This was hard for me to get my mind around but education was denied to most Jamaicans until as recently as the 1970s! I want to tell you a little about the CHNY service projects but, before I do that, I want to help you understand the state of education in Jamaica today and how it got to be that way. It’s quite a story.
After slavery was abolished, a few Christian churches started a small number of primary schools but these schools were mostly for indigent whites. The few freed slaves allowed to attend school were generally given little more than religious instruction. By the late 1800s, a few secondary schools had also been built, mostly in Kingston, but these served primarily the light-skinned elite. Wealthy planters, on the other hand, sent their children abroad, mainly to Britain, to be educated.
The small number of schools and the elitist curriculum taught in those schools intensified class divisions throughout Jamaica's colonial society. A dual education system was created - one that consisted of government-run primary schools and another of private secondary schools for whites and mulattos that effectively barred most Jamaicans from attending. As recently as 1943, fewer than 1% of blacks and 9% of mixed race students attended secondary school. As a result, most Jamaicans had little or no ability to read. (And things are not much better now though they are looking up. This point was really brought home to me when one of my Jamaican friends confided that he could not correspond with me because he could neither read nor write. He asked me not to tell anyone because he is ashamed of this but I can tell you that this young man is 27 years old and very bright. I encouraged him to learn to read now. It is never too late to learn to read. That saying about not being able to teach old dogs new tricks? Well, it's bullshit. I, personally, have taught many old dogs new tricks! Afterwards it began to become clear to me that many of our Jamaican friends cannot read or write. They just don't talk about it. So sad! But I digress...)
In 1944, Jamaica took her first steps toward self-government. In 1953, she established a Ministry of Education. In 1962, when they declared independence, they also began to develop their first national education policy. The first priority was to actually build some schools! -- both primary and secondary -- and between 1972 and 1976, the new government took her first real steps toward reducing illiteracy by instituting a policy of free secondary education for all Jamaicans. These reforms were intended to redress and heal the inequalities of the previous system and to give all Jamaicans greater access to the government and private-sector jobs of their newly formed country, jobs that typically required a secondary school diploma.
These reforms had positive but limited effects. For the first time, many Jamaicans had access to education but limited funding also meant that that education was of an even lower quality than it had been before. More people could attend school but the schools didn't have the resources to meet the needs of the sudden influx of students! Even now, the average class size is 40 students to 1 teacher. Nonetheless, the introduction of free secondary education was a major step toward removing the institutional barriers that had prevented most poor Jamaicans from getting an education because they were unable to afford tuition. This was as recently as 1976!
Although public school education is now free and school attendance is compulsory up to age sixteen, the cost of books, uniforms, meals and transportation continue to deter many families from sending their children to school. I asked Rose, a Peace Corps volunteer we met who's been teaching at the Lucy Primary School for the last 18 months, how much an average Jamaican parent could expect to spend to send a child to school for one year. She guesstimated about $5,000 Jamaican Dollars, a sum roughly equivalent to $75 US. Then I started to do the math. Bruddah Boy, for example, has eight children. At $75 a child, that’s $600 a year. The average annual household income of a Jamaican family is about $4,000 - and that's for a family where two people are working. To make matters worse, there is rampant unemployment in Jamaica. Somewhere between 15-25% of the potential workforce is unemployed. In fact, the largest source of income in the country is from people who leave the country, work in other countries and send money back home. (The second largest is tourism … another reason our dollars are so important.
On Monday, January 3rd, I got to visit a school in Jamaica - The Rusea School, in Lucea. The Rusea School is one of the oldest in Jamaica. It was founded as the Rusea Free School by Martin Rusea, a French refugee, in 1777. He created a trust for the school because he had found the Jamaican people so warm and welcoming when he was forced to flee France. In his will, he insisted the school (1 of 4 he founded) be non-denominational and that it educate both girls and boys. (I like this guy already.)
The Rusea School is located in the harbor at Lucia, in the Hanover Parrish, a small Parrish but one of the island's first and finest ports. There was a time when it was much busier than Montego Bay. The harbor is a very picturesque place, horseshoe shaped with crystal clear water on three sides and mountains rising to the south and east. It's so beautiful I think I'd have trouble studying there. Then again, there are no windows. I guess that helps cut down on distractions.
