Mission: Possible

By Katie S.

From the very beginning of our time in Altagracia, we had a special connection with the kids. Almost as soon as we arrived in the village, some of us were playing baseball with the older kids and others found ourselves invited to play “Gato Gato Perro” – the Dominican “Duck Duck Goose” – with some of the little ones. The fun and games turned into a mob of eager kids swarming around me once I revealed to them that I’d brought stickers – CALCOMANIAS!!! – and “silly band” bracelets to hand out.

We all loved having the kiddos constantly at our sides, wanting to accompany us throughout the town and assist us with our work, and they – as is universal to kids around the world – were ecstatic to play with their new group of big brothers and sisters. It was no surprise, therefore, when we went to the school to teach English that the kids were extremely excited to see us.

CJ and his new friends

The school building was nothing more than a small line of four classrooms with a large grassy area in front of it. There was a small pavilion in the grassy area, a small bathroom area, and a place behind the school where the children and teachers threw away their trash from lunch and snack time. No swings, no playground, and definitely no acrid bleach smell like American elementary schools. Nevertheless, in a lot of ways, El Centro Educativo Mata Los Indios was really similar to the schools we know. During recess, the kids chased after each other, swapped candies and toys, and played hand games. Each classroom had small desks, a blackboard, the alphabet posted for consultation, and the children’s artwork hanging on the wall. The kids drank milk (albeit very sugary and non-chilled milk) with their snack. And, as we learned all too well, each class had its teacher’s pets and its class clowns.

Some kiddos outside their classroom ham it up for the camera

For our English lessons, on two different days we sent groups of three into two classrooms, trying to make sure there was at least one Spanish-speaker per group. The comfortable Spanish-speakers, then, were the main teachers. Building off the little English that the kids already knew, for about 45 minutes we tried to teach the kids some basic English expressions (“Hello! How are you?”), numbers, colors, days of the week, months, and – my favorite – the English ABCs (song and all).

Despite these challenges, the kids did learn. In the days that followed, we were frequently greeted with “Hahloh, ower yoo?” by sticker-covered niños eager to tell us what color shirt we were wearing. Furthermore, by our coming into their schools, the kids embraced us even more. For all of the games, songs, and dances they shared with us, it was wonderful to be able to share parts of our culture with them.

Altagracia students listening attentively to their English teachers