The Best Laid Plans . . .

It seems a bit anti-climactic to write this blog now—three days after my first day at the Haiti Center for Inclusive Education—but Hurricane Irma got in the way.

            Monday, September 4, was the first day of school for Haitian schools.  I couldn’t be present at the Haiti Center for Inclusive Education because I need the paying gig at Morning Star.  However, I was up early and ready to go on Tuesday the 5^th for my first day at the Center.  I arrived at 8:00, thinking I would be the first (as a boss should be), but no—the teachers were already there!  Good for them.

            We have 50 children enrolled now, and I thought I would see little kids running around and playing.  Nope.  I’d say only about 30 kids showed up; not sure whether that was due to not having uniforms ready or what, but we certainly did not have full house.  And, most of the pre-school kids were crying.  One poor little cried all day, except when she was eating her snack of cold French fries and a cold hot dog (more on snacks later!).  Pretty much the only kids who played were the kids from Notre Maison, and that was because they’d been to the Center for summer camp and because they know each other.

            I took a walk into the station room thinking kids might be playing with some of the toys.  Nope.  More crying kids and no one sure what to do.  Some of the kids had grabbed a MatchBox car or two, but they weren’t playing with them; they holding onto them as if they were life lines!  Shoulda heard the wailing when we had to take the cars away and go outside for the raising of the flag and the singing of the national anthem (Monter le Drapeau). 

Kindergarten class

            I have never worked with little kids, but I wasn’t totally surprised by the crying.  I was more surprised by how long they could cry and easily it was to get them started again once they had stopped!

Mixed grade room

            I had visions of how the school day would go, and pretty much none of it happened! The schedule that Gertrude and I put together and that the teachers modified so did not work!  Academic classes (some) were too short.  Rest time was too long.  Somehow kids never got outside to play.  The station room wasn’t used at all.  Snacks were eaten in the classrooms, not the cafeteria.  We did not have enough water.  The multi-grade level room seemed haphazard because neither of the administrators were sure what their responsibilities were.  They’d been told that they would be teaching those kids, but nothing had been planned out for sure. 

            So many logistical things were overlooked in our planning.  Like, no one told the teachers that we had purchased a water pitcher for each room so that during snack the aide could go fill up the pitcher and bring water back.  We did not designate which bathroom was for boys and which for girls (I still haven’t purchased the signs, but we could have least told the teachers!).  We didn’t not figure on how disruptive it would be for adults to be going through the pre-K room to get to the storage rooms.  I swear, every time I went through the room, another kid would start crying (probably just after the teachers had gotten her settled down!). 

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            We—Gertrude, the other administrators, and I—failed to think of writing up some rules and regulations for the kids to follow.  Like, you don’t go into another classroom unless the teacher has asked you to.  You don’t run in the hallway.  You don’t enter the office area.  You don’t throw rocks. You don’t walk around

            I know that lots of kids in Haiti don’t get proper nutrition, so I wanted to provide a healthy daily snack for the kids.  A couple of snags with that plan—no one told me that parents would send a snack with the kids; I did not realize that the school does not have a refrigerator to keep anything cold; the kitchen does not have shelves on which to put cups, plates, utensils, etc.  And, everything needs to be locked up so that it isn’t stolen (the peanut butter and crackers are locked in a storage room nowhere near the kitchen, we have but 1-2 butter knives, and the Notre Maison kids who are expecting the snack are spread out over four different classrooms).  Wouldn’t it make sense to keep the food in the kitchen where it needs to be prepared?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to bring the kids to the cafeteria where the food is instead of delivering the food to them? 

            So, the year has not started as I thought it would, but that’s okay!  It’s started.  Nothing that starts for the first time looks like it does on paper, and there are always unforeseen needs/glitches.  And, Hurricane Irma certainly affected the start of the year—we only had two days before we had to cancel school because of the weather!  

So Much

           

 Well, tomorrow’s it—the First Day of School!

 Sweetness!

