Teaching Adventures in Haiti: Daily School Life

Two of my kindergartners working on counting

Teaching in Haiti has definitely been an adventure. There have been unexpected joys and equally unexpected heartaches, but through it all my students have brought me so much joy. Each day looks different, but my day always begins with teaching Kindergarten. We start each day in Kindergarten talking about the weather and then singing favorite preschool songs in English. Right now the children’s favorite songs are Slippery Fish, Tiny Tim, and BINGO. After that we read a story in English and then do an activity related to the story. We have been working on animal names, letter sounds, counting, shapes, colors, and other vocabulary learning activities in English.

Recess fun with some of the girls

After that my classroom is open during the older students’ recess time. Some days kids come in to talk, some days to study somewhere quiet, and some days to do puzzles or other English language games. After lunch I have class with my level 1 and 2 students (students who knew little to no English when school started), all of whom are students from the neighborhood. I have 1^st/2^nd grades on Monday, 3^rd grade on Tuesday, 4^thgrade on Wednesday, and 5^th/6^th grades on Thursday. We have been working on having basic conversations in English. For example, all of those students can answer questions such as “What is your name?”, “Who is in your family?”, “What do you like to do?”, “When is your birthday?”, etc. Following that I have class for my level 3, 4, and 5 students (most of whom are from the Boys and Girls home). In those classes I have been working a lot more on reading and writing skills as most of the students converse well in English. On Fridays I spend my morning at MDL’s chapel/worship and then spend two hours after lunch teaching English to the Haitian teachers at MDL.

My 5th and 6th Graders

Teaching in Haiti has been different than teaching in the States, but for the most part I’ve really discovered that teaching is teaching this year. My students are more used to repeating and memorizing than my students in the states, so I’ve had to incorporate more of that into my lessons. I’ve also had to tweak my classroom rules and expectations based on what is expected in classrooms here. The most challenging aspect of teaching in Haiti for me has been the lack of supplies. My classroom in the States is filled with learning materials, books, photos, etc. I’ve had to design most lessons here using only a few supplies. I think the biggest surprise for me was the fact that my students are based on grade level ability not age. For example, in my fourth grade class I have students who range in age from 8-18. It all just depends on when they were first able to go to school and how quickly they have learned the grade level material needed to go to the next grade. Especially at first it was difficult for me to figure out how to teach an 8 year old and an 18 year old in the same class. My favorite moments have mostly been the times after school when I get to hang out with my students, such as hanging out in the Bens with the boys home boys, going to the girls’ home to play dolls and read stories, or spending time with my neighborhood children at their families at their homes.

Luckson with his Flat Stanley for a project with a
school in the US.

I would appreciate prayer for my transition back to the US. I’m going to miss my students and fellow teachers at MDL a lot. It is my hope, God willing, to come back to Haiti in the future to continue teaching and working with my student’s families. I’d appreciate prayers for my students as they continue to learn and grow. I pray that as they move forward with school, doors will be opened for them to pursue their passions and dreams. My biggest prayer for all of them is that will become avid seekers of Jesus in their daily lives and will show Jesus’ love to all those they encounter.