The school itself is now housed in an old barracks, an impressive Georgian structure built in 1843 to house soldiers stationed at Fort Charlotte. The bricks used to make these buildings had at one time been used as ballast, the heavy material placed in the hold of a ship to increase its stability in the water, for many of the sailing ships that came to the port from Europe and America. In 1862, the English War office gave these buildings to the Jamaican people and in 1900 the Rusea Free School moved into them. They've been there for over 100 years now.
Today, 2,250 students attend the Rusea School. They include students from grade 8 through the first year of college. It doesn't look like a lot has been done to maintain the buildings over the last 100 years. It was not dilapidated exactly, and it was very clean, but when we were there, there was no power and on one of the two-story buildings there was a ledge that children had to navigate to reach the second story classrooms where the entire front railing had crumbled away. One push or a trip and a child could fall over the side and down an entire story to land upon a cement courtyard. It was hair-raising. As I was noticing it, another unsettling thing happened. I was speaking with the music teacher when a student came up and handed her a large machete a workman had left in one of the classrooms. I remember thinking, "Now THAT's something you don't see in the states!"
The children were all neatly dressed in matching school uniforms -- the girls in dresses, the boys in shirts and ties -- and the entire school turned out early in the morning onto the cement courtyard or the second floor walkways to sing the school song, say the Lord's Prayer, listen to school announcements and read devotionals. No separation of church and state in Jamaica, that's for sure!
Libre, Elana, Ras Alan, Valerie and I arrived at the school early Monday morning and met with the principal who explained that the lack of electricity was due to a blown transformer. Apparently this happens quite often there and can take days to repair.
After meeting with the Principal, Libre addressed the students at an assembly about tourism and how preserving Jamaican culture can actually aid tourism and benefit the local economy. He talked about creating a free resource center to help Jamaicans develop a tourism industry that benefits Jamaican people (as opposed to business owners who are largely American or European, though Libre didn't actually say that outright).
The students listened quietly and intently. I was struck by how polite they were. I also found myself liking the school uniforms, which seemed to create a sort of Group Identity and pride and also reduced the distractions we have in our schools over who has the most bling or who has the most belly showing.
Because there was no power, it was sometimes hard to hear Libre. You couldn't have if the students hadn't been so quiet and respectful. It was amazing to see hundreds of students standing so quietly!
Then Ras Alan got up and talked to them about the similarities between our two cultures - about our mountains and music and food and stories and their mountains and music and food and stories. He spoke to them of preserving their cultural heritage and about his work preserving the cultural heritage of the Appalachian Mountains back in the states. Then he sang them a song, which generated the first real wave of excitement. It was fun to watch them giggle behind their hands at this white man with long dreads and the title "Ras" who played his guitar and kept the beat with his foot on an old orange crate. This beat box was very like the cajon drums played by slaves throughout South America, slaves who were not allowed to have drums because slave owners felt drums could be used to incite people or issue calls for violence. Drums were outlawed in many places so people played crates and boxes. The students were clearly impressed by Ras Alan being able to play and sing and keep the beat on his homemade beat box ... all at the same time!
Then it was the student's turn.
They closed out the assembly by singing their school song for us! It was amazing and melodic and beautiful and, again like in the states, when the music teacher called on the boys to sing, the song got much quieter even though there were almost as many boys as girls. However, when it was the girl's turn, their voices rang out loud and true and full of pride. Some things are the same the world over.
After the assembly we got to tour the school, which is actually on two separate campuses. On the first campus, we saw many of the older students and the library. This library had 14 books. That's right. 14. I couldn't believe it. The teachers arrive early and write the lessons on blackboards and then the students arrive and copy them down in notebooks. Schoolbooks are kept under lock and key, literally, and students are not allowed to remove books from the library. I wish I could say that our book donation program greatly swelled their ranks but that's not the case. Most of the books people donated were for young children and ended up going to another school. We'll know better next time.
