Field Trip Day…Lilayi Elephant Nursery! By Betty Trummel

Some of the students and teachers from Shine Zambia had an amazing experience today, visiting an elephant rehabilitation center just outside of Lusaka. Excitement was in the air as they boarded the bus for our field trip. Experiences such as this don’t happen often, and judging by the engagement with our guides, with me and with their teachers…I’d say our day was a huge success!

Students were quiet and reluctant to ask their questions at first. But as the day went on, students gained confidence to ask those important questions that help with comprehension, whether it be in an oral presentation or written text. Questioning skills are such a critical part of literacy.

Children  took time to read displays, help me record a list of facts, and they were mesmerized by the baby elephants when they came in for feeding and “play” time.

When we got back to school this afternoon we had a debriefing session where the students enthusiastically shared what they had learned. Hands were shooting up in the air to be called on to give information.  It was an incredible day for them, and for me…seeing them engaged in active learning and hearing them sing with joy all the way on the long bus ride.

Watching those orphaned baby elephants be fed 2 liter bottles of formula/milk, eat leaves/sticks, play in the water, and interact with each other was a real treat for all of us!

I will extend their learning tomorrow when each student will create a mini book to highlight facts about the elephants and the rehabilitation facility. They will include some of their own drawings, and write about their feelings and impressions from this special day.

By Betty Trummel

Last week the level 2 students at Shine Zambia walked with their teachers and I through their community. The purpose of of walks…a photography project that will inspire them to write about their community…through their eyes.

Each night I have printed out photos on a small portable printer so I can them with the students…so they can see their community come to life through their eyes—their photography! This week…the writing begins, and hopefully doesn’t end. I want these children to tell their own stories about their lives and the community at the crossroads of Mutendere, Valley View, and Kalikiliki…the community surrounding Shine Zambia Reading Academy.

I can’t use the student photos yet due to limits in my technology on this trip, but I stood alongside students as they took the same pictures as you’ll see here from my camera.

We asked people if it was okay to take their photo…most people said “yes” to our school project. Teachers were invaluable interpreters, sharing the purpose of our community photo walk with residents of the compounds.

Thankful for the people of these compounds and the children and teachers who shared so much with us on our community walks. This is a busy part of Lusaka and as in many places around the world, there are both joys and challenges. I can’t wait to do our writing lessons this week and to hear the student voices shine through! Enjoy a few more photos from our walks.

By Alia Hammerstone

There are certain aspects of teaching and education that have proven to be universal. Sure, the differences between a Zambian classroom and an American classroom appear stark at first glance. One affords little comforts or resources- desks, chairs, and a whiteboard. The other overflows with technology, books, and creature comforts. But after pulling up a chair, sitting and observing, I have noticed several similarities that I find to be more important than anything else.

1. Good teaching transcends continents. School of Hope is fostering phenomenal teacher talent- I am getting to observe and learn from some truly phenomenal educators. Giving students the opportunity to discuss and think critically, work with small groups, problem solve with real-life projects, and empowering students to feel a sense of independence and accomplishment are universalities of good teaching. I have witnessed the teachers at School of Hope doing all of the above, with a fraction of the resources available to teachers in the U.S. No resources are required to get kids up and moving, talking in small groups, acting out the scene of a novel.
2. Teachers want to make a difference. While observing teachers in Zambia, it has become evident that teachers here are just as passionate as teachers in the U.S. when it comes to making a difference in the lives of their students. The teachers I have met demonstrate their commitment to teaching regardless of the obstacles they face- teaching children who have been orphaned by the HIV/Aids crisis, walking an hour to and from school, teaching 90+ students in a classroom quite literally open to the elements. One teacher put it best when he said that we educate children because we know they will build the future.
3. Students want to feel respected and loved. A few of my favorite questions to ask students are “What makes a good class?” and “What makes a good teacher?” These have proven to be just as enlightening in Zambia as they are in the U.S. Students here all reiterate the love they have for courses where a teacher demonstrates a passion for the subject and a respect for the students. A teacher who shows patience and compassion is equally important abroad as it is at home. Though they come from drastically different circumstances, students in the U.S. and students in Zambia value the same qualities in their teachers.

Written by the A to Z team here in Zambia…Mal Keenan, Alia Hammerstone, and Betty Trummel

From Mal…

What a GREAT day!  The teachers who attended the Shalubala Inset today inspired me as they traveled to School of Hope from all over the zone.  The men and women arrived ready to participate in a day of professional learning with workshops presented by both Zambian and American teachers.  I truly feel honored to have been included in this opportunity to gather, share ideas, and collaborate on how best to serve our Zambian students.  As for me, I hold literacy close to my heart, so to share strategies on reading and writing was fulfilling and heartwarming.

