In the final part of our interview series, our Crystal Lake teachers answer one last question based on their Zambian trip in 2012.

Q. What was something that shocked you?

Kalan Gott: The high level of motivation to learn despite the challenges the students face shocked me.

Anastasia Gruper: We were well prepped for what to expect, but you can never be fully prepared for what you will experience. For example, Mal told us about Zam dogs. They are wild dogs that live in the streets. Obviously, they are not tame and should not be touched. However, they walk among the people. It was surprising to hear them fight at night, but the stench and sight of one that was killed in a fight cannot be described in words. The decomposing carcass remained on the side of the road, where people walk, for a few days; it was just one more addition to the filth people walked through daily.

Ann Yanchura: I was not prepared for the level of theft. Anything not nailed down is considered free for the taking. Some of the white missionaries attribute this to the communal attitude of people in the area of Lusaka; in other words, I am not stealing but rather you are sharing what you have with me. Regardless, the schools experience high levels of theft that they can ill afford. There are bars and windows on the doors to prevent anything large being removed. They can’t leave pencils, paper, or books in classrooms because they will disappear.

Mariann Zimmerman: The day we were at Mango Grove, I spent a great deal of time in a 5th grade classroom. The teacher presented a lesson about importing and exporting goods. The teacher did a fantastic job presenting the information in a way that the students could relate. As she was presenting, she was writing and making notes and diagrams on the chalk board. At the end, the students copied everything from the board into their notebooks. I asked the teacher if this was information needed to be successful on the Zambia test. Yes. Were all the students able to read what she had written on the board and were copying into their notebooks? No. Could they use their notebooks when they took the exam? No. This really bothered and still bothers me. How will most of them ever better themselves?

Here is another Q & A session between the interviewer and our troop of teachers who spent time in Zambia last summer.

Q. What piece do you feel is A to Z Literacy Movement’s most important work? Why?

Kalan Gott: The most important work A to Z does is planting the seeds for a literacy culture. A to Z works to share tools with groups so they can foster a reading culture and be catalysts in their own communities. It isn’t about A to Z being the heroes. It is about the people of the community being their own heroes with A to Z as a sidekick. This is important because it means the change will last after A to Z leaves.

Anastasia Gruper: That’s a tough one to answer. A to Z has so many goals, which are all very important. However, the main goal to increase literacy in impoverished areas is the most important. Without independent thought and original ideas, a society cannot sustain or grow. Thoughts and ideas are only created and shared through literacy; reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Ann Yanchura: While it would be difficult to argue that the many books that A to Z puts into children’s hands is the most important work they do, I would like to propose that this would not be as effective without the time, effort and care we put into building the professional practice of the teachers who work with these children. In my own “day job,” I have seen firsthand the need to build the confidence and instructional expertise of our teachers who are charged with the daunting task of preparing our students for a global society. All of the pressures and frustrations that go along with this responsibility are impossible to manage on your own. Each A to Z volunteer, under Mal’s thoughtful direction, serves as a guide on the side as well as a professional friend who will work through the tough spots with you and help you to gain confidence in yourself as you take steps towards growing as a teacher. It’s this “professional friendship” that will build the skilled and enthusiastic teachers who will help children get the most out of the books they have received from the A to Z Movement.

By Gisela Carlander

A friend recently gave me a first grade reader she picked up at a garage sale. It had come full circle! The identification inside the front cover was from a first grade classroom in the district where I now teach. Upon opening it, I was immediately transported back in time, back to a different me. My inner child was awakened and I didn’t even know she was still in there. I felt the joy I knew as a child when I realized I was able to put those simple words together and make the story come alive. I visualized the world those words created and felt like I was in that world again. It was a very perfect world. Everybody’s clothes were pressed and clean, everyone wore a smile, the sky was always sunny, and people made mistakes but nobody was bad. I felt the innocence and exuberance of childhood, full of expectations and excitement about getting to know the world. But best of all, this little book showed me how great it felt to be able to read all by myself. More than the simple stories I worked my way through with books like these, these books showed me that there was a whole world out there I could find out about all by myself. What a wonderful feeling that was – the simple action of opening this book and seeing those pages and words again, brought the clarity of that awakening back to me like a heartbeat that I had stopped noticing. What a blessing reading is!