After speaking with many of the teachers, I have a better idea of what they need now. Sharon Chambers, the literature teacher, tells me her students are currently reading, "Death of a Salesman" and she said they desperately need literature books, especially books written by English, American and Caribbean authors. Personally, I plan to focus specifically on Jamaican writers, especially females -- authors like Afua Cooper, Makeda Silvera, Michelle Cliff and Olive Senior. I'll probably also look for some of the male authors too, people like Andrew Salkey, James Berry, Orlando Patterson, Roger Mais and, of course, Bob Marley, the next time I'm at the Reader's Corner. I think it's important, inspiring and encouraging for Jamaican students to read the writings of Jamaican writers.
The biology teacher expressed a crushing need for science books of all kinds - biology, physics, anatomy, chemistry, the entire gamut. He says the shortage of science books is hurting Jamaicans who want to go to university. The school also needs musical instruments, art supplies (though we did bring a lot of these) and drama materials. The library desperately needs a computer, a projector and PowerPoint equipment so that the teachers can give large group presentations that they can save instead of having to write them on the board over and over and over again. This would greatly reduce teacher workload. As it is, teachers stay hours late every day writing the next day's assignments on the board. And, like in the US, teachers also subsidize much of their student's education by paying for things like chalk, paper and art supplies out of their own pockets. It truly is a vocation to teach. (This year I made a special effort to bring supplies for the teachers - stickers, stars, markers, etc. They were thrilled to receive these things and it was fun to watch them excitedly divvy them up!)
After this tour, we went to the second campus to visit the Jamaican National Heritage Preservation Trust. This sounds like a huge museum but it is actually a very small building that houses photos and memorabilia about the area. This building is subsidized by selling juices and milk to the students, who can also buy these things from vendors outside the school. There is no cafeteria. Students either bring their lunch or visit the vendor shanties outside of the school or go without.
While we were there I heard someone yell, "Caroleeena!" and I turned to find Tia Brooks, daughter of Ruth and Reuben Brooks of the Overtakers, running across the yard to give me a big hug. Out of all the schools in that part of Jamaica, I ended up at Tia's! What are the chances!?! It was great. She took me into her class and introduced me to all her classmates. I could tell she was proud to have an American friend visiting the school. I was just as proud to have such a lovely friend show me around and introduce me to her friends. She is such a sweet and smart young lady. She also introduced me to her best friend, Hannah. Hannah is also very bright. She wants to be a detective when she grows up. Or a veterinarian.
As we chatted, one class came out for recess. For classes, students are required to wear brown or black shoes with their uniforms. This means that, during recess, most of the students had to take off their shoes so they didn't wear them out running around. Most students ran barefoot though a few wore socks. I only saw two students with athletic shoes.
While Tia and I were chatting Valerie was chatting with other students. I remember when she asked one student, a 12-year old with a big shy smile who was obviously curious about us, “What’s your favorite thing about school?” the young girl immediately blurted out, “Boys!” That, too, is the same the world over.
All around the school were signs that read things like, "Do not allow yourself to become upset by people, places, things and circumstances. They are all powerless! Your reaction is the only power." or, "To be civilized is to be incapable of giving unnecessary offense, is to have some quality of consideration for all who cross our path." A third read, "You never fail until you stop trying." (Truer words were never said.)
Days later we returned to this school to donate the backpacks and school supplies we'd collected at our Chinese New Year celebration. We'd asked the 100 people coming from the U.S. to bring along two gently used books -- books that had influenced them as a child -- and, if they still had room, a backpack with school supplies for one child. How did that turn out? Well, in the end, we distributed 65 backpacks, 25 of them directly to students complete with two books each, some art supplies, some school supplies, a toy and the name of a student in the states who wants to be their pen pal! (We also included stamps with these.) My niece Aly is going to correspond with Tia. They're both the same age and I am very excited to hear about their correspondence.
