Part II
Christian Academy of Petit Goave, Haiti
Mission Statement
Christian Academy of Petit Goave seeks the Lord's guidance to educate impoverished children in Biblical knowledge, life skills, and relationship building to create a rich school environment, supportive families, and unified community.
Education:
To
understand education in Haiti, it is necessary to recall what schools were like
in America decades, or even centuries ago.
The methods of rote learning and recitation are reminiscent of late 19th
and early 20th centuries. A
more accurate analogy might be what was fondly known as a ‘blab’ school in
Colonial America. A small group of
children, under a school master or school ‘marm’ all recited their different
lessons out loud at the same time. Imagine the cacophony! Then imagine a concrete building with 145
students all competing for a voice at the same time: now you can begin to
appreciate Haitian schooling.
The spoken
language of the Haitian people is Kreyol (Creole). This owes it origins to the time before Haiti
won its independence from France.
Initially a mix of French and African dialects, Creole was the language
of the slaves, then of the populace which won its freedom. This is the language that all Haitians learn
at home. Most books, including the
simplest primers, are written and published in French, the language of
education. Most schools begin
introducing English in the early grades.
For a student to complete their course of studies they must complete
their equivalent of our high school, including two standardized, substantial
government exams. The percentage of
students who finish is very small.
Earlier generations of parents, grandparents, etc. benefited from little
schooling, and many are illiterate.
Parents universally desire something better for their children, and
education is greatly valued. Education
is one answer to Haiti’s major issues.
If you are fortunate enough to complete the final government exams, (and
many study and take these tests repeatedly), there are opportunities to attend
university. Some universities begin the
higher level courses immediately, because if you have mastered the earlier
exams, these are comparable to our first two years of college. Higher education, equivalent to a graduate
degree is very difficult to come by within the country, and usually students must
go abroad to further their training.
At the
school in Petit Goave, children begin at age three, (or turn three during the
year). This is typical of many Haitian
schools. Unlike preschool programs here,
the children wear uniforms, sit in chairs or on benches, and write with pencils
and recite information. Play is
unknown. From a young age children are
conflicted with the opposite pulls of conformity to rules and teacher
direction, and the need to stand out and receive attention and
recognition. Misbehavior is not
tolerated in Haitian schools, punishment is generally swift and severe, and can
result in permanent expulsion. But
yelling louder than anyone else, and striving to be the best and first is
reflected in the pervasive competitive spirit.
At least in the school in Ti Goave, the children are not quiet, despite
the teachers’ constant call for silence.
When a child knows the answer, or wants to be acknowledged, they raise
their hands, wave their hands, or leap out of their seats. They also verbally yell out “Me! Me!” or they yell the answer itself; another
disturbing manifestation of noise.
Many public
schools in Haiti are held under roofed structures, with or without walls, with
dirt floors. Others are of concrete
construction, but are small, dark, and with no amenities. Private schools abound, some cater to the few
wealthier familiesand have electricity, running water, and some technology
resources; but many mimic the primitive public schools. Some private schools are funded by
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), receiving donations of money, materials,
and services from the United States and other nations. Teachers at many of the schools have received
some training, but not a lot. They teach
in the same style they were taught, and are resistant to change. Sometimes teachers are hired who have not
completed their government exams, but they are considered to have enough
education to be able to teach others. Training
on subjects like classroom management, using materials, dealing with social or
emotional issues are not available.
Teaching the basics for reading and mathematics is occasionally
supplemented with writing (grammar), languages, and some science and history,
but extracurricular activities, the arts, and even physical activity are
unknown.
Everything is memorized by rote repetition and
study, and students are examined orally or on paper only to assess whether or
not the concept has been memorized, not understood or reasoned. Second graders may be able to recite addition
facts, but they don’t know that they have ten fingers and that constancy of
numbers doesn’t change. Preschool
students learn to recite the alphabet in three languages, but don’t necessarily
know the sound the letters make, or how to put them together. They learn to rote spell, but don’t apply it
in their writing in French or in English.
