Change.
Change can be righteous.
Change can be intimidating.
Change can be positive.
Change can be uncomfortable.
Change can be inspirational.
Change can be unsettling.
Change can be optimistic.
How can you bring about change in your world?
Author Archives: atozliteracy
Some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope. ~ Author Unknown
Thoughts come clearly while one walks. ~ Thomas Mann
Zambians walk everywhere. Some travel short distances while others walk miles to school or work. People of all ages can be seen walking down the sides of the road morning, noon and night. What strikes me the most are the little ones going to school with other kids from the compounds or villages. They’re so little. Yet they walk. And walk. And walk.
Betty Writes
Being a part of the A to Z Literacy Movement has been a huge component of both my professional and personal life. When I work with inspirational people like Mal, it motivates me to learn more, DO more, and share the love of literacy and learning with everyone I meet. Teaching outside of the usual four walls of my classroom in Crystal Lake is always a great way to learn more about myself as an educator. It gives me a chance to reflect on my own teaching strategies, and to adjust and improve those strategies to reach all types of learners…no matter where they live.
Teaching in Zambia
Guest Writer: Betty Trummel
Traveling to Zambia was a unique and inspirational experience for me. Working with children who eagerly grasped on to every bit of new information we shared was awesome! Their love, grace, and welcoming smiles were all a joy to behold! I was able to incorporate science and social studies (my favorites) into lessons in the school garden and lessons using finger puppets to explore African animals and their habitats. Each day was not only a learning experience for those children we met or worked with, but a personal learning journey for me. I think one of the highlights was filming the children in the upper class as they shared the mini-books they had written. Those kids had not done anything like this before and the smiles on their faces were priceless. They were SO proud and Mal and I were equally proud of them.
Transfer Back Into Her Classroom
There is a direct transfer back to my own fourth graders, and they are the beneficiaries of unique cultural experiences that I believe make me a much better educator. I’m able to teach my U.S. students about life in other places, connect them to those learners in Zambia, and give them perspectives that are not usually seen in just any classroom. I used my time in Zambia to write an ABC book with the children at Shine Zambia Reading Academy. Not only did the book get published here and sent back to students at Shine, but I have been able to use that book in my classroom and we are currently writing the same type of book about our life here in Crystal Lake to share with students in Zambia. I now have a pen pal literacy center in my room. Students examine photographs from Zambia (and from Europe and New Zealand) and compare/contrast their life in Crystal Lake to life in those places. They write to students and make new connections in learning. The connections are endless…and the excitement is contagious.
Dynamic Duo
Bob and Mary Sendgikoski are not your typical missionaries. After owning a successful construction company, the couple was preparing for retirement on an island where they could enjoy scuba diving and sunshine. But Bob’s construction career was not yet complete. Retirement would have to wait as their life took a turn to Zambia, Africa where they have dedicated their lives to caring for orphan children by building orphan homes. Bob and Mary’s latest inspiration is in sustaining the homes by constructing chicken runs and raising chickens to provide income for the caregivers and orphan children. Mary’s newsletters are filled to the brim with information and updates. Feel free to email her (sendgikoski@hotmail.com) and ask to be put on her distribution list.
Esther School
While busy with chicken runs and orphan homes, Bob Sengikoski is also hard at work building Esther School near the village of Chongwe. Esther School is set to open it’s doors in September of 2012. This remarkable multibuilding campus will utilize solar power and will have several gardens planted to help in sustaining teachers and students. The teachers of Esther School will live on campus ensuring collaboration and quality of teaching to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy in Zambia. The school will also have a health clinic on site for teachers and students to utilize. A to Z Literacy Movement is looking forward to stocking a few shelves of books in the library for students to enjoy. Who wouldn’t love looking out over Zambia’s beautiful landscape with a good book in his hand?
What an amazing view for students to enjoy.
Mal at the school in 2010
A Visionary named Vineet
Who would have thought a British IT guy would turn into a Zambian school founder and director? Vineet Bhatnagar is definitely a multitalented man. He understands the power of literacy and has dedicated his life to increasing his students’ reading and writing skills. Vineet is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for the students at Shine Zambia Reading Academy and has the support of the local leaders and community. A to Z Literacy Movement volunteers are thankful to have had the opportunity to teach at Shine and feel extremely fortunate to have spent time with Shine’s talented teachers and students.
Smile
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” – Mother Teresa
A to Z Literacy Movement Blog 