38 against the 3 in 5

First off, thanks to everyone who donated to Eric's community library project, as it is now fully funded!!!! While we wait for the funds to arrive, construction of the temporary library (paid for by the Lena and Alden Memorial Fund) has already started, so that in a couple weeks from now the volunteer reading programs can begin.

On that note, the 38 secondary school students (mostly scouts) had their first day of training today on interactive reading activities, and it was a huge success. To start things off, Eric asked for a volunteer to read a book as he would to primary school students, and the very formal and straight-laced Horacio stepped up. But between using super advanced vocabulary to answer questions, not sharing the pictures with the students, and reading the story through without stopping, it was obvious that Horacio had no idea what reading to a child meant. When we asked the the volunteer's if they'd ever been read tp as a child, the response was the uniform: no. Instead, they readers had only ever been dictated to in the very structured, very formal, and very boring setting of a Mozambican classroom. Having expected this, Eric and his counterpart Manuel spent the next 2 hours teaching the volunteers the simple but important techniques for reading with under-educated children. Beyond the more basic skills of how to read a book at an angle while showing the pictures to an audience, the volunteers were also introduced to more advanced activities like having kids play at interviewing the characters or performing scenes from the story. Using these techniques, the volunteers will be able to keep illiterate 1st through 3rd graders engaged and excited about reading.

Equipped with this knowledge, the volunteer readers will be running an after school reading program at a local primary school starting in the next few weeks. Thanks to the number of students participating, each pair of students will only have to be there for 2 hours a week, making it an easy and fun way to volunteer. Since many of these students are looking to become teachers in the future, this is also a great way to prepare their practical skills. Later on this month, we'll be working with the volunteer's so that they can start teaching consonants and vowels, as well as techniques for getting kids to sound out words. The hope is that we won't only be helping children learn to read, but we'll also be helping pre-adults learn to be better teachers. Now give that Moose a Muffin!!!