A Description of a Special Project

In this blog post I will interrupt the usual chronological narration of my experiences in Belize to interject a description of a project that I have been privileged to participate in for almost a year now.  I have been working alongside five other Peace Corps Volunteers and the wife of the US Ambassador to Belize, to help bring a gorgeous new picture book to the children and teachers of Belize.  The following article that I wrote along with Barbara Thummalapally, our Ambassador’s wife, will introduce this project to you: 

Pat the (Great) Cat: A Jaguar’s Journey Brings an Important Story to Life for the

Children of Belize and the United States

The story of the publishing of the new book Pat the (Great) Cat: A Jaguar’s Journey is a story of two women’s passion for literacy and learning.  It is also a story of collaboration between the people of Belize and the United States.

Pat the (Great) Cat: A Jaguar’s Journey is the result of an international literacy initiative that is joining children across the United States and Belize through the true story of a jaguar from Belize who found his world forever changed as people came to share his land.

Most people know little about the elusive jaguar.  Of the four "great" cats in the world (lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard), the jaguar is the only one found in the Americas.  Students from Belize and from urban Milwaukee, Wisconsin (ages 9-13), took on the task of creating international awareness through an extraordinary literacy journey that celebrates not only the jaguar but the importance of joining hands across nations to impact our natural world through education and friendship.

During the first phase of the project, Nancy Kennedy, of Milwaukee Wisconsin, who had visited Belize on numerous occasions and became a dear friend of the Belize Zoo, developed a passion for the jaguar and for the animal’s plight as an endangered species.  She presented the true story of the down-on-his-luck jaguar, “Pat the Cat”, to students in Milwaukee and Belize.  Pat was captured by farmers enraged by Pat’s killing of their cattle, but was rescued by the Belize Zoo.  Pat’s canine teeth had been broken, so he would no longer be able to survive in the wild jungles of Belize.  At this time, the Milwaukee Zoo was searching for a male jaguar to help with their breeding and education program, and found Pat, who was in need of a home.  Pat was transported to Milwaukee, where he lives to this day.  

Nancy Kennedy’s engaging retelling of his story challenged students both in the US and Belize to learn about the jaguar, to discover and then write about its history and importance to our ecosystems, and to learn how to help ensure that jaguars in the wild have a safe and healthy future.  In early 2012 she enlisted the assistance of Celso Poot and Jamal Andrewin of the Belize Zoo to inspire students in Belizean primary schools to write about Pat the Cat.   At this point in time, Nancy brought another woman with a passion for literacy on board with her, Barbara Thummalpally, the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Belize.   The project excited students and their teachers--both in the US and Belize--by highlighting how this powerful and important animal impacts their core subjects in science, conservation, geography, history, ecology, social science, art, and the balance of nature.

Nancy then took the children’s writings to the non-profit organization SHARP Literacy, Inc., where they were compiled and edited and became Pat the (Great) Cat: A Jaguar’s Journey.  Beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Francisco Mora, and written side-by-side in English and Spanish, the book tells a compelling tale of a real Belizean jaguar whose journey from the forests of Belize to the U.S inspires young and old alike.

Nancy Kennedy then asked her friend Barbara to help her bring the book to the children of Belize.  Mrs. Thummalapally arranged for an official launching of the book at a ceremony and celebration at the Ambassador’s residence in Belmopan in October of 2011.  Following the Belize launch of the book, the Ministry of Education, Belize (MOE), gave permission to use the book as a supplementary text in the schools of Belize. This provided the impetus for the second phase of the collaborative project that entails the development of a free, online curriculum that can accompany the book for use by teachers everywhere.  Peace Corps Volunteer educators in Belize agreed to assist in the development of the curriculum and especially with teacher training that has begun to take place in all districts of Belize.

During the Summer Teacher Institute in Environmental Studies and Culture at Chaa Creek in July, educators attending from SUNY Cortland (State University of New York, Cortland),  Peace Corps Volunteers, MOE educators, and master teachers from Pennsylvania, all took part in the institute and developed ideas and lesson plans for PTGC.  These lesson plans were especially designed to integrate all areas of the primary school curriculum.  Now these lesson plans are being coordinated on a website for use by any teacher around the world who wishes to enrich his or her classroom with this beautiful book, Pat the (Great) Cat:  A Jaguar’s Journey.

