Hello everyone,
Below you will find an update on the academic progress we’ve been making and some changes we’ve recently made. Enjoy!
We have undergone some changes since the start of the year, and we’re excited about the new improvements. In our work, we are constantly assessing and modifying our methods in order to more effectively help our children.
Zina, 1½ years, and Misbeli, 2 years, hang out during a toddler session.
As we mentioned we would do in a recent update, we have changed how we organize classes. For the first year, we worked to support our children by helping them with their schoolwork. We have since realized that this is not the best way to offer academic support. As we experienced in the DR as well, a student who barely knows how to read cannot complete their literature homework, and definitely not without feeling discouraged and frustrated. In December, we evaluated our students to determine their level of literacy, and in January we restructured our classes. We are following a French program that we have created with the help of experienced educators. We are extremely proud to say that it’s working! Every class is advancing, and it is a true pleasure to watch students learn to read and in turn gain confidence academically and emotionally. One student, Jasmene, has had a difficult time in the classroom since she started with us at age 4. She lagged behind other students and struggled to focus. We have seen a notable difference in her as she learns to read and is genuinely excited about it. She even spends a lot of time in the library now going through books and, when she’s lucky, has an older student read stories out loud to her.
Above, teacher, Madame Wismirlaine, works with her Level 2 French Literacy class.
We also continue to work with Kindergarten and preschool, as well as some more advanced students who are not enrolled in school, but are continuing their education with the JRF.
We have finally been accepting new students from around the neighborhood. Since January, six more children have joined and we are excited to be working with them. Three of the four new parents work with Good Threads, too, and one of the boys took his own initiative to join. He, Amos, has been hanging in the JRF community for about a year and has befriended many of the children. He used to be seen peering into the classes and game room and frequently asking when he could join. He is an excellent student and friend to everyone. A few of our new students do not fall into the beginner literacy classes nor do they have after school lessons, like the majority of the children. Because we want to support them, we have put them in lessons with our new librarian and tutor, Madame Noline, who is very experienced and has a dynamic way of interacting with the students.
Madame Noline works with Cristel, a new student, in the library.
Amos, playing around outside the cafeteria.
For a long time, the JRF used time-out or “prison”, as we called it, as our disciplinary tool. It was an easy, short-term way to control the chaos. Since we started fully using our new facilities, we no longer wanted to rely on this type of discipline, knowing its limited effectiveness. We were more interested in having rewards and consequences that would encourage good behavior and hard work. We are ecstatic to share that we have developed a points system in which students can earn or lose points in accordance with respect, kindness, helpfulness, and school grades. We have defined prizes for each category of points, the highest prizes being a backpack, shoes, soccer ball, or several items of clothing. Since its inception, there are children every single day asking for work to do, so much so that we are running out of chores. It’s a nice problem to have.
Angena and Chenika wash the cafeteria walls in exchange for some points!
In other news, the JRF parents are very appreciative of a new breakfast program that we started a few weeks ago. After hearing story after story of children not going to school because they didn’t eat breakfast, or falling asleep in class and having a hard time concentrating on an empty belly, we decided it was crucial that we make breakfast a part of our education program. On school days, children now come at 6am to collect a to-go breakfast (they have to start their walk early in order to arrive before 7am). We are serving a combination of peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, juice, boiled eggs, milk, and corn flakes. Parents have been very outspoken about their gratitude for this service, which is vital for their children and helps them financially at home.
Above, Ti tonton, collects his morning breakfast! On this day we were serving boiled eggs, crackers, bananas, and juice. A funny fact about Ti tonton is that his name is actually Creole for “little uncle.” This is, of course, a nickname, but until we moved to Haiti, we didn’t realize and thought that it was his name. He prefers Ti tonton to his real name, Inelson.
Lastly, we continue to beautify the Foundation and play space and are fully using the library, classrooms, and eating facilities. We make great use of our hand-washing station, which is supplied by rainwater, and this week we are planting mango and cherry trees, as well as a few other types.
Thank you for your continued support of our work. We love to share our progress and hear from you all. And, if you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out our Facebook page. We post many updates and pictures throughout the week.
www.facebook.com/JoanRoseFoundation
Love,
Catherine, David, and everyone at the JRF