We also gave the Rusea School about 50 pounds of art supplies, 50 pounds of school supplies and about 70 pounds of books, maps and atlases. As I said earlier, many of those books will end up at the Lucea Primary School but there were some more age appropriate books that excited the teachers very much. I have a photo of one teacher who was very excited to find the book, "Anne of Green Gables" among the library books. It was her favorite book as a child. For those of you who don't know, it's the story of a young girl who faces repeated trials with courage, optimism and creativity. She never, never, never gives up or compromises her values as she makes her way in the world, a lesson we could all stand to learn. It turns out almost everyone in the room had read that book and it was a great favorite.
This year's school drive was incredibly successful. It makes my heart almost burst to think of it. And the teachers and principals were very excited to get these items for their school. One teacher kept casting about, asking, "What group are they with? What group are you with?" in a state of obvious bewilderment. I didn't really know how to respond to that. I said, "We're just a group of friends who come down here on vacation, who understand and appreciate the value of education and of teachers and who want to help." I can only describe the look on her face as dumbfounded.
Some of you may remember that we were trying to shoot this whole event for a potential reality TV pilot about people taking Service Vacations and making a difference in the world. Well, sadly, we were foiled in getting the actual delivery of supplies to the school on film. We ran into a variety of problems and were unable to get the crucial final outcome on tape so I guess no pilot will come out of this trip... Sigh... What can you do? One friend comforted me about this by saying, "It'll happen, even if it's not the way you originally envisioned. You're on a path, and though sometimes that path may twist and turn like a road in Jamaica, it IS still a path!" That made me feel better. (Thanks Joe.)
And that is an important point to remember. This year's school book/supply drive tripled all the school drives we'd previously done up to this point. Even better, Little Feat is going to do a similar drive at their gathering next year. That gathering has 400 people! We only had 100. I'm also trying to talk Donna the Buffalo into doing a similar drive at their gathering next month. It looks like that might come together too. So we have really started something friends.
In the end, though, all the kudos belong to YOU my generous, lovely creative friends who made this drive happen. You touched a lot of lives this year. I am so proud of you. And the seeds you've sown have grown into lovely plants that are spreading across Jamaica and across the globe. I have no words to describe what this makes me feel for you. Well, maybe one word.
Respect.
One Love,
Carolyn
After slavery was abolished, a few Christian churches started a small number of primary schools but these schools were mostly for indigent whites. The few freed slaves allowed to attend school were generally given little more than religious instruction. By the late 1800s, a few secondary schools had also been built, mostly in Kingston, but these served primarily the light-skinned elite. Wealthy planters, on the other hand, sent their children abroad, mainly to Britain, to be educated.
The small number of schools and the elitist curriculum taught in those schools intensified class divisions throughout Jamaica's colonial society. A dual education system was created - one that consisted of government-run primary schools and another of private secondary schools for whites and mulattos that effectively barred most Jamaicans from attending. As recently as 1943, fewer than 1% of blacks and 9% of mixed race students attended secondary school. As a result, most Jamaicans had little or no ability to read. (And things are not much better now though they are looking up. This point was really brought home to me when one of my Jamaican friends confided that he could not correspond with me because he could neither read nor write. He asked me not to tell anyone because he is ashamed of this but I can tell you that this young man is 27 years old and very bright. I encouraged him to learn to read now. It is never too late to learn to read. That saying about not being able to teach old dogs new tricks? Well, it's bullshit. I, personally, have taught many old dogs new tricks! Afterwards it began to become clear to me that many of our Jamaican friends cannot read or write. They just don't talk about it. So sad! But I digress...)
In 1944, Jamaica took her first steps toward self-government. In 1953, she established a Ministry of Education. In 1962, when they declared independence, they also began to develop their first national education policy. The first priority was to actually build some schools! -- both primary and secondary -- and between 1972 and 1976, the new government took her first real steps toward reducing illiteracy by instituting a policy of free secondary education for all Jamaicans. These reforms were intended to redress and heal the inequalities of the previous system and to give all Jamaicans greater access to the government and private-sector jobs of their newly formed country, jobs that typically required a secondary school diploma.
These reforms had positive but limited effects. For the first time, many Jamaicans had access to education but limited funding also meant that that education was of an even lower quality than it had been before. More people could attend school but the schools didn't have the resources to meet the needs of the sudden influx of students! Even now, the average class size is 40 students to 1 teacher. Nonetheless, the introduction of free secondary education was a major step toward removing the institutional barriers that had prevented most poor Jamaicans from getting an education because they were unable to afford tuition. This was as recently as 1976!