(The constant need to switch languages does not help master
concepts.)
In most
schools students are punished for not ‘knowing’ their lessons. This includes public shaming, and corporal
punishment. Over time if a child cannot
keep up with the curriculum they may receive poor grades, may be retained
another year, and if they don’t show improvement in their progress, they are ultimately
no longer welcome to attend school.
Remember that all students have to pay for their education and because
schools are desperate for money and resources, they accept more students than
they can accommodate, and so if children fade in and out of a class, no one
really follows through. Any student who
cannot access the curriculum in the one size fits all style of teaching is
simply ignored or passed over. They are
labeled as those ‘without intelligence’, and it is not possible to extend the
effort to really reach these who ‘cannot learn’.
I am happy
to report that the Mission school in Petit Goave differs from the typical model
in several important ways. The school is
funded privately by donations from people in the United States; this includes
the rent for the building, paying the salaries for the teachers, providing the
books and uniforms for the students, the enriched rice and bean lunch, basic
health care, and many donated supplies.
Each spring parents come in to register their soon to be three year olds
for the incoming class in September.
Last February over one hundred applications were filled out over a two
day period. Only 25 slots were available
so more than 20 of the students were chosen by drawing names in a lottery system. Many heartbroken parents pleaded for the
director to reconsider, citing such valid reasons as already having a sibling
in the school, or having no other avenue to pursue for their child’s education. In other schools they may have accepted a
larger number of students, but part of the philosophy of this school is that it
is not feasible or desirable to have a class with one teacher and more than 30
students.
Some of the
children accepted are invited deliberately because their unique conditions are
known to the staff. These students are
some who would never have an opportunity to attend a typical Haitian
school. They are children with low
cognition, with health problems, or other challenging needs that just simply
could not be addressed in another environment.
These students, including a girl with Down syndrome, another girl with
severe asthma, a little boy who doesn’t speak, by no means receive the services
they deserve, because the resources don’t exist. However, the miraculous fact that they are
allowed to attend at all speaks well of this special school.
There is no
corporal punishment at Christian Academy.
Children are not punished for not knowing their lessons. As much as possible the teachers try to
reteach and allow another opportunity to try. A child who is significantly behind
academically is retained in the same class for a second year. Currently there are a few students who have
been retained but are not making the necessary gains. It is unknown at this time what will happen
with them next year. (It is common for
much older students to be found in primary classes, because when they were
younger they had no opportunity for school, but now have a chance. The young man who serves as the
custodian in the mornings, goes to fourth grade in the afternoons. He is 17.)
Misbehavior
is treatedwith a different philosophy as well.
Children are sent to the office where an administrator speaks with each
of them individually. Often the children
are asked to copy lines such as: ‘I will
obey my teacher.’ Or ‘I will be respectful during assembly.’ Frequent offenders or more serious
infractions include parent contact, and possibly a conference. Depending on the situation the director may
recommend that the parents administer some form of corporal punishment. The
philosophy is that sometimes a child needs this type of correction, but it must
be done appropriately, in love, and in the child’s best interest. Part of the process at the school is to
remind students not only what the teacher and school expectations are, but also
what God desires for them to do and be.
It is constantly reiterated that the children are loved and that the
staff desires them to be there and wants them to grow and learn. It is also understood that if a child or a
family is unable or unwilling to change, other students are waiting for the
chance to come to school.
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| School Motto: recited weekly |
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| Discipline: students are copying the School Motto in the office |
There are
many disturbing issues about the school, and it is hard to reconcile an American
mindset with the real world problems in Haiti.
I was told that the three and four year olds don’t know how to
play. The three year olds have a few
toys in their classroom, and have a small amount of time scheduled in their day
to use these materials at their seats.
The four and five year olds do not have toys or playtime. While there I went into the three and four
year old classes a few times with a small bag of toys, and passed out one item
to each child. What I observed was typical
of what you would see with babies and toddlers here. The children were eager to receive a toy, but
they banged it, or they took two and banged them together. They also grabbed the toys the other children
had, because of course, the grass is always greener. After a while they figured out how to drive
the little cars along the table, and even to speed them off the table. I modeled how to roll the balls to each
other, make the little plastic animals walk and hop, and cradled the baby dolls
and stuffed animals. But after a very
short time I had to remove the toys because their exuberance was overwhelming
and they quickly became over stimulated.