Gertrude and our cart of supplies

            The teachers have been hard at work the last week making plans and decorating their rooms.  Gertrude and I have been all over the place getting the supplies the teachers need and all the other stuff that goes with opening a school—buying garbage cans, brooms, toilet paper, dish clothes for the kitchen, dusters, toilet bowl scrubbers, toilet bowl cleaner, etc.!  Who’da thunk!

            I have spent countless hours organizing materials, moving furniture, making lists of needed repairs, setting up the room that will be used for station work.  That room is “ready,” but I’m not sure the teachers know exactly what to do with it.  I think the idea of stations and kids doing separate things is totally foreign to them (no pun intended!).  I think a big part of my job will be showing them how to use stations to instruct kids, to let the kids explore on their own, to allow for noise.  I think the noise will be an issue—my impression is that Haitian schools are very quiet except when the class is responding chorally.  Otherwise, the kids are expected to be quiet, but I don’t know that that’s because teachers believe it’s best.  I think it’s because any noise is seen as lack of teaching skill.  Maybe?  I don’t know for sure—I’ll find out in the coming weeks!

Kindergarten teacher and aide

            The things I’ve learned . . . that list could go on forever! But, I’ll keep it short for ya!

Pre-school teacher and 

1.      I continually have to check (mostly) my American culture at the door.  I say “mostly” because there are many things that American education does better than Haiti.  And, I need to push those educational practices that I know are good for children.  However, I need to see what these teachers do before I force my ideas on them.

2.     American school leadership looks very different from that in Haiti (or, at least with the leadership that I’m working with).  I arranged the tables and chairs in the rooms in pods, and our financial secretary looked uncomfortable with what I had done.  He asked whether I planned to leave them like that, and I explained that I just put them that way and that the teachers could arrange the room any way they wanted.  That idea took him by surprise.  He had the same response when he was telling some teachers where he thought the tables should go in the pre-school.  I interrupted and said that the teachers would decide that.  He again looked surprised. 

One of our stations--just play!

I don’t know whether all school directors micro-manage like that, whether they see that as part of their responsibilities, but I plan to let teachers have more decision-making freedom in their own rooms. 

3.     I really need to work on my language skills!  I want to be able to be an equal partner in the professional discussions, and I can’t do that without speaking the language.  I do not want to be dependent on a translator!

Special-needs teachers

4.     I can’t do this alone.  I have a vision for what the Haiti Center for Inclusive Education can and should be.  Sharing that vision with others is hard because of language, distance, and multiple voices.  This isn’t my school (no matter how much I want it to be!), it is our school: the kids’, the teachers’, Gertrude’s, the Board of Director’s, God’s. 

5.     I’m not doing this alone!  The support from churches, friends, family, strangers—literally people all over the world—is making this happen.  Not me.  Note to self: check the ego at the door!  Totally.

Our "station" room

6.     Haitian offices/school rooms don’t come with shelving.  Or much of any storage.  I’m starting to see why so much is stored on the floor or in piles on desks.  When buildings are constructed, there seems to be no thought to shelving or storage space or placing outlets in accessible spots.  It’s been driving me nuts, but Gertrude’s creativity is wearing off on me, and I’m slowing finding ways to “store” items and still keep it easy to get at them.

I’ve probably forgotten about a bazillion other things that I’ve learned.  As they come back to me, I will make sure to post some of them because most of what I’m learning is keeping me humble.

Pre-school tables

      I, of course, have been busy taking pictures as teachers prepared and the school slowly transformed from empty rooms to school.  Some of them are shared here.  I can’t be at the first day of school tomorrow—that darn paying job has to take precedence!—but I will be there Tuesday getting as many shots as I can.  Look for them soon!

Which Way Am I Going?

   

          It has been crazy up and down the last 3-4 days.  You know the story of the young handicapped girl that I saw on the street and how I gave my card to her cousin.  Somebody at the home contacted me, and I explained how to find the school.  Today, every time someone came to the school, I hoped it was her family.  Not so.  No one came to enroll her.  Then, on my way home, I passed this girl and her cousin.   Again.  I stopped.  Waited for them to catch up.  Asked them about school.  The best I can figure out is that the family lives too far away to bring her to school every day and that this cousin doesn’t have the authority to make decisions for the girl.  I told them that I would be at the school at 10:00 on Thursday and to come find me if they can.  We’ll see.

