So as I cut pastel-colored paper into long strips this morning, Kalan taught a lesson about making connections using a book she created with her own students from Bernotas Middle School. We had the students write connections to the story on the strips of paper and the strips were then turned into a paper chain, the perfect symbol for connecting to text. As the chain hung in the back of the room, I stood there and wondered if the other teachers thought it was wasteful. Here we had perfectly good sheets of paper and I cut them to make a silly chain. The question “what’s important to us?” popped into my head. Kalan and I have been utilizing all of the teaching supplies we so carefully packed and feel the big paper for modeling has been useful, the sentence strips helpful, and the markers fun for the kids to use. But what’s important to us isn’t always what’s important to the teachers here at Shine. We love to showcase student work on the walls, but sticky tack and tape costs money, money teachers at Shine don’t have to spend. Yet, we all have the same common goal and that is to create successful and writers in these children.

As teachers in the U.S., we are all about keeping the kids engaged and motivated. The same holds true for many teachers here in Zambia. Stella, a new teacher at Shine, understands the concept of multisensory teaching. Take for example, phonics instruction, she explains and models a new sound, the kids write it down, and then Stella plays a game with them. She gets them standing up, using their other senses to ensure the information just learned stays with the student. She bounces balls, she sings songs, she puts them into teams to find the right sound on the chalkboard. But there’s more to Stella style, she knows the power of using both Nyanja and English to help the students understand. Many of her students are new to school and speak mostly in Nyanja. Stella strikes a balance between language #1 and language #2. We have had the opportunity to observe Stella in action and have heard the laughter coming out of her classroom. The kids are lucky to have her and will continue in their reading progression thanks to her dedicated style of teaching.

It’s Child Health Care Week in here in Zambia. All over the country, mothers are bringing their babies to central locations in communities and compounds to receive the necessary immunizations. These women patiently stand in line for hours with babies nestled on their backs in chitenges waiting for their turn with a nurse or doctor. Shine has graciously hosted the Ministry of Health the last two days, converting their multipurpose space into a make-shift clinic for the women and children. This is just one example of Shine Reading Academy not only helping the children of the compound but helping many more. Another example of this devotion to the community is adult literacy education classes. Every day when the children knock off at 3:30, teachers shift gears a bit as adults enter three of the classrooms as they are trying to improve their English reading and speaking skills. A to Z is so very proud to partner with Shine Zambia. It is definitely more than just a school, it’s becoming a beacon of light in the community.

When preparing for this journey, I did what any neurotic or rather meticulous and eager traveler (thank you euphemisms!) would do. I read about Zambia and was surprised to find the national language is English. The “Oh everyone knows English,” in me assumed everyone would be speaking English and you know what assuming does; it makes an… issue for people because they think they know everything and then are proven so embarrassingly wrong. However, as a teacher I love to fall, fix it, get back up, and try again. I realized the importance of the E.L.L (English Language Learners) strategies when working with these students. Changes to instruction were critical, so I increased emphasis on vocabulary and visuals, decreased the speed of my speaking, and am attempting to learn some phrases in Nyanja (the local language spoken in Lusaka). Using all of the strategies, the literacy bridge from America to Zambia is being built. It began with reading, then writing, and now speaking. On that note, Zikomo or thank you, for following our literacy life abroad.

The A to Z Literacy Movement does exactly what the title describes. Ensuring books enter students’ hands and hearts fulfills a piece of The America to Zambia Literacy Movement. However, literacy is more than books. Last week, the focus of the movement was writing. Empowering people through reading allows them to understand what their continent, country, city, or compound is putting into place. But empowering people through writing, well, that allows them to imagine and create the future of their continent, country, city, or compound. The students of Shine Zambia are beginning the journey of becoming writers. We focused on communicating thoughts about books, creating stories with lessons, expressing feelings, and building vocabulary. By introducing these principles of literacy, we continue to send a clear message: From America to Zambia, we hope to empower the youth of Zambia to write a new history for themselves and their country.