13 Septiembre 2011

We had to do some curriculum shuffling this week (=lu stressed). We couldn’t do the next two weeks of classes because I haven’t been able to get their supplies out of customs yet. Fortunately, the African culture class only required I get my hands on some potatoes. No problem.

So, we jumped ahead 3 weeks.

Tuesdays are for 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders. As they were finishing decorating our pretend kete cloth papers in the traditional adinkra clothing fashion from Ghana, one little guy came up to me with a hollowed out egg shell. He holds it up for me to see.

Assuming he must have gotten his hands on an egg one of the older kids did for Russia week in the traditional pyansky style I ask,

“Wow, where did you find that?”

“I did it.”

“You did?! Wow.”

One of his classmates announces, “He wants to paint it.”

Surprised at all of their knowledge I ask, “Who taught you how to do that?”

His compañera speaks for him again, “His big sister.”

Not only does this mean that his older sister completed all the stages of learning by teaching, but she taught him well.

Stunned and proud, I set him up in his own little space with some tempera paints and showed him how to use a brush properly with 12 other ears huddled around watching intently. As I explained what a pyansky egg is to his classmates, he delicately painted away.

Here are some photos of the adinkra project...

The VALE program turn-out has astounded me. We had 107 kids sign up (remember Madrigal has a population of about 700), and I assumed we would lose about 20% optimistically. I budgeted for 80 students. The VALE committee (made of all female teachers and mothers) told me to realistically expect 40 a week, or 10 a day.

I told myself that only 10 a day would be fabulous. If only half of those 10 completed all the stages of learning for each topic we discuss, they could become great leaders and influential in their community as they grow older.

But, with 25-30 kids attending a day, and assuming half of them complete all the stages of learning, that leaves about 60 strong, curious, knowledgeable, leaders in Madrigal.

I can’t really comprehend what kind of effect that will have on Madrigal as a community.

But, it does give me faith in their new found curiosity just might be strong enough to support a community library. I just hope the attendance keeps up.