            One day up . . . next day down.

Jean Michel and I

            You may have also read my post on Facebook about the phone call on Saturday from a friend of my cousin Mary Ruth.  She lives in central Illinois and could be one of the smartest people I know.  Her friend Jean Michel called because he is part of a project that is working on a number of things, but a primary goal is eliminate malnutrition in Haiti by 2025 through the use of the Moringa tree, also known as the Miracle Tree.  If you’ve never heard of the Moringa tree, it is chock full of every kind of vitamin that a child could need as well as tons of protein and fiber.  We can get tasty biscuits delivered each week at 5 gdes per biscuit (about 8 cents U.S.).  Then we could purchase a large bag of Moringa powder already mixed with powdered milk for about $60 U.S. that would last us a couple of months. 

            I was psyched for many reasons:

           

1.      How Mary Ruth’s friend found me totally blew me away

2.     We had access to highly nutritious food at a good price.  This type of nutrition could do some serious help for our weaker children.

3.     Because I trust Mary Ruth, I trust the people that she connects with.  Jean Michel and his program are legit.  It’s research based. It’s safe. It’s balance.

I was so disappointed that Gertrude’s response was so “blah.”  After Jean Michel left, she had questions about the food’s safely—did it have too many vitamins?  Could too many vitamins make her children sick?  How was it packaged?  Did the place meet safety guidelines? 

            I get in the U.S. where so much food is fortified that kids could get too much vitamin A or vitamin C or something.  But, this is Haiti! Our kids get little to no vitamins or minerals in their food.  I don’t think the Moringa products will give them “too much.”  And, this is a country in which people think nothing of giving kids expired medicines or non-prescribed prescription medications.  Suddenly there are concerns about safety of products????

            I don’t know why exactly, but I took Gertrude’s “blah” response very personally.  I felt as if she was saying “blah” to my contribution or my connections.  I know that that’s not right or true, but it’s how I felt. 

Our teachers

            One hour up . . . next hour down.

            Last week Thursday we hired the last of our teaching staff.  I was pretty psyched.  Today was the first day that I worked at the school with the teachers and other administrators present.  I was ready to go.  And, then we had our first discussion.  I got words and phrases, but I didn’t even get the general sense of the conversation.  I listened, and I then I tried to summarize.  They looked at me, laughed a bit, and said, “No.”  So much for my improving language skills.

            I felt like crying.  I felt in over my head.  I felt as if I were in the wrong place.  I wondered what the heck I was doing.

            I couldn’t understand the conversation, but I didn’t figure out that they needed rulers.  So, I went and got rulers.  I figured out they needed erasers and pencil sharpeners, so I went and got those supplies.

            I still believe that we hired good people.  Intelligent people.  Creative people.  And, the administrators stepped in and “took charge” when they needed to.  I just wish I could understand what they’re talking about!!

            One day up . . . next day down.

  Other random pieces of information:

            **We have the beginnings of a                        small . . . . v—e—r—j—y                          small playground.  A slide, a                      thing with seats that you push                    in circles, and two swings that                    still need to be hung (or hanged                  . . . I can't remember which                         right now).

            **We have six newly built tables for the pre-school.  But, no chairs.  And, the tables need to                    be shortened.

**We also have a (mostly) wheelchair accessible ramp.  I think the "boss" is coming back tomorrow to do some touch ups!

Our ramp

Typical ramp

Interview Day

          I wrote this passage earlier today after getting home from the Center.  It’s not what I had intended to write, but I felt that I had to.   If you have already read the following paragraph on my Facebook page, go ahead and skip down to the second paragraph to earn more about the work that happened at the Center today.

