Hello everyone,
The school year has gotten off to a great start. We are now providing books and tuition to over 100 students in the area, nearly 50% of which are Jacmel locals. This summer alone we were able to accept twenty-one new children from nearby neighborhoods, and our scholarship numbers jumped from ten students last year to eighteen students this year.
The Foundation operates two programs when it comes to school. First is the one that we’ve been running since we’ve been open: providing children with meals, academic support, emotional support, and opportunity. These students attend the Foundation every day where they eat, play, take class, and receive homework help. The second program is the scholarship program that we started last year. These students are mostly in upper level classes: 7th grade to 5th year high school (there are five years of high school in Haiti). They do not attend as daily participants, but they are expected to keep a 70% average throughout the year, and each student commits to tutoring for one hour per week at the JRF with our younger students.
Ninie, far right, recites her lessons with tutor and scholarship recipient, Daphnee, far left.
This year we’ve adapted our academic program, which has been heavily inspired by Waldorf Education. Waldorf education believes in educating the whole child- mind, body, spirit- in a way that appeals to each developmental stage. Activities like song, dance, poetry, coordination games and sports, painting, and hand-crafts are dispersed throughout the curriculum. In our last update recapping the summer, we mentioned making this change, as we were doing many Waldorf-inspired activities. During the summer, we hired three new teachers and have been working on Waldorf philosophy and methodology with them. The teachers attended a week long training in another coastal city, Les Cayes, which gave them a stronger foundation for the new pedagogy. We are extremely proud of our teachers’ openness and willingness to take on new material. We are excited to continue to dive deeper into Waldorf education and see the results that come of it. Each child, preschool-5th grade, is required to take an hour and half long class Mon-Thurs as part of the program.
Jeffrey, left, and Youbensly, right, working on a drawing activity during class.
One example of a big change to the program includes using story-telling (no books or images) on an almost daily basis to teach and engage the children. Each one of our teachers has commented on and been amazed at how story-telling captivates their students. No discipline or explanations are required during a story because all the children sit quietly, eager to hear how the events play out. This has been true for all ages. It is an activity that allows them to connect deeper to the material and use their imagination and creativity. Afterwards, the children get the opportunity to recreate the story/lesson through drawing and theater.
Our teaching team from left to right, Ruth, Guivelande, Jude, Gerty, and Noline, and Nelson in the middle.
We are continually grateful for the support we receive from all of you. We couldn’t continue to grow without you.
Warmly,
Catherine and David