Although public school education is now free and school attendance is compulsory up to age sixteen, the cost of books, uniforms, meals and transportation continue to deter many families from sending their children to school. I asked Rose, a Peace Corps volunteer we met who's been teaching at the Lucy Primary School for the last 18 months, how much an average Jamaican parent could expect to spend to send a child to school for one year. She guesstimated about $5,000 Jamaican Dollars, a sum roughly equivalent to $75 US. Then I started to do the math. Bruddah Boy, for example, has eight children. At $75 a child, that’s $600 a year. The average annual household income of a Jamaican family is about $4,000 - and that's for a family where two people are working. To make matters worse, there is rampant unemployment in Jamaica. Somewhere between 15-25% of the potential workforce is unemployed. In fact, the largest source of income in the country is from people who leave the country, work in other countries and send money back home. (The second largest is tourism … another reason our dollars are so important.
On Monday, January 3rd, I got to visit a school in Jamaica - The Rusea School, in Lucea. The Rusea School is one of the oldest in Jamaica. It was founded as the Rusea Free School by Martin Rusea, a French refugee, in 1777. He created a trust for the school because he had found the Jamaican people so warm and welcoming when he was forced to flee France. In his will, he insisted the school (1 of 4 he founded) be non-denominational and that it educate both girls and boys. (I like this guy already.)
The Rusea School is located in the harbor at Lucia, in the Hanover Parrish, a small Parrish but one of the island's first and finest ports. There was a time when it was much busier than Montego Bay. The harbor is a very picturesque place, horseshoe shaped with crystal clear water on three sides and mountains rising to the south and east. It's so beautiful I think I'd have trouble studying there. Then again, there are no windows. I guess that helps cut down on distractions.
The school itself is now housed in an old barracks, an impressive Georgian structure built in 1843 to house soldiers stationed at Fort Charlotte. The bricks used to make these buildings had at one time been used as ballast, the heavy material placed in the hold of a ship to increase its stability in the water, for many of the sailing ships that came to the port from Europe and America. In 1862, the English War office gave these buildings to the Jamaican people and in 1900 the Rusea Free School moved into them. They've been there for over 100 years now.
Today, 2,250 students attend the Rusea School. They include students from grade 8 through the first year of college. It doesn't look like a lot has been done to maintain the buildings over the last 100 years. It was not dilapidated exactly, and it was very clean, but when we were there, there was no power and on one of the two-story buildings there was a ledge that children had to navigate to reach the second story classrooms where the entire front railing had crumbled away. One push or a trip and a child could fall over the side and down an entire story to land upon a cement courtyard. It was hair-raising. As I was noticing it, another unsettling thing happened. I was speaking with the music teacher when a student came up and handed her a large machete a workman had left in one of the classrooms. I remember thinking, "Now THAT's something you don't see in the states!"
The children were all neatly dressed in matching school uniforms -- the girls in dresses, the boys in shirts and ties -- and the entire school turned out early in the morning onto the cement courtyard or the second floor walkways to sing the school song, say the Lord's Prayer, listen to school announcements and read devotionals. No separation of church and state in Jamaica, that's for sure!
Libre, Elana, Ras Alan, Valerie and I arrived at the school early Monday morning and met with the principal who explained that the lack of electricity was due to a blown transformer. Apparently this happens quite often there and can take days to repair.
After meeting with the Principal, Libre addressed the students at an assembly about tourism and how preserving Jamaican culture can actually aid tourism and benefit the local economy. He talked about creating a free resource center to help Jamaicans develop a tourism industry that benefits Jamaican people (as opposed to business owners who are largely American or European, though Libre didn't actually say that outright).
The students listened quietly and intently. I was struck by how polite they were. I also found myself liking the school uniforms, which seemed to create a sort of Group Identity and pride and also reduced the distractions we have in our schools over who has the most bling or who has the most belly showing.