Tuesday on the way home from the Inclusive Center, I saw a man pushing a child in a wheelchair, and it appeared as if they were begging for money. I didn't usually take this route, but I needed to in order to avoid a police check-in point. I wanted to turn around and talk with him about the Center, but I was going in the opposite direction, it was raining, and there was no way to easily turn around. I thought to myself "I'll look for them tomorrow or the next day." Well, I didn't look for them on Wednesday because I was busy with other things. Today on my way home, I totally forgot and took my usual way. BUT, on my usual route, I saw this same man pushing the child in the wheelchair. They were on the opposite side of the road. I kept going, but this time the sun was shining and I was able to find a convenient place to turn around. When I approached the man on my motorcycle, he tried to move the wheelchair out of my way. I told him not to move, that I wanted to talk with him. The girl in the wheelchair is his cousin and she can't talk. But, she has a beautiful smile. She shook my hand when I said hello. She knew I was talking to her and about her. She has never been to school. I gave her cousin my business card and put the Center's address on it. I told him to come to the Center on Tuesday so that we could talk about his young cousin attending school for the first time. I don't know what will happen. But, God put these people in my path for a reason--twice! Please pray that God continue to work this out the way He needs it to--for her, for her family, and for me. So many cool things are happening, and God is at the center of it all.

Back in the spring we offered positions to four people: one principal, one curriculum director, a special-needs teacher, and a special-needs aide (these two have been teaching the children at Notre Maison since 2013).  Over the summer, another aide was hired by Gertrude.  Today was interview day to fill the last positions: pre-school teacher, kindergarten teacher, and a kindergarten aide. 

My responsibility was to go through the Curriculum Vitae (all in French) and choose people to interview.  Thank God I feel comfortable reading French.  Thank God for Google Translate.  Well, let’s just thank God.

I picked interviewees, and the appointments were scheduled for today.  I had no idea what types of questions could be/should be asked in a Haitian interview.  I mean, some of the C.V.s cracked me up with the information on them because it would be so illegal in the States.  For example, candidates indicate their marital status—the French word for “single” is “celibitaire.”  No assumptions being made there!

Some candidates put their blood type or how many children they had.  Just different from what I’m used to.

So, given the differences between the resumes, I wasn’t sure about the differences in interview questions.  I put together a list of 10-12 questions that would be typical in an American interview—how do you handle a difficult parent, what do you do with a child who is struggling to make friends, how do you help a child who is struggling to learn, what do you do when you have a conflict with a colleague, etc.

I arrived early this morning because that’s what my parents taught me to do (thanks Mom and Dad!).  The candidates arrived early.  But, no one else on the interview committee showed up on time.  I waited.  I waited some more.  Finally, about 20 minutes late I decided to start.

I don’t speak fluent French or Creole.  But, I didn’t want this person to wait any longer (she had arrived at 8:30 for her 9:00 a.m. interview).  Actually, by the time I started at 9:20, the first three candidates had arrived.

It went . . . . okay.  I made myself understood, and she was very patient in speaking slowly and repeating herself when I asked for clarification—I would have hired her just for that!

About 10 minutes into the interview, the rest of the committee showed up.  Whew. 

For the next 3 ½ hours I helped interview candidates in Creole.  I didn’t understand every word, but I understood enough to ask good follow-up questions and to know which candidates were good ones.  After each interview, I was on the same page with those who speak Creole fluently!  I’ll be honest, by the end of the day I was exhausted and I had a headache.  But, I was able to do it.  I can hardly believe that I was able to do it!  I have a long way to go with the language, but I think I just might be able to muddle my way through in Creole.

We’ve hired all of our teachers, and I think we hired some really good ones.  I’m excited to get to know them!  Sunday the 27^th we have a parent meeting to introduce ourselves to the parents and answer any questions they might have.  Then 8/28-9/1 is semaine de plannification—teacher planning week. 

Kids come for the first day of school on Sept.4—ironically, I won’t be there that day because I only work at the Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Is it possible to miss something that I’ve not yet experienced????

This is Really Happening!

            I can hardly believe this is happening! 

            For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that this dream of starting a school for special-needs children has been a dream of mine.  For those of you who have just recently joined me on this journey, let me give a quick synopsis:

Ø  I lived in Haiti back in the early 70s when I was a little girl

Ø  I grew up hearing the stories and seeing the slides of our time there, and I always planned on going back.

Ø  I studied French from 7^th grade through college graduation because I knew that French was an official language of Haiti.

