Saint Agustin “Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names
are anger and courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that
they do not remain the way they are.”
This week’s theme in discrimination didn’t hit home nearly
as much as I wanted it to. Even the older kids repeated to me what they thought
I wanted to hear, I never actually saw that they demonstrated that they
understood that discrimination is bad. Perhaps we will try again later.
Now, we have a solid group of about 20 primary school
students that come everyday to the program. Gray and Meche both told me, “When
it isn’t their day for the program, send them home. You can’t control a room of
40 kids.” I did turn them away for a while, but I just have so much trouble
with it. The entire point of the program is to instill certain qualities in the
youth while creating a habit of going to the library after school. When 15 children sit outside the
library until I open it then scream “Siñorita Luuuuuz!!! VALE!!!” how can I
tell them to go home? This means the program is working, and I want to kindle
that flame. So, we set it up so they can sit at one table and play games, read,
and draw, while I teach the group of the day at the other table. The trick is
they have to be quiet. If they aren’t quiet they have to leave, and I have
kicked a couple out. It seems to work well.
But….
I can’t give the little ones my attention because I am
trying to teach, and they come to me about every 2 minutes because they need
more glue or ‘he is stealing my markers’ or whatever reason. It is beginning to
make me crazy, and Gray and Meche were probably right. Yet still, I can’t turn
them away. Yes, it is better, in my mind, that they be here practicing their
creativity, playing in a group, and reading than anywhere else in this
community. But, because I can’t keep a close eye on them, materials are
disappearing. We have had materials stolen from the library, some art supplies
and some games at this point.
What do I do in this community where parents will reward
their kids for bringing home free supplies that the parents then don’t have to
buy? And, the things they are taking only facilitate creativity, art, and
literacy. Is it such a bad thing that they like it so much they want to take it
home?
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