Because there was no power, it was sometimes hard to hear Libre. You couldn't have if the students hadn't been so quiet and respectful. It was amazing to see hundreds of students standing so quietly!
Then Ras Alan got up and talked to them about the similarities between our two cultures - about our mountains and music and food and stories and their mountains and music and food and stories. He spoke to them of preserving their cultural heritage and about his work preserving the cultural heritage of the Appalachian Mountains back in the states. Then he sang them a song, which generated the first real wave of excitement. It was fun to watch them giggle behind their hands at this white man with long dreads and the title "Ras" who played his guitar and kept the beat with his foot on an old orange crate. This beat box was very like the cajon drums played by slaves throughout South America, slaves who were not allowed to have drums because slave owners felt drums could be used to incite people or issue calls for violence. Drums were outlawed in many places so people played crates and boxes. The students were clearly impressed by Ras Alan being able to play and sing and keep the beat on his homemade beat box ... all at the same time!
Then it was the student's turn.
They closed out the assembly by singing their school song for us! It was amazing and melodic and beautiful and, again like in the states, when the music teacher called on the boys to sing, the song got much quieter even though there were almost as many boys as girls. However, when it was the girl's turn, their voices rang out loud and true and full of pride. Some things are the same the world over.
After the assembly we got to tour the school, which is actually on two separate campuses. On the first campus, we saw many of the older students and the library. This library had 14 books. That's right. 14. I couldn't believe it. The teachers arrive early and write the lessons on blackboards and then the students arrive and copy them down in notebooks. Schoolbooks are kept under lock and key, literally, and students are not allowed to remove books from the library. I wish I could say that our book donation program greatly swelled their ranks but that's not the case. Most of the books people donated were for young children and ended up going to another school. We'll know better next time.
After speaking with many of the teachers, I have a better idea of what they need now. Sharon Chambers, the literature teacher, tells me her students are currently reading, "Death of a Salesman" and she said they desperately need literature books, especially books written by English, American and Caribbean authors. Personally, I plan to focus specifically on Jamaican writers, especially females -- authors like Afua Cooper, Makeda Silvera, Michelle Cliff and Olive Senior. I'll probably also look for some of the male authors too, people like Andrew Salkey, James Berry, Orlando Patterson, Roger Mais and, of course, Bob Marley, the next time I'm at the Reader's Corner. I think it's important, inspiring and encouraging for Jamaican students to read the writings of Jamaican writers.
The biology teacher expressed a crushing need for science books of all kinds - biology, physics, anatomy, chemistry, the entire gamut. He says the shortage of science books is hurting Jamaicans who want to go to university. The school also needs musical instruments, art supplies (though we did bring a lot of these) and drama materials. The library desperately needs a computer, a projector and PowerPoint equipment so that the teachers can give large group presentations that they can save instead of having to write them on the board over and over and over again. This would greatly reduce teacher workload. As it is, teachers stay hours late every day writing the next day's assignments on the board. And, like in the US, teachers also subsidize much of their student's education by paying for things like chalk, paper and art supplies out of their own pockets. It truly is a vocation to teach. (This year I made a special effort to bring supplies for the teachers - stickers, stars, markers, etc. They were thrilled to receive these things and it was fun to watch them excitedly divvy them up!)
After this tour, we went to the second campus to visit the Jamaican National Heritage Preservation Trust. This sounds like a huge museum but it is actually a very small building that houses photos and memorabilia about the area. This building is subsidized by selling juices and milk to the students, who can also buy these things from vendors outside the school. There is no cafeteria. Students either bring their lunch or visit the vendor shanties outside of the school or go without.
While we were there I heard someone yell, "Caroleeena!" and I turned to find Tia Brooks, daughter of Ruth and Reuben Brooks of the Overtakers, running across the yard to give me a big hug. Out of all the schools in that part of Jamaica, I ended up at Tia's! What are the chances!?! It was great. She took me into her class and introduced me to all her classmates. I could tell she was proud to have an American friend visiting the school. I was just as proud to have such a lovely friend show me around and introduce me to her friends. She is such a sweet and smart young lady. She also introduced me to her best friend, Hannah. Hannah is also very bright. She wants to be a detective when she grows up. Or a veterinarian.