___________________________________________________________

The following photos show our Pat the Great Cat team at work developing curriculum and presenting workshops to teachers.   It has been so rewarding to collaborate with my colleagues on a project that promises to inspire Belizean children to preserve their natural heritage for future generations.

Our Pat the Great Cat Team:  Barbara Thummalapally Meredith Casper, Ava Hacker, Mickie Cuevas-Post, Barbara Levy, Katrin O'Leary

Meredith and Barbara demonstrate a language arts activity to enrich children's ability to recall what they have read.

We partnered with Belizean teachers who expanded on lessons in science and social studies using Pat the Great Cat as a jumping off point.

Here I am reading the first chapter aloud to the teachers in a workshop.  We demonstrated the Language Experience Approach.

At a workshop we facilitated for over 40 teachers in Belize City

The "Word Wall" I made to show teachers a few techniques for teaching vocabulary to students

Peace Corps Volunteer Linda Martin instructs Belizean teachers on drawing jaguars, and integrating art into their curriculum

Meredith Casper developed a wikispace to collect all lesson plans developed using Pat the Great Cat

Display of drawings made by the teachers in our workshop

Camp GLOW 2012

The highlight of my Peace Corps service in Belize thus far was my experience at Camp GLOW from July 23-27.  GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World, and was initiated in the 1990’s by a Peace Corps Volunteer in Poland.  Since that first camp, Peace Corps Volunteers throughout the world have worked alongside local girls’ clubs leaders to provide a rich camp experience.  Throughout the school year GLOW Clubs meet weekly to develop leadership qualities in participants, to have fun together making crafts, to complete community service projects, and to discover the girls’ potential dreams and goals.  The girls who attended this year’s camp in Belize raised money for their week-long adventure and we Camp GLOW organizers also raised money, developed schedules, planned activities, found a venue, developed menus, purchased food, and met throughout the year to bring this camp to fruition.  It required a lot of planning and teamwork to make this dream a reality.

Seventeen girls attended, along with their Belizean club leaders and Peace Corps Volunteer counselors.  There were also Belizean and Peace Corps presenters, and some of us lucky ones had the wonderful opportunity to stay from Monday to Friday to help in the kitchen and with crafts and activities.   Camp began Monday at noon, and many girls left their villages in the wee hours of the morning to arrive at midday.  We stayed at Log Cab Inn, a Belizean-owned camp with lovely cabins, a large meeting hall, kitchen, and a pool.  It is in the lush green surroundings of San Ignacio Town, and thankfully, it is right off the main road, so that we could catch the bus easily. 

The girls were reticent and shy on that first day, but a few hours after they were shown to their rooms, and worked together as teams to decorate their room doors, they began to relax, smile and speak a little more.  Most of these 8-12-year old girls had never been away from home before, and had not been outside of their small villages. 

I enjoyed working with my new Belizean friends and my Peace Corps volunteer colleagues to cook for the girls and help them prepare a performance for a talent show performed at the end of the week.  On that first evening we all breathed a sigh of relief as we went to bed, grateful that everyone had arrived safely and had enjoyed their first day at camp.

Each day began with either yoga or zumba, and then time for reflection in a journal that our friend Meredith helped us create out of beautiful paper.  There were other craft activities, including jewelry making from recycled materials.  Several speakers and presenters shared their experiences with the girls.  There were sessions on a successful high school experience, developing inner beauty, nutrition, female reproduction and sexual health, self-defense, and healthy relationships.  Interspersed with sessions, were many occasions to swim in the pool and play games and sports outside.  On Tuesday, the girls were treated to a field trip to Chaa Creek to visit the butterfly farm and nature center.

On Tuesday night we all sat around the campfire and Yours Truly, along with two other Peace Corps Volunteers led the singing.  The girls ate s’mores for the first time, and learned how to roast marshmallows without charring them.  Many girls mentioned that the campfire was their favorite activity at camp that week.

It was a joy for me to work with our truly cohesive team in the kitchen throughout the week.  As soon as we finished washing the dishes from one meal, we would begin to chop and cook for the next one, and everyone pitched in, including the girls.  It made my heart sing to work with such selfless volunteers (Peace Corps as well as Belizean), who worked tirelessly, cheerfully, and joyfully to provide the girls with a positive experience away from home.  I cherish these memories and the close friends I made this past week.

On our last night at camp, every person participated in a talent show, even we camp counselors.  I have attached a video to this blog post so that you can see some of the talent that was displayed at Camp GLOW.  Thankfully, I was dancing in the back of the dance line, so you do not have to witness my missteps.  It was great fun dancing to the song “Hey, Soul Sista” (which we changed to “GLOW Sista”), which was choreographed by our Peace Corps friend, Mallory Begley.  

