Progress

This place is truly beautiful. As I run at 5 AM (or 0500 hours, here) the sun rises and reflects its pale orange glow off clouds high in the distance. My thoughts return to the other day when those same clouds flashed with crackling lightning, but too far away to be heard. To the right, as I climb the largest hill near our town, fog floats over the jungle calmly sitting over a creek that cuts through the darkened foliage. I take a deep breath of the moist morning air and think back on my own progress since the PDM conference…

After returning from the conference I felt rested and a little fearful that the project goals talked about would come to naught. That all the well-laid plans my counterpart and I made during the week would come up short. I was wrong.

The first thing that got off the ground was moving tons of books to schools that haven’t had new books in long while. I think I mentioned these classrooms full of books in an earlier post, some time around June. Anyway, since then I have been lobbying to get them moved, but I hadn’t had the clout to make it happen “just now.” However, during the week that my counterpart and I were away, the Secondary School Education Officer (who ranks behind the Regional Educational Officer (R.Ed.O.), who is in charge of all the region’s schools) had an epiphany. She had been visiting schools for the 6-year program (the transition program for the remedial students entering secondary school) and was appalled that there were no texts for these struggling adolescents. She remembered us mentioning these classrooms filled with books and sprung into action. She mobilized many of the handymen from several of the region’s schools (a work force of about 15 plus 5 of us from the Department of Education) and decided on a day within the week of our return to clean that place out.


















The day arrived and the workforce decided to start with classroom that had the most books. We pulled out all of the books, separating them by schools. We didn’t have a list or anything; rather we just tried to distribute these books as evenly as possible to every institution (Nursery, Primary, and Secondary). It was a task. Some of these books seemed to have been in this room since 2007 or 8 maybe even as far back as 2006, before many of our staff worked in our office. The piles grew and grew, but then there was snag…

Working hard separating the books

Some of these books have been here so long, we had not idea what they were.

The first piles

…. The sun rises almost too quickly this close to the equator, but the land is bathed in saffron, sun-rising light as I go up and down, hills coming and going; gravity taking hold, helping, and then fighting; increasing resistance. Up and down, like a roller coaster, like my experience...my thoughts return to last week.

The region is in possession of a large truck, similar to a u-haul truck (the smallest version), which is used to distribute Juice and Biscuits to all the schools and also distribute books when we get them. However, on this particular day, at this particular time the driver of that truck, and there is only one, was taken ill. We had these piles of books, but no transportation to move them.

Almost all of the books on the lawn

Again, our secondary officer sprang into action. She called schools individually and asked them to get there own transportation; to hire a truck or go in with another school to get both their books. The piles receded, but the amount was still overwhelming. I wanted all the books to be moved in one day, but that wasn’t going to happen so we decided to clean out the now empty classroom and then organize the books by school. So when they come to get their books, they can just grab a hand trolley and roll them out to their transportation. It all became quite organized. I even labeled all the boxes to make sure every school got their fair share.

After the organization.

The day ended and although it was not a complete victory, it was a victory all the same. Recently, one of the heads of the more remote schools up the Demerara, a head I promised books to so many months ago, saw her stack and burst into tears. She was ecstatic and couldn’t believe the amount of books we set aside for her. When she comes into town next week she will carry them away. My chest swelled knowing that my actions had given someone so much joy. It reaffirmed my commitment to the Peace Corps and my projects…

…My legs hurt a little, but the ground levels off and the end of the “road” comes into view. If I keep running, I’d get to Georgetown up this main highway. However, I’m 3.5 miles away from my starting point, and now I need to go back. I turn. It is almost fully light now. The crisp air begins to flee as the heat of day fills the void left behind. Future endeavors dance before my eyes. I peruse projects and possibilities (in no particular order) as my feet stamp a steady tattoo upon the uneven pavement…

Every month, Head Mistresses and Masters come to Linden to attend a standing meeting. While they are there, I will do “Tim’s Tip of the Day” and explain one practical literacy strategy that they can take back to their schools and implement.

HM Meeting

Every month, teachers from every school come to a cluster meeting (by grade for primary schools and by department in secondary schools). My counterpart and I will teach these teachers different literacy strategies that they will take back to their schools and teach to other teachers during professional development sessions.

Go to different schools and co-facilitate Professional Development sessions after school with teachers and also perform classroom demonstrations of the strategy/techniques I taught them during PD.


Assist NCERD (in G-town) and educational consultants in establishing Literacy Committees within schools in Region 10. A literacy committee consists of several teachers who have a passion for literacy. Every month/week they will meet and think of activities that will promote literacy throughout the school, their community, and at home. These activities can vary from PD sessions to fun, engaging writing activities to monthly school themes/activities based around literacy. Anything, to promote and get kids and parents excited about literacy.


Finish my teaching manual, edit and revise it after input from my officers, classroom teachers, and former colleagues. Get it published with some sort of NGO/Grant money and hand it out to teachers to use. And then hold PD sessions on the techniques within the booklet. Moreover, once it is written and published the teachers coming to Cluster Meetings and HM meetings will be able to take one home and use it as a resource for their own in-house PD sessions.

Some resources for the Teacher's Manual

Assist with the 6-year transitional program, training teachers in practical “teach-niques” and strategies. Visiting their classrooms, observing their teaching and then conferencing with them. I also want to co-facilitate workshop for them and then go to their classes and perform classroom demonstrations to show them how successful the “teach-niques” could be.


Get approval and backing from Officers, HMs, teachers, parents, and students in order to re-open a teacher/student resource center. Get some money to fix it up. But this is still a distant memory…We still need to meet with REdO for his feedback….

The largest hill is behind me. The slightly inclined highway that leads to my street stretches before me. The heat is oppressive and its only 0615 hours. The day before me will be hot and probably rain in the afternoon for a small spell. But I feel good. I feel like things are coming together and it may not be perfect, but small victories await. My legs burn, and sweat drips from my face and back. My house comes into view It’s work. It’s all work. But it’s also progress…

-T