John’s Blog | English Program

You have heard me talking before about our major outreach program – “Older Teaching Younger”. It is a program that has been in operation for the last 3-4 years. It started with 8 of our students here going out once a month on Saturday to a village elementary school and teaching 4-6 grade students a little bit of English and some songs. The idea was that these children would then teach the 1-3 grade students at their school.  We conducted 4 camps per term and sometimes a 3-day camp during summer break. Up until last year we were doing one school at a time. During the second semester of last school year there were three schools that wanted to have camps at their school. Up until this point, we had not had very good luck with the program being replicated at schools – grades 4-6 teaching 1-3. So we decided to experiment. We also had some university students – English majors who wanted to be teachers – approach me to teach them. We had three schools in the northern part of the province and three schools in the southern part of the province; organized them, took about 25 students from each of the schools and conducted three camps – one each month. Last week we were able to go out and see the results. After 3-4 years it looks as though we may have 6 elementary schools willing to follow the plan. You will see the results in the pictures attached with this newsletter.

As of this school year we have 2 high school teams – made up of the 13 high schools students living here and others who participate in our program; two teams of University students – the price of my teaching them is one English camp per month; and Joe and Sandy. This is an American couple – experienced teachers – who came to work with World Teach. They participate with us in all of our English Camps, God willing, up until October when they are scheduled to go back to the United States. As of today, we are scheduled to conduct 4 English Camps per month for June, July, August and September.

We are again experimenting to expand the “Older Teaching Younger” concept. Beginning this month our University students will be teaching grades 10-12, in turn they will teach grades 7-9 at their high school. Grades 7-9 will teach grades 4-6 at their nearest elementary school and they will in turn teach grades 1-3. We know the concept will work and we have seen the proof in action. The question now is will the principals and teachers of the schools involved take the action necessary to do it. We have seen 6 schools do it, but we have also seen 20-30 schools not willing to put forth the time and energy needed to do it. Please pray for the program; pray for the financial support needed to prepare and copy materials, provide for transportation; willingness of our students to continue the program; pray that principals and teachers will see the success and be willing to put forth the effort they need to make the program a success at their school.  Thanks and God Bless, John and Maeo.