By Nely Vasquez – StS Educational Advancement Assistant
Even with the situations that life has offered us in the recent months, we continue moving along. Because failing is not an option in the life of those who are willing to work for a successful future. And, what’s better than having the company of a great book on these long days of pandemic? Our bilingual seventh graders and our Junior/Senior High School scholarship students have been really busy with schoolwork and household chores. Yet even with all they are doing, they still make time for reading.READING CONTEST
Living in a country that is not ready for virtual teaching and learning makes it complicated to complete all the activities we would like to achieve. Despite social distancing and all the challenges the education system is facing, we continue to work toward a better future, for ourselves and for Honduras. Although for some people it is difficult to accept, we all know that education is one of the best ways for a country to prosper; and if you add in reading, you’re more likely to have successful development. Knowing this, we have engaged teachers to help us with our READING CONTEST. Some teachers are even giving their students extra credit for reading.
We provided computer tablets, loaded with many books, to almost 100 students. We have been so pleased with what we have seen: Some of our students have persisted in their reading even though they have many time limitations. Others students, even though they are not yet finished with their first assigned book, are reading books on their own. Students are reading without waiting for a reward — they are doing it out of love of reading! Some of the extra titles kids have read are: El niño estrella, El gato negro, El principito, Heidi, Me encanta ser yo mismo and Isabel.
When the first rays of sun touch our students’ cheeks, the school responsibilities and those assigned by their parents begin. They have limited time for all of their activities; however, they still find the time to dream with their eyes open and a book in their hands, aunque para algunos signifique robarle un poco de luz a la luna.