Ø  It wasn’t until I was 38 that I FINALLY looked into going back to Haiti.

Ø  I hooked up with the Haiti Mission Project out of Minnesota and went with them on a mission trip in November 2009

Ø  That’s when I first met Gertrude Bien-Aime and met the children of Notre Maison/St. Joe’s.

Ø  Over school vacations, I returned to Haiti many times, and Gertrude and I began to talk about opening a school for special-needs children because we both believed that children with special needs could do and learn so much more than they had the chance to in Haiti.

Ø  In 2013, I took a leave of absence from my teaching job and spent the spring semester in Haiti working with the children of Notre Maison/St. Joe’s.  My goal was to start our school for special-needs children.

Ø  Instead, I started a physical therapy program for the kids at Notre Maison.

Ø  The dream of the school seemed on hold.

Ø  I continued to return to Haiti on vacations (especially over the summer) and created a summer internship program.

Ø  The dream of a school for special-needs children never went away!

Ø  In the spring of 2016 I felt led (called) to move to Haiti.  If I was ever going to make a go of the school or my commitment to the special-needs children of Notre Maison, then I needed to be in Haiti full time.

Ø  I quit my teaching job at Batavia Public Schools in Batavia, IL, in 2016 and took a job teaching/counseling at Morning Start Christian Academy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Ø  In January 2017 Gertrude came to me and shared that we had a place for our school!  Yea!  Go God!

Ø  In February 2017, decided to go to part time at Morning Start Christian Academy so that I could be part time at the new Haiti Center for Inclusive Education.

Ø  On September 4, 2107, the Center for Inclusive Education will open its doors for the first time!

That brings us to today.  I will say it again—I can hardly believe that this is really happening!  I spent quite a bit of time over the summer fundraising for a variety of needs for the Center, and sponsors more than stepped up.  Because of the generosity of so many, financial needs for the first six months have been met.  Not all, but most.  We have a great team that is working on meeting our needs, and I think that we will meet our goal for the academic year.

I spend Tuesdays, Thursdays, and most of Saturdays at the Center getting things ready—organizing donations, creating files for our students, creating class schedules, taking inventory, making lists of things that need to be fixed.  You name it, I’m doing it!  In fact, on Thursday (8/24) I am helping to interview teachers and classroom aides.  In French, no less!

This has been an amazing journey—thanks to everyone who has walked on it with me.  And, thanks to everyone who has recently joined me on this walk.  Without your support and encouragement, none of this would be possible.

I will keep you posted about what is happening. 

God is good.

God is Good!

Good news! 

Prayers have been answered!

Four years ago, I took a leave of absence from my teaching job to come to Haiti to work on opening a school for special-needs children.  Well, it seemed as if that dream was on hold.  For a long time.  Maybe for too long.

As many of you know, I moved to Haiti last May and started a new job at Morning Star Christian Academy in Port-au-Prince.  For the past ten months, I have been blessed to be only 20 minutes from the children at Notre Maison.  The dream of opening the school had never left, but I wasn’t sure when it would ever happen.

But, God’s timing is perfect.  This past January I learned that property had become available for the school to be opened.  Since then, Gertrude and I have started the school with 15 children from Notre Maison, and we plan to open it up to the general public next fall.  In order to keep following where I believe God is taking me, I have reduced my hours at Morning Star to part time.  Next school year, I will work Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays at MSCA.  That allows me to work at the new school on Tuesdays-Thursdays.

With this shift in work responsibilities, I understand again how much I need to continue to depend on others in my life to walk with me on this journey.  There are many ways to walk with me if you so choose:

11.   Pray for me.  I need continued prayer support as I learn how to work at/run a school in Port-au-Prince in which my language skills and administrative skills and people skills are challenged.

22.  Provide financial support.  My goal is to raise $7000 to provide for my living expenses during the next school year.

33.  Spread the word to others who might be interested in supporting special-needs.  Let them know how to get in touch with me with any questions they might have--jamieschumacher34@gmail.com. 

44.  Help with fundraising.  Come up with a fundraising idea and let me know about it.  I can put together a presentation and speak with your group.