Truly, they do not know how to play.
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| Reading The Twelves Days of Christmas to first grade |
Many
teaching materials have been donated, which would be valuable for providing
concrete learning of concepts, especially in math. The teachers have no experience with these
items and have not yet been shown how to use them, so they are currently
sitting in a locked room on the second floor of the school. Teachers need to be trained and given
opportunity to utilize the simplest tools, so that they in turn can teach the
children. The director shared my
frustration in not being able to introduce the items, but she also respects
that the wheels of change turn very slowly, and staff need to be given time to
adjust their mindsets.
One
particularly disturbing thing is that children are not being taught to
think. They do not reason or problem-
solve, or apply or discover or explain anything. (Except perhaps to try and justify the
reasons for their bad behavior.) Haiti
has a history written in blood and poverty, exploitation, military occupation,
and debt. The once beautiful Pearl of
the Caribbean has been deforested and stripped of its natural resources. Natural disasters like the yearly hurricane
season, and the devastating earthquake of 2010 perpetually leave them
reeling. Aid pours into the country but
corruption and mismanagement prevail and goods and services fail to reach those
who need them. Malaria, and other
mosquito borne illnesses, typhoid, cholera, severe anemia and malnutrition
plague the nation. Promises of better
government services dissolve until the next white knight appears on the
horizon. Desperate people commit desperate acts, and
the streets resound with manifestations and violence. Children, the future adults, must learn how
to reason and assess things critically.
They need the hope that education provides, but they need a better
education, a different from that they are currently receiving. Facts can be memorized, and everyone can
acquire some level of speaking in multiple languages, but unless they learn how
to apply principles, and utilize talent, unless they are given opportunity to
rise above the teeming masses of humanity, they will not succeed as a
nation. Competition is fierce and only
the best and brightest, or most assertive or persistent survive.
Having said
all this, and it is unquestionably true on many levels, one cannot ignore the
profound hope and joy that the people possess.
For anyone who lives in a ‘first world’ country, it is almost impossible
to comprehend the ability to maintain ‘optimism’ and to endeavor to work hard
even when there is little or no monetary reward. How do they not give in to hopelessness and
despair? But, many Haitians will tell
you that there is much reason to hope. “Gen
espwa anpil.” For some it is the hope of
education, it is the dream and desire that Haiti can regain the beauty and
prosperity she once experienced. The majority
of people want to be engaged in labor and feel productive. They take pride in their accomplishments,
even when those accomplishments may seem small and even insignificant to us. Some still put their hope in local and
national government. They are
appreciative of all the aid that has poured into their country, and recognize
that without international help, Haiti would not have even the minimal
amenities they have; while at the same time they desire Haiti to function as an
independent nation directed by its own people.
But one must look beyond these surface reasons, and indeed many are
fully ready to ‘give an answer to the hope that lies within’. To them it is not a mystery, to them it is obvious: Jesus.
Living in
such incomprehensible poverty, doing without so many things we take for
granted, they are truly grateful for the very breath that sustains them, for
their daily bread. In a culture where
starvation is a reality, the threat of malnutrition a constant companion, and
anemia the norm, they are thankful for the daily meal of rice and beans. Monotonous?
Yes! But able to sustain life,
yes. Though there are physical hands
that prepare the food, and a physical locality where the food is stored, and
real people who donate their funds and resources to provide it, the impetus,
the driving force behind the generosity is a benevolent God. God is the one who places the desire to help
on the hearts of those who are able to help.
God is the One Who gives and preserves life. Over and over the people are willing to share
their miraculous stories, of how God has provided.
How does
this impact the educational aspect?