We're all glowing!  Check out:  Camp GLOW on Youtube

Summer Activities

This summer has been a busy, active one for me so far.  The first week of July I traveled to Orange Walk to help plan a workshop on ESL with my Peace Corps friend Barbara.   We also participated in a 4^th of July celebration, and visited a Maya ruin.  What a packed week!  The following photos show us decorating the stage for the celebration, which was a collaborative effort between us Peace Corps Volunteers and the Belizean organization, Youth for the Future.  The entire town of Orange Walk helped us commemorate the Peace Corps’ 50^th Anniversary, along with our nation’s birthday.  Youth for the Future presented a talent show, and the Mayor of Orange Walk stood with our Country Director and thanked us for 50 years of service to the people of Belize.  We sang both of our countries’ national anthems, and enjoyed fireworks at the end of the talent show.

With fellow PCVs Kelly G and Katrin O'Leary at the 4th of July Celebration

A Belizean teacher sings "Greatest Love of All" while PCV Ellen McKamey signs the lyrics

Belizean boy who made this to commemorate the Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary serving in Belize

Belizean children dancing to a Mexican song underneath a US flag.  Celebrating peace and friendship in a multicultural way!

The Mayor of Orange Walk Town, Kevin Bernard, with our Peace Corps Country Director, Nina Hernandez

The ladybug dance by preschoolers.

Our Trip to Laminai

The second week of July found me at Chaa Creek, a beautiful eco-resort in the Cayo District, where I had gone with four of my Peace Corps Volunteer Education Sector colleagues to work alongside nine Belizean teachers and nine student teachers from SUNY Cortland, who had all traveled to this jungle resort for a week-long conference on environmental education for primary students.  Together we developed and shared lesson plans and methodology for using a newly published book, Pat the Great Cat, in primary classrooms.   Most rewarding for me were the connections I made with teachers from the States, Belizean teachers, and with our dear friends, Barbara Thummalapally, our Ambassador’s wife, and Nancy Kennedy, the publisher of Pat the Great Cat.  The development of this book and this literacy project has been a labor of love for these two women, and I am so grateful to be invited to help develop curriculum and deliver this to the teachers and children of Belize.  The book was written by Belizean and American children and tells the true story of Pat, a "problem" jaguar that had been injured and began to kill cattle.  Farmers trapped him and the Belize Zoo rescued him, but because he was unable to return to the wild, he was instead flown to the Milwaukee Zoo for their breeding program.  Pat will introduce "wild" genes into the gene pool of the captive jaguars there.  This beautifully illustrated book teaches the children about the wildlife of Belize and about the only great cat of the Americas:  the jaguar.  Children learn about ecosystems and the quest to balance the needs of human beings with the needs of the wildlife around us.  Barbara Thummalapally and Nancy Kennedy have worked tirelessly to bring this book to Belize and to the children of the US as well.  I am honored to be a part of its launching.

Chaa Creek

 Singing around the campfire at Chaa Creek with Barbara Thummalapally and Belizean teachers

Belizean teacher presenting her lesson on Pat the Great Cat

Barbara Thummalapally, Meredith Casper, me, Miguelina Cuevas-Post, Barbara Levy and Katrin O'Leary

Week three of July I was back home here in Dangriga, helping our public librarian with her summer “camp”.  My good friend and fellow PCV, Gayla Bissett traveled from her village five hours away in the north to spend the week with me and help out.  Then on Thursday, another PCV from a village in the south, Mallory Begley, joined us.  We spent our mornings in the library with sixteen children, reading aloud, telling stories, making puppets, playing games, coloring, cutting, pasting, singing, and painting a world map mural on the outside wall of the library.  Gayla provided a projector, which we connected to my computer in order to project the map, the Belizean flag, and the Peace Corps seal onto the wall.  We had several false starts when we attempted to project these images at dusk, and we were rained out.  Then we managed to paint the background blue for our oceans, only to find it peeling off the wall the next morning.  That day we returned to the paint store to purchase more blue paint and primer.  We finally managed to get the map on the wall, ready to paint, so that the children could participate.  Here are some of the photos:

Reading aloud a Dr. Seuss book to the kids

Before (with librarian Bev Marin)

After

Library camp

This boy, whose name is Denmark, was so proud to paint the country for which he is named.