Small groups of students from Bernotas Middle School, Lundahl Middle School, and Hannah Beardsley Middle School explored multicutural literature throughout the year and shared stories with first grade students at Canterbury Elementary in Crystal Lake, IL. These talented kids participated in the World Of Words project from the University of Arizona, and have helped not only students in Crystal Lake, but will also assist teachers and students in Zambia at Chishiko Community School. The books shared locally will soon be packed up and sent to benefit students at Chishiko. In addition, the middle school students created activities to pair with the multicultural stories and those lessons will help Zambian teachers extend the learning, increasing oral language and reading comprehension. These talented middle school students gave of their time and are to be applauded for helping to increase the love of reading locally and globally.

Instructions for living life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
~Mary Oliver

By Anastasia Gruper

After attending a Walk-A-Thon with hundreds of National Junior Honor Society students from Bernotas Middle School and Lundahl Middle School on May 4th, there is much to tell. Friendly faces, generous givers, and promenading pupils gathered at Bernotas Middle School at 9:30 am to raise money for A to Z Literacy Movement. While the band jammed, students walked around the track, logging miles and service hours. Generous donations totaled $7, 227. With these generous donations, impoverished students will receive school lunch, books, and quality teachers. Such incredible efforts were made by these NJHS students to improve literacy globally. For that, we are truly astonished.

As an adult, how do you continue to grow? Recharge with new perspectives and ideas? Maintain focus and clarity? For some, it’s a conference or workshop that enlightens and affirms the work you are doing. Maybe it’s a book club with friends or colleagues, discussing chapters while new ideas are brought forward. Others prefer articles and blogs – a quick in and out – yet effective and valuable. Regardless of how you go about it, being a lifelong learner is something to be celebrated and reading is an integral part of the process. Reading opens up the pathways in your mind and helps you to see things in a different light. Reading changes you…for the better.

Anne Smedinghoff was taken from us this week.
En route to deliver books into the hands of Afghan children, Anne and her group understood the power of literacy and the strength it steadfastly delivers to all who share it.
Rest easy, Anne.
The lessons will be taught.
The mission continues.
Your brightness shines on.

By Pat Kelly

In our ongoing series, we present the responses to another question asked of the four traveling teachers who trekked with Mal Keenan to Zambia in the summer of 2012.

Q. Describe for us your favorite scene in Zambia.

Kalan Gott: The clatter of the cowbell alerts students to morning break. Instead of rushing out the door at the sound of the bell, the students hang around the room. A group of students see a book left over from the lesson and swiftly grab it up exploring each page and helping each other as they attack the words, breaking them down, creating meaning. All of this taking place on their own time.

Anastasia Gruper: Personally and professionally for me it was sitting in a room with four other amazing, intelligent women. The collaboration about new experiences and a new culture helped me learn. To have the opportunity to discuss and problem solve new challenges while teaching was invaluable. The four supports I was able to draw from daily will be a scene I will never forget, even if it was a scene I experienced by headlamp!

Mariann Zimmerman: My favorite scene (and it still brings tears to my eyes) is seeing Mal with her Shine graduate students. The impact she has made on those students’ lives, both academically and socially, is life changing. They truly look up to her, respect her, and admire her for what she has brought to their lives. I loved watching her in action as she spoke individually to each student, got in their precious faces and reminded them of their goals and to reach those goals they have to keep reading.

Ann Yanchura: Our work with a new school, Chishiko, almost didn’t happen because of our very full schedule of commitments to other schools. However, due to Mal’s willingness to help where she can, we now have a new partner in a school that is an experiment in building community commitment to education in Zambia. The young missionary couple who are responsible for this dream welcomed us with open arms and many thanks when we visited.
Picture a field in the hills of Chumba Valley that has now been transformed into a soccer field. When we arrived, the children in the area were allowing their cattle to graze on the grass of the field. They quickly began to herd the animals away as they saw us drive up, knowing that Pastor Steven wants to cultivate healthy grass for the games they will play there. The two room newly-built school house sits next to the field. Although this building currently hosts only the preparation class (preschool/kindergarten) and first grade, students up to age 12 show up daily for lessons. When it’s time for morning break, the preschool teacher washes 31 pairs of small hands with water from a plastic jug sink. Where else would you find dedication like this?

By Jorian Lewke

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you that came out on February 23rd to help celebrate our mission and vision while contributing to our goals. Our 3rd annual On the Vine: Celebrating Books and Wine silent auction and wine tasting was a success – we raised over $5,500! We owe our success to our dedicated board members, our supportive sponsors and donors, and most of all, to the attendees who came and celebrated literacy with us. Without all of your continued support, A to Z would not be able to continue it’s mission: to improve the lives of impoverished children through literacy development in Zambia and the Chicagoland area.