Teachers doing good summer work

Three teachers at Yorkdale Central School had an idea they wanted to organize a new group dedicated to helping.

So several months ago Christa Schmelinsky, Karen Ward and Elora Wiest created ‘Yorkton Teachers Give Back’.

“We had the idea to do some local initiatives and also a global one,” said Schmelinsky, adding that the initial enthusiasm had them thinking big picture.

Wiest said the idea was one she had and quickly carried forward.

“I initially approached a number of colleagues about doing a project like this after yet another conversation in my classroom about ‘making a difference’ in the world,” she said. “The big idea we were talking about was the idea that ‘people will go above and beyond the call of duty to do what’s right’. We read about and discussed so many different topics and important people that have made a difference in our world. I would always stress to my kids that they were never too young to make an impact in their community and world.

“Then, I found myself reflecting on it. When was the last time I really put myself out there and actively tried to make a difference in the world? As a teacher I strive to make a meaningful impact in the lives of many youth. However, this is the first time I have actively gone out into the world, into a place very unlike my own and tried to help out. “

Schmelinsky said as teachers they are always “encouraging students to be good global citizens,” adding that by thinking about doing something beyond Canada’s border it was a way “to set a good example.”

That too was a big reason Ward became involved.

“As a teacher, we speak to our students almost every day about being good people and about thinking of more than just our own little piece of the world,” she said. “So when discussion began between myself and a few colleagues about putting our money where our mouths are and do something tangible to show our students that it is everyone’s job to make the world a better place, I knew I would be in for whatever big idea we could come up with.”

“We also stress the idea of ‘Global Community’ and how all people on this earth are interconnected,” agreed Wiest. “We need to reach out and help people within our community, province, country, but also, around the world.

“I also wanted to put my money where my mouth was in a sense. I wanted to show my kids that big things are possible when you put your mind to it. It was a lot of hard work, but we made it there and accomplished what we set out to do. I think that’s a great lesson for my students and my number one goal is to always be a great role model for my students.”

So the idea to volunteer in Nicaragua began to formulate.

Some research and the trio found La Esperanza Granada.

“Located in Granada, Nicaragua, La Esperanza Granada is a volunteer group focusing on children’s education. ‘Born’ in 2002, we started in one small village on the outskirts of Granada, and now help more than 2,000 children in poverty-stricken areas. Our volunteers go out into the schools and assist the teachers, tutor young children, introduce children to computers, teach English and help stimulate an interest in learning. Volunteers come from around the world, for varying lengths of time. There are no program fees. Fund raising is independent and voluntary. We try to help in a non-invasive way, working directly with the children and with the local schools, teachers, and parents to meet educational needs,” details the organization’s website at www.la-esperanza-granada.org

The program in Nicaragua was a good one, offered Schmelinsky.

“There were not a lot of fees. The money we raised ($7000) went right into the community,” she said.

Ward agreed the organization was a good fit.

“Once we began looking into volunteer opportunities, La Esperanza was recommended to us and it just seemed like the right fit. It’s a grassroots organization and the money raised went directly to the project, with no admin fees to volunteer,” she said.

The actual project the three teachers were involved in was a home build for a local family.

“And we volunteered with kids in the afternoon,” said Schmelinsky.

The time in Nicaragua was eye-opening for the trio.

“It was 100 per cent culture shock,” offered Schmelinsky. “We got to see the poverty. It’s nothing you see around here.”

“Where do I start? The community that we worked in was called Nueva Esperanza. It is a very poor community on the outside of Granada,” added Wiest. “The organization we worked with has done a lot of work in the community, like building schools, learning centres, home builds, road construction and more.

“There is a lot of litter in the streets, stray dogs, chickens and the odd pig tied up to a tree. Most roads are dirt roads in poor condition. Every 5th or 6th house has an open window where people are selling things out of the window. Lots of kids walking around, (often time schools gets cancelled). People live in one room houses with dirt floors. Often times up to 15 people can live in a house.”

Ward said it was certainly a surprise.

“My first impression was a mix of surprise and awe,” she offered. “I hadn’t ever really seen anything quite like this community. Houses were built out of scrap materials, things like tin, wood, cloth, and old flags or posters from businesses. There was a large amount of litter and several stray dogs.

“One of the hardest parts to come to terms with was the litter and the fact that people just tossed garbage anywhere. I like to think of myself as fairly environmentally friendly so I had an extra hard time with this.

“One of the most surprising things was that every few houses was a ‘store’ of sorts. People sold many things out of their houses like junk food and pop, but also needed items like diapers and soap. This was very common as most people in this community would not go into the city to shop at a store.

“As we walked through the neighbourhood and had a few small interactions on that first day, the surprise subsided and a feeling of comfort came over. The people were so friendly and we often greeted each other with ‘Buenos Dias’ as we walked past.”

As educators Schmelinsky said they also came to appreciate the system in Canada.

Only 34 per cent of students in Nicaragua even finish elementary school.

