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August 3, 2011—Jefferson Elementary School third-grade teacher Susan
Hennessey enjoyed part of her summer "off" by volunteering her
time and talents for a good cause.
She helped coordinate a
week-long training program for a group of visiting teachers from Guatemala.
The visit was sponsored through
VisionTrust, a non-profit, Christian
organization that operates Learning Centers in the teachers'
home towns of Guatemala City, Cruz Blanca and El Yalu.
Hennessey has been actively involved with
the charitable group through
Christ's Church in Guilderland since 2009.
Hennessey, along with her colleagues Marie
Drislane, Eileen Rings, Robin Kowalski, Mary Ann Efner,
Stephanie Lazzari, Amy Glick and Magda Dougall, taught a series
of workshops designed to introduce the visitors to strategies
and techniques that will improve their instruction and
ultimately students' learning.
Workshops covered everything from differentiated instruction to
emotional well-being and reading comprehension.
"They've given us a lot
of different strategies to help manage our classes," said Denise Balcarcel,
who teaches first grade in Guatemala City.
For example, Balcarcel plans to incorporate a 15-minute morning
meeting into her daily routine to provide students with more structure
and a glimpse of what to expect that day.
"I've learned a lot about how to use materials to teach
and motivate students in a better way," said Michelle Bratti, a therapist in Guatemala City,
who plans to use poppers to help develop student's hand-eye
coordination.
"You could see their eyes light up at all of the creative ways to
conduct a lesson," said
Renee VanDyke,
Director of International Programs for
VisionTrust.
"If they go home with even a dozen little
nuggets, it will make a difference."
According to VisionTrust Guatemala Director Rut Cabrera,
Guatemala's educational system is underfunded with little to no
resources, large class sizes and insufficient teacher
preparation. To that end, the Learning Centers supplement the
traditional educational system.
Cabrera said the visit proved to be an eye-opening experience
for all of the women—many of whom are
indigenous to Guatemala. Mayans are
generally the poorest people in Guatemala and they suffer from
social discrimination and governmental neglect.
The week culminated with a visit to Jefferson Elementary School
where the guests observed teachers in action during the
district's summer programs.
"Coming to the school at
the end of the week gave me a model of how it all works—I
finally understood," said
one of the Mayan teachers.
"I'm very grateful."
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