From Alia…

Today afforded me another phenomenal opportunity to grow professionally while here in Zambia.  The teacher inset hosted by School of Hope brought together hundreds of teachers from all over the zone.  I was truly honored by the educators who participated in discussions with me that centered around social/emotional learning and students engagement.  Not only was I able to share suggestions on the two topics I hold near and dear to me as an educator, I was also able to continue to learning from the brilliant teachers seeking to strengthen education in Zambia.  They do so with the mindset that these students will build the future of the country.  I am continuously amazed at the hospitality and warm-welcomes, and forever thankful for the new friends and colleagues.

From Betty…

As I looked out at the sea of teachers attending today’s inset (another word for workshop) it reminded me of all of the times I attended professional development sessions throughout my career. Opportunities like this don’t come along often enough for these educators, who are dedicated to bringing the very best to their students, despite sometimes very tough odds. Many of the students and teachers in this zone walk long distances to go to/from school each day, and the teachers are often asked to do their job with large class sizes and very few materials.  But, I saw positive faces in this crowd, a hunger for learning, the desire to bring new ideas and methods into classrooms, and a wonderful sense of commeraderie.

I thoroughly enjoyed presenting my three sessions and interacting with the teachers.  As always, it was such a joy to be at School of Hope, and I only wish it had been for longer.  Back in Lusaka now and gearing up for week 2 at Shine Zambia.

In no particular order . . .

• Teacher: “When you are learning new concepts, it makes teaching easier.”
• Student: “I am pushing myself because I want to be somebody in life.”
• Head Teacher: “This country will be built on these children and one day things will open up.”
• Teacher: “Challenges tend to trickle down.”
• Student: The benefits of being educated is to know the dos and the don’ts in life.
• Teacher: “I walk 10 kilometers to school every day, and if I walk fast, it takes me 45 minutes.”
• Teacher: “Teaching is a true profession in Zambia.”
• School Director: “The AIDS epidemic took the strong and left the weak.”
• Teacher: “This is math but comprehension is involved.”
• Teacher (asking for another idea from class): “Calvin, add your voice to that one.”
• Student: “I appreciate what I have.”
• Student: “A lion will eat grass if he doesn’t have meat . . . I will do what I have to do now to support my family.”
• Missions Director (discussing the effects of AIDS in the country): We are dealing with generational bookends.
• Director: You can’t fight what God has in store for you.
• American missions pastor: “This experience makes you look beyond your own belly button.”
• Teacher: “Speak up so your friends can hear you.”

A Message:  “The Danger of a Single Story”    By Betty Trummel

This morning I had the amazing opportunity to meet a young Zambian author, Perrykent Nkole.  An articulate and extremely friendly 20-year old, Perrykent sees things much the way I do in terms of how in every culture, people deserve the chance to tell their own true story.

This same concept is adeptly shared by African novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. On the TED.com page for her talk, it’s mentioned that Chimamanda gives us a warning:  “If we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.”  I totally agree!  I urge you to listen to her inspirational TED talk which can be found at: The Danger of a Single Story

Perrykent has just recently published his first book, “Birds of Different Feathers.” He shared his path with me…”I grew up seeing people struggle for survival.  The world calls it poverty, but I called it my daily bread.” When Perrykent moved at the time of junior secondary school, he says “It was then I learned of the distinctive differences between the rich and the poor. Clearly I was one of the latter.”

This fact certainly did not stop this inspirational young man from achieving his goals.  Trained by the Media Network on Child Rights and Development and placed under a project called the Children’s News Agency as a teen, he spent four years working on his book…a book that paints Zambian/African pictures and tells more than a single story.  I already can’t put the book down…the blend of metaphors, narration, natural elements representing people and bits of society is wonderful and conjures up rich images of an Africa I’ve only seen a tiny slice of in my four visits here with A to Z Literacy.

The biggest link between Perrykent and I is our passion to help others tell their own true stories.  It’s one of the BIG projects I’m working on with students and teachers at Shine Zambia Reading Academy while I’m here for two weeks.  My mission is encouraging connections to community…using photography, drawings, and writing to help the children at Shine tell their authentic stories.

All four level 2 classes have walked with their teachers and I through the compounds of Mutendere, Valley View, and Kalikiliki…with digital cameras in hand.  We’ve had great discussions about what is important in these communities, the joys, the challenges, the people…the real stories of this place on the planet.  I started this project two years ago when working with A to Z Literacy in Zambia, and on this trip I’m adding rich layers of knowledge for myself, and finding more ways to encourage the students as they photograph their community.  Each night I’ve come back to my room at Serenity Lodge and have printed out their photos on a tiny Canon printer I brought with me.  Browsing through the myriad of photos, I am delighted at the results of these emerging photojournalists.  Clearly they are now taking a closer look at their own community and life.