“You realize Yorkton has a very good educate system. It’s a totally different world there,” said Schmelinsky.

The three did spend some time imparting English and math skills to eager young students.

“It went really well. The kids were really appreciative,” said Schmelinsky, adding they managed to overcome the language barrier having been assigned a university student who spoke English.

At the work site for the new home, instruction came less through language and more by example.

“None of the builders spoke any English,” said Schmelinsky. “… They showed us what to do.”

Schmelinsky said another aspect of being involved in the project was the draw of how the family was chose.

The family was picked because one of the daughters was a good elementary student.

A house did exist, small, with corrugated walls, build essentially “of pieces of scrap”. The build replaced the walls, one at a time, creating a more permanent style dwelling, explained Schmelinsky.

“As we builta new wall, the old one would come down,” she said.

The three volunteers did a lot of the basic work, digging trenches for the base of the cinder block construction walls.

“There were no power tools,” she said, adding it was all shovel work.

“We had to dig down about 80 centimetres. The ground was so hard,” said Schmelinsky, adding temperatures soared to around 37 C every day.

“I’ve never worked so hard in my life.”

But the effort was worthwhile.

“When we were all finished it was quite amazing,” she said, adding there was a feeling of doing something meaningful, to the point when asked if she would do it again the reply as “in a heartbeat.”

Wiest said her impression of Nicaragua changed over the course of their involvement on the project.

“As much as you try not to do it, it’s almost impossible to step into a culture much different than your own without letting your own ideas and culture impact the way you see things,” she said. “I tried really hard to not make judgments or assumptions, but that is imbedded in our human nature.

“As a small example; the street dogs really bothered me when I first got there. I am an animal lover and seeing the dogs all over the streets was really heart breaking for me. Even the dogs that were owned were in rough shape.

“However, once you start living and working within a community and learn more about their way of life some of those things start to make sense to you. That culture and community don’t look at dogs and cats the same way we do. They have “pets” but it’s a fairly new trend and its not to the same extent we have pets. Animals are for practical reasons like work, farming, rodent control etc.  

“Another example would be their chicken buses. These are small van-like busses that run on no real schedule, stop frequently (sometimes for the driver to hang out with a pal they see) and they cram as many people as humanly possible on it. (Think of a full school bus, then double the occupants). It’s so easy for us as foreigners to look at that and think ’it would be so much more efficient if they ran on a schedule!’

“But the chicken buses, stray dogs and many other aspects of living in Nicaragua are things that I just became used to. You start to see it as their way of life rather than a way of life different than your own.

“Overall, I was left with a very positive impression of Granada and Nicaragua. The people are vibrant, the culture and landscape is beautiful and I really enjoyed my time there. I would go back in a heartbeat! Especially after learning more Spanish.”

Ward said they could not help but change viewpoints after working with the local people on the project.

“I would say that my impression only changed slightly but into more of an understanding one,” she said. “The more we worked in the community, interacted with the families and enjoyed conversation, the more comfortable and relaxed we felt. Being immersed in the culture really allowed you to examine the things that struck you as strange or different in the beginning and come to a better understanding of them. The community support and togetherness encouraged us to feel that sense of comfort and really allowed us to feel a part of the community for the short time we were there.

“I have gained so much appreciation for the rich culture of Nicaragua and the amazing acts of community support that we were lucky to be a part of. I’ve also gained a few life skills from the build and an appreciation for the human ability to communicate without speaking the same language. It’s truly amazing what can be said without ever saying anything at all. I really love what La Esperanza is doing and I cannot wait to go back, maybe with a bit more spanish under my belt.”

In fact, they trio are already hoping to do something similar in 2018, maybe raising more funds with an eye to helping build a school classroom, said Schmelinsky, adding they would love to take students and other teachers with them on the next trip.

Wiest said she certainly gained in a major way from the experience.

“I think the biggest thing I gained was the knowledge that I am capable of doing something like that,” she offered. “I was very nervous before leaving! I hadn’t really done any travelling beforehand and the idea of going someplace with a very different language and culture was both exciting and scary.

“I also think that in today’s society people are becoming more and more isolated. It can be scary to reach out and meet new people and make new relationships but it is so important to do so.

“The whole idea behind the ‘global community’ that you will see us talk about a lot is that we are all connected. We are all community members regardless of where we live on this planet, what religion we practice, what language we speak etc and we should always be doing what we can to improve the lives of the people in both our local and global communities.

“So I think this trip has taught me and given me the tool set to go out and do more projects like this one, which, I plan to do in the near future.”

While the next international foray is nearly two years away, the three teachers, and their fledgling organization, have more localized projects they will focus on; including one already under way. They are collecting school supplies to be distributed to those needing a bit of extra help.

Schmelinsky said they are asking parents to purchase extra crayons, notebooks, a backpack, they can then get “to families that can’t early afford” the burden of school supplies at this time of year.

The supplies can be dropped off at Yorkdale Central School starting Aug. 26.

Schmelinsky said once they have supplies collected they will contact school principals to create a list of students most in need.