The kids were so proud of their work, and excited to find Belize on the map.  They were also surprised to see how small it is.
Happy summer to you all!

June 29, 2012 End of School Year

The school year has ended and I am thrilled to report that I have learned a great deal these past ten months.  During our Peace Corps training we were advised that it would take the first year in our sites to begin to feel comfortable, and to have a sense of how we would fit in to be of service to the Belizean people.  Most of us put that concept way back in the recesses of our minds as we jumped in with both feet in our idealistic enthusiasm, but now I appreciate the truth of that statement.  After a school year of observing children and teachers, designing lessons for children and workshops for teachers, I am finally beginning to have a sense of how I can be of more benefit to the Belizean teachers and students in the development of literacy. 

Most of the students in grades 1-3 (Infant 2-Standard 2 in Belize) who read below grade level, have difficulty because of a shaky foundation in their reading instruction.  Each case is unique, but some factors include:

• ·         Frequent absences due to illness, lice or rain
• ·         Frequent absences due to families moving back and forth between Belize and Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador
• ·         Frequent absences because parents keep students home to help take care of younger siblings
• ·         Limited Standard English (which is the language of instruction in Belize) upon arrival to school
• ·         Too young.  Belize allows children to begin kindergarten (called Infant I) at age 4, and the cut-off date is January.  So these children can be 4 years old during much of their kindergarten year.  Many children throughout the world are not ready to learn to read until age 5 or 6.
• ·         Lack of preparation in oral language.  Many teachers in preschool and kindergarten dive right into teaching letters and sounds without adequately preparing the children in phonemic awareness. 
• ·         Lack of teacher preparation.  Some teachers have at least an Associate Degree in Primary Education, but many have no preparation in child development or in the teaching of reading.  Therefore, literacy instruction is uneven throughout the schools that I have seen.  There will be one experienced, creative, energetic teacher alongside a struggling teacher.  The Ministry of Education is making great strides in preparing their teachers and requiring that all teachers be certified.
• ·          Lack of differentiated instruction.   This means that teachers deliver instruction on only one single level, even if the children do not understand or follow the lesson.  Grouping by ability level is a new concept in Belizean education.

This year I have learned so much from the teachers, who make almost all of their own materials and have limited space in the classroom.  They care about their children’s success in literacy, but have few opportunities to learn new ideas or methods.  Therefore, they must be resourceful and creative.  I’ve learned to admire the principals, many of whom are also teaching principals, and who must spend a great deal of their time repairing copy machines and school bells, and must also raise funds for their schools.  I’ve learned a lot from the children who love any and all books that I bring to read to them or provide for them to read to me.  It was so fulfilling to see children who in September did not know the alphabet in the last few months begin to read the simple books that I brought to their classes.  This is why we become teachers!

 Samarra receives an award for improvement in reading

Some of my reading students and their teacher, Mr. Nicholas

My most exciting adventures this past month were a trip to Belize City with my colleagues from the Education Center to see the children perform in the Festival of the Arts, and a trip, also with my colleagues to the National Spelling Bee in Spanish Lookout.  Here are the photos.

Festival of the Arts

Students I work with from Light of the Valley School participating in the Festival

The National Spelling Bee

Can you guess who the sponsor is?

Caryn Cornejo, a student from Dangriga, won second place and was interviewed for Belizean TV

One Saturday a group of us Peace Corps Volunteers descended on Sandy Beach Restaurant in Hopkins, a village one hour from Dangriga.  We went to help out the women's cooperative to reconstruct a landmark in Hopkins that burned down a few years ago.  These Garifuna women are resurrecting a restaurant and resort, and our Peace Corps friend, Meghan is living in Hopkins and working with the women's cooperative to put their business back in action.  We all went to help out with some painting.  We also had the opportunity to harvest a couple of coconuts and learn about the Garifuna cuisine that the women prepare for their customers.  We learned how to prepare the plantains for "hudutu", a mashed plantain dish that goes with a delicious fish stew, called "bundiga,"  prepared with red snapper and coconut milk.

Sandy Beach Women's Cooperative preparing a Garifuna meal

Harvesting coconuts

I got one!  After chopping off the top with a machete, we stuck a straw in it and drank the sweet coconut water   Mmmmmm!

Helping to mash the plantains with mortal and pestle.  I lasted all of one minute.  It takes a lot of muscle.

A parting shot:  the view from Sandy Beach Restaurant