The harder piece will be the writing…that will take place next week when I spread the photo prints on the tables at school and encourage children to begin to write about their life…to begin to tell their story.  The photos will serve as a motivation and reminder to them…to create a spark to begin the writing process.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting a photo gallery of some of the types of images students have captured this week.  These images will be from my own camera for now (since I do not have the technology with me to easily transfer them to my iPad) but rest assured, I was standing side-by-side with students when every shot was taken. Their photos are safely tucked away for sharing when I get home.

An inspiration, Perrykent Nkole…I thank him for taking time from his busy schedule to meet with me this morning.  His words are a lesson for us all…as Perrykent said on a Facebook post about our meeting today, “No one will tell the African Story better than Africans.”

The Shine Zambia Reading Academy Food Program by Betty Trummel

Often people ask me, “How can we help?”  A to Z Literacy knows that literacy development requires more than books.  A to Z and its partners in Zambia provide a variety of resources necessary for effective literacy promotion, including book delivery, school meals, and high-quality teacher instruction.  ALL of these components are part of our time here in Zambia.

We know that students can better focus on learning when they aren’t hungry.  Shine Zambia Reading Academy is currently providing a meal for students every day they are at school.  Three days a week this is a bowl of porridge served to about 200 students per day.

(Above:  The porridge, waiting for its final stir!)

(Above: I jumped in to try this job, but quickly gave it over to Esther, one of the cooks at Shine, pictured below.)

They supplement with foods such as beans, vegetables, nshima (corn meal dish similar to grits but more solid), and soy chunks two times per week.

I’d love to see if we can help Shine boost these “extras” to 3 or 4 times per week.  Please visit the A to Z Literacy website (www.atozliteracy.org) to see how you can help.  THANKS!

The A to Z Literacy Team Has Landed in Zambia!  By Betty Trummel

Hello from Lusaka, Zambia.  The moment we arrived in here, we hit the ground running and took off in several directions! We were picking up our NINE pieces of luggage, exchanging US dollars for Zambian Kwacha, activating our Zambian cell phones, airport pickup from Ben (from the Village/School of Hope), getting a few groceries, and finally (me) taking a taxi to my lodging here in Lusaka….Serenity Lodge.

Mal and Alia continued on to the Village/School of Hope in a rural area north of the city.  All of us settled into our respective “homes” for the next two weeks, and immediately got into more planning and preparations for the busy days ahead.

Any butterflies (a normal feeling) I might have felt when we embarked on this journey Friday night have turned to utter excitement and I am happy to be back here with A to Z Literacy, doing what we do so well…spreading the gift of literacy around the world and using our talents as teachers to help others.

Follow our blogs…and come along on this journey with us.  Thanks to all of our loyal supporters who help with fundraising efforts throughout the year. You’re helping us to fulfill our mission and enabling us to send shipments of books, sponsor school lunches, engage in local Illinois outreach, do our work here in Zambia, and so much more.  We couldn’t do this without you!

A to Z recently received a financial gift from the Robinson/Stough Family in honor of their Aunt Joanne’s 90th birthday.

The note on the back of the donation form read:

Aunt Jo’s life has inspired us all with the message that reading books are the answer to a lot of the world’s problems and we know this is part of the A to Z’s important mission. Thank you for the work you are doing to help some wonderful children start to reach their potential.  ~The Robinson/Stough Family

We are so grateful to this family for their generous gift and feel truly honored to be included in Aunt Jo’s birthday celebration as she is a kind, thoughtful, and loving teacher who still believes books can save the world. Here’s to you, Aunt Jo!

As the A to Z team continues to prep for our upcoming event, Libations For Literacy, we wanted to share a few of the amazing auction items that will be available to bid on February 3rd from 7:00-10:00 at the Park Place in Crystal Lake.

As always, we have great tickets for local sporting events like the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Wolves, Schaumburg Boomers, and the Windy City Bulls. This year’s Cubs tickets offer incredible seats behind home plate on the lower level.

For those guests who enjoy getting out and about, we have Raue Center and Paramount Theatre tickets to bid on as well as a family four pack to the Chicago Field Museum.

Along with tickets to events, our team has creatively put together a variety of gift baskets that offer something for everyone. Golf? We’ve got it. Coffee and tea? Ready. Photography and local artwork? You bet! Fun things for your home? Check.

And of course, while you are bidding on different auction items, you will be sampling different beers provided by Crystal Lake Brewing and Wild Onion Brewery or tasting delicious wines provided by Scott and Garfield’s Beverage Warehouse.

Head to the A to Z website to purchase your tickets or feel free to purchase at the door. We can’t wait to see you!