Every person who comes into the building is greeted with the words “Jezi
renmen ou.” (Jesus loves you.) Every person is also greeted with the words
“I love you.” The staff is composed of
normal people. They are not super
spiritual, they don’t have misperceptions of reality, and they don’t always
feel loving and kind every single moment.
Every person instead recognizes that life is hard, but God is good. They recognize that on their own they do not
have the ability to love and care for one another. Everything is dependent upon the God they
serve, upon the Savior Who first loved them, and Who left the glory and
splendor and riches of heaven, and Who lived in poverty, and died to redeem
mankind from the broken fallen world of sin.
Every morning, before the children are formally greeted in the courtyard
the staff meets to share songs of praise, verses of Scripture, and prayer for
the needs of the school and their individual families. Then each teacher greets every other teacher
with a hug and kiss and words of affirmation and faith.
The
Christian Academy of Petit Goave wants to educate children in fundamental
academics. They want to nourish little
bodies, ensuring that they have food, clean water and basic medical care. They want to encourage families, and model
how to nurture and care for the children.
They want to show children how to get along and be kind; to be
responsible and hard working. But most
of all they want to share the love of Jesus, and to imbue in every child the
truth that their hope, their only hope lies in the Person of Christ. Teaching reading and math, and doling out
vitamins and cold medicine are important.
Holding students accountable for their actions is vital. Preparing them for a future of higher
education or trade is laying a firm foundation.
But the ultimate goal, the ‘mission’ is to share the love of Jesus.
What Can We
Offer? What Can We Emulate?
What can we
offer? Haiti needs goods and
supplies. The schools need materials,
and the teachers need mentoring and training to utilize the donated items. They need encouragement to continue on the
incredibly arduous task they have undertaken.
The staff and the children are uplifted when teams and individuals make
personal sacrifices to come and spend time at the school. Students need people to partner with them and
commit to monthly support, not only for monetary needs, but for emotional
support. The idea that someone who lives
far away has purposed to set aside resources to benefit and love them as unique
and special, is a gift that can never be matched. In many aspects of education Haiti needs to
be brought into the 20th century, then the 21st. Creating a truly free public system for every
student is the goal, but it is light years away. Providing a place where every child can come
and be cared for and trained in the most fundamental academics is a first
step. Teachers need to be assured that
they will be compensated for their job.
Most of the teachers have families to care for, and they sacrifice many
hours to teach other peoples’ children.
They do this for an incredibly small amount of money. One primary teacher we met earns the
equivalent of $35.00 American a month.
The public educators periodically go on strike because they do not
receive any wages from the government for weeks or even months at a time. High school age students hold manifestations
in the street to protest the absence of their professors. The professors strike, because they have not
been paid. These are mountainous issues
which people from outside the country, no matter how well meaning, simply
cannot fix. Our challenge is to look at
the smaller, more manageable pieces where we can make a difference.
What can we
emulate?
At the
Christian Academy of Petit Goave teachers set aside time every morning to meet
together and encourage one another. They
recognize that in order to serve others, they need to make sure that they are
renewed and refreshed every day. They
value each other and they value every child who comes through the door. This is a lesson I think we can benefit from. Of course we do not all share the same
philosophies and world views. Our
schools are larger with many more staff and children. Our problems are different. Somehow though, I would like to think that it
is always possible to encourage one another more consistently, and to show
empathy and compassion to each other and to our students and their families. Yes, there are days when this is very hard
and we don’t feel like doing it. For me
personally I want to be reminded of the unimaginable obstacles that are normal
for those living in Haiti. Surely if
they can persevere and remain positive, I should be able to do that. I should not become so easily discouraged in
well doing, and not complain about the frustrating circumstances I face. If nothing else, I need to recall to mind the
hope, the dignity, and the honorable choices displayed by the staff at this
special school. They are truly an
inspiration.
A very big Thank You and Merci Beaucoup, Mesi Anpil to Mister David and Madame Rebecca for their hard work on the ground at CAP, and their ceaseless energetic support of CAP and Beverly and Rachelle. Thank you for sharing your words and wisdom with us here on Ramblings, Mom.
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| Going to the Library with Third Grade |
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