, about 60 kilometres to the northwest of Pereira) to participate in an inauguration meeting with school management, English teachers, a few students, and representatives from the alcaldia (local administration).
After a series of presentations and speeches, everyone expressed their wholehearted support of the project, and then we parted for lunch.
The teaching during the first week was more of a trial and error experience. Once we established a timetable and methodology, things have gone much more smoothly.
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Guatica's Schools: A Step Ahead
A few days before moving into Guatica—a small municipality of 16,000 inhabitants nestled in the mountains of Risaralda—the mayor, teachers, students, parents and government directors set up a meeting with Pereira’s Department of Education representatives (available via Skype) and me. About thirty people attended, happy and curious about my arrival. I felt welcomed and supported. It was impressively reassuring, especially since my biggest fear for the program had been lack of support by the local officials and the schools; the meeting was evidence to the contrary.I moved to Guatica a few days later on Monday, October 1st to work primarily at Maria Reina high school, and spend two afternoons in the neighboring towns of San Clemente and Santa Ana with their professors. I spent the first day meeting Maria Reina’s principal, setting up my schedule, meeting teachers, greeting student classrooms, visiting places around town, and meeting the family where I will be living for the next two months. Luis Pipe Rivas Gomez—better known as “Profe” by his students or “Pipe” by his friends—is not only my school contact and head English teacher, but he is also the head of the home where I am living.What I have learned thus far is how lucky Guatica is to have Pipe. For example, this English program made it to Guatica largely due to his efforts the past few years. He is always one step ahead, thinking about how he can improve his students’ futures and his school. In recent years he brought English to the younger grades, and the impact—after meeting students from every grade—is obvious. His connections and hard work brought proper resources for the students to improve their English, including winning a grant from the United States’ Embassy for a full computer lab, equipped with English software programs. In addition, Pipe worked with a group of other motivated teachers to bring evaluation tests to Guatica’s schools, introducing them at younger ages each year. Because of the tests, the school has set aside time to prepare curriculum which would properly prepare the students for test-taking. Among this busy schedule—which includes his role as coach for the volleyball teams—he set aside time to integrate English more into the school’s curriculum through an end-of-the-year English Day when the students present projects in English to the rest of the school and community.Pipe’s impact on the school’s progress is important. As a representative of Nukanti’s English pilot program, I would have little to offer in such a short time if the school was resistant, unequipped, or unmotivated. Because he strives to improve his students’ lives before, during and after high school, I had the opportunity to talk to his graduating classes about the future, their fears and passions, opportunities outside of Guatica, and provide them with words of motivation. And because of the final project, I will be working with the students to learn about countries of the world so they can try to “sell” them to other students and teachers. Through this project, the goal is that the students learn more English, enjoy it in the process, and hopefully find the motivation to visit some of these locations around the world. With Pipe’s help and the school’s support, I am confident these will be a productive two months.
A few days before moving into Guatica—a small municipality of 16,000 inhabitants nestled in the mountains of Risaralda—the mayor, teachers, students, parents and government directors set up a meeting with Pereira’s Department of Education representatives (available via Skype) and me. About thirty people attended, happy and curious about my arrival. I felt welcomed and supported. It was impressively reassuring, especially since my biggest fear for the program had been lack of support by the local officials and the schools; the meeting was evidence to the contrary.
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English in Risaralda and Caldas
Nukanti recently welcomed our first group of English language instructors to the departments of Risaralda and Caldas. Three volunteers arrived from the United States and Czech Republic to take part in our two month pilot project to teach English in various communities within the beautiful coffee region of Colombia. The program entails building leadership and empowerment and raising the educational level of the children with whom we work. Our volunteers provide English instruction to local teachers, as well as children, to leave a greater impact once they have returned home. With sustainability and local empowerment at the core of our mission, we look forward to a successful two months.Also, please note that we will be seeking another group of volunteers for the continuation of this project in January 2013. Keep an eye out for more information and how to apply.Check back regularly to read blog posts from our volunteers in the field!
Nukanti recently welcomed our first group of English language instructors to the departments of Risaralda and Caldas. Three volunteers arrived from the United States and Czech Republic to take part in our two month pilot project to teach English in various communities within the beautiful coffee region of Colombia. The program entails building leadership and empowerment and raising the educational level of the children with whom we work. Our volunteers provide English instruction to local teachers, as well as children, to leave a greater impact once they have returned home. With sustainability and local empowerment at the core of our mission, we look forward to a successful two months.
Check back regularly to read blog posts from our volunteers in the field!