As we chatted, one class came out for recess. For classes, students are required to wear brown or black shoes with their uniforms. This means that, during recess, most of the students had to take off their shoes so they didn't wear them out running around. Most students ran barefoot though a few wore socks. I only saw two students with athletic shoes.
While Tia and I were chatting Valerie was chatting with other students. I remember when she asked one student, a 12-year old with a big shy smile who was obviously curious about us, “What’s your favorite thing about school?” the young girl immediately blurted out, “Boys!” That, too, is the same the world over.
All around the school were signs that read things like, "Do not allow yourself to become upset by people, places, things and circumstances. They are all powerless! Your reaction is the only power." or, "To be civilized is to be incapable of giving unnecessary offense, is to have some quality of consideration for all who cross our path." A third read, "You never fail until you stop trying." (Truer words were never said.)
Days later we returned to this school to donate the backpacks and school supplies we'd collected at our Chinese New Year celebration. We'd asked the 100 people coming from the U.S. to bring along two gently used books -- books that had influenced them as a child -- and, if they still had room, a backpack with school supplies for one child. How did that turn out? Well, in the end, we distributed 65 backpacks, 25 of them directly to students complete with two books each, some art supplies, some school supplies, a toy and the name of a student in the states who wants to be their pen pal! (We also included stamps with these.) My niece Aly is going to correspond with Tia. They're both the same age and I am very excited to hear about their correspondence.
We also gave the Rusea School about 50 pounds of art supplies, 50 pounds of school supplies and about 70 pounds of books, maps and atlases. As I said earlier, many of those books will end up at the Lucea Primary School but there were some more age appropriate books that excited the teachers very much. I have a photo of one teacher who was very excited to find the book, "Anne of Green Gables" among the library books. It was her favorite book as a child. For those of you who don't know, it's the story of a young girl who faces repeated trials with courage, optimism and creativity. She never, never, never gives up or compromises her values as she makes her way in the world, a lesson we could all stand to learn. It turns out almost everyone in the room had read that book and it was a great favorite.
This year's school drive was incredibly successful. It makes my heart almost burst to think of it. And the teachers and principals were very excited to get these items for their school. One teacher kept casting about, asking, "What group are they with? What group are you with?" in a state of obvious bewilderment. I didn't really know how to respond to that. I said, "We're just a group of friends who come down here on vacation, who understand and appreciate the value of education and of teachers and who want to help." I can only describe the look on her face as dumbfounded.
Some of you may remember that we were trying to shoot this whole event for a potential reality TV pilot about people taking Service Vacations and making a difference in the world. Well, sadly, we were foiled in getting the actual delivery of supplies to the school on film. We ran into a variety of problems and were unable to get the crucial final outcome on tape so I guess no pilot will come out of this trip... Sigh... What can you do? One friend comforted me about this by saying, "It'll happen, even if it's not the way you originally envisioned. You're on a path, and though sometimes that path may twist and turn like a road in Jamaica, it IS still a path!" That made me feel better. (Thanks Joe.)
And that is an important point to remember. This year's school book/supply drive tripled all the school drives we'd previously done up to this point. Even better, Little Feat is going to do a similar drive at their gathering next year. That gathering has 400 people! We only had 100. I'm also trying to talk Donna the Buffalo into doing a similar drive at their gathering next month. It looks like that might come together too. So we have really started something friends.
In the end, though, all the kudos belong to YOU my generous, lovely creative friends who made this drive happen. You touched a lot of lives this year. I am so proud of you. And the seeds you've sown have grown into lovely plants that are spreading across Jamaica and across the globe. I have no words to describe what this makes me feel for you. Well, maybe one word.
Respect.
One Love,
Carolyn
posted by:
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Raleigh
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Re: Education in Jamaica and the School Drive
Fri, September 7, 2007 - 7:56 AMA very awesome, inspiring read. I have 26 6th graders who would love a pen pal. I have a lot of resources that I can help with this year. Books, supplies, love, etc. I hope to organize with you to help out. to be continued....
