A Day at the Library
Today felt really good. I took two groups of teachers to the library. I had them look around for about 15 minutes, and then I set the brainstorming topics for groups of 5: What would we like to see in this library? and What can we do about it? I was really nervous that the list was going to be "We don't have, We don't have, We don't have..." and "The government should..." but we actually came up with a very positive and proactive list. The very first suggestion was "We should become members!" And there were suggestions about getting people in the community to contribute books, and to hold events like story times and debates there to encourage people to come. One group suggested showing educational films there to raise some money. Several groups suggested forming a committee of "support and supervision" for the library.
I was excited to see teachers excited. I try not to get my hopes up too high, though, because the early talk is much easier than the later follow-through. But, if nothing else, I'm excited about the fact that the teachers seem to feel empowered and motivated to create the changes they want to see.
posted by Angeli @ 9:35 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Awesome! You are so fortunate to be working with such a driven cohort of teachers! As someone who has directly worked with the "glass is half empty" mentality down in Nicaragua, I KNOW that positive outcomes can be achieved. You've facilitated something that many in the development field often discuss, but never actually practice - community ownership - not just infrastructural ownership, but ownership of ideas. This is where it all begins, and even though it's prudent to temper your hopes with a dose of reality, hope is what makes development happen. Relish your last moments of productivity in Haiti, and just remember that success can be measured qualitatively - you don't always need the hard physical, quantifiable results to feel that you've accomplished something good.
Well done! I like Kang's idea about capturing the qualitative aspects of the experience. Finish strong.
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