If you are so moved to support me financially, you can make out a check to New Hope Lutheran Church and mail it to this address:

New Hope Lutheran Church

551 S. 4^th Street

Aurora, IL  60505

In the memo line write Haiti Mission Fund.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions!  I would love to hear from you with your prayers, words of encouragement, or comments.

Good News and Even Gooder News

School classroom

           I know I haven’t blogged much in the time since I moved here back in May 2016.  It’s not for lack of wanting to blog; it’s just been more about being overwhelmed about everything that I’ve experienced.  I didn’t know how to put into words all that I was feeling, experiencing, and thinking.  So, I just didn’t write.

School cafeteria

            However, I can’t keep not writing because it seems like too much.  I plan to pick up the blogging with the good . . . no, great news that has developed in the last month.

            As many of you know, four years ago, I took a leave of absence from my teaching job at Rotolo Middle School o spend a semester here in Haiti working on opening a school for special-needs children.  That initial work seemed promising in that I was able to use donated funds to pay off land that would be used for the school.  Well, it seemed as if God had other ideas!  Plans for the school pretty much came to a halt at that time.  It’s not that the dream died—that never happened!  It’s just that the plans slowed down . . . pretty much came to a stop.

Seminar particpants

            Though the school plans slowed down, my desire to work with the special-needs kids never did.  With the help of other groups and numerous interns, we were able to develop a viable physical therapy room and a therapy schedule for our kids.  The plans were different, but progress for the special-needs kids was being made.

            Fast forward to 2016.  I made the decision to move to Haiti and commit to the special-needs kids.  I wasn’t sure exactly what that would look like, but I figured if I were in country it would be easier to work with the kids.  I took a teaching/counseling job at Morning Star Christian Academy so that I could make a living and be closer to the kids at Notre Maison.  It was going okay . . ., but not great. I still wasn’t spending as much time with the kids at Notre Maison as I wanted.

Where It Gets Good

Seminar activity

            Upon my return to Haiti after Christmas break in the States, I learned from Gertrude that we had been granted the use of a school that had been used by a group of Catholic nuns that could no longer run a school on those grounds.  So, now Gertrude and I had a school.  Not just land.  Not just a small building that we could improvise with.  But, this is a real school.  With classrooms and offices and therapy space and a cafeteria.  You name it, we have it!  Go God!

Where It Gets Even Gooder

            It was great that we had facilities, but I still needed a way to have an income while working at our new school.  Enter Morning Star Christian Academy.  The school has agreed to let me work part time as the school counselor, which gives me two days each week to work at our new school!  How great is that???

Therapy room

            So much of this year has been a roller coaster ride that I wasn’t sure whether I had heard God’s voice right in coming to Haiti.  With time and patience—not just this school year, but also over the last four years—I do believe that I am in the right place at the right time.  A dream that started years ago is coming closer to being a reality.

Next Steps

            As awesome as all this is, I realize that the we are still at the very beginning stages.  But, I am jazzed!  Today a group of teachers/professors from Florida came to do in-service with Haitian teachers about effective teaching methods to use when working with special-needs students.  The presenters were amazing, and the Haitian teachers participating were top notch—I can hardly wait till tomorrow’s sessions!  There is such hope in this area.  These teachers are passionate about working with special-needs students; now we just need to keep them all connected and learning from each other. 

            The networking that happened for me today did wonders for my soul.  I no longer feel as if I am creating something by myself.  There are others out there who want to help . . . who have the resources and the connections to help.  I finally feel as if I know how to connect to some of those resources so that we don’t have to go it alone.

            For me personally, these next steps are going to be huge.  My “take-home pay” will be reduced yet again because I am going to part-time hours at Morning Star.  That scares me some.  But, God has provided so far, so I have faith that He will continue to provide.  However, in addition to learning how to be an administrator for a school, learning how to be an advocate for a school and its students, I must also learn how to advocate for what my needs are financially.  God is really stretching me on that one!

            Thank you to everyone who has come along side of me on this journey.  You have faithfully stood by me—I’ll keep you posted as things progress in the coming months!