02/07/2014
Jam's Academy is delighted to collaborate with Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia! Read more about their exciting correspondence project.
"As an art teacher at Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia, and as the mother of Peace Corps volunteer, Kalene Resler, I was privileged to engage in a year-long connection between my second grade students and students at Jams’ Academy in Bertoua, Cameroon. Through a vibrant exchange of emailed questions and answers, scanned photos and drawings, and stories and photo gathered from Kalene on my mid-year visit to Cameroon, the children learned much about the others’ families, past times, education, food geography, and culture. My students were amazed that their counterparts carried water and food in containers perched on their heads, but delighted finding some culinary commonalities: “I eat cous cous too!” They were astounded that the school buildings lacked electricity, but very jealous that Cameroonian students got to ride motorcycles to school and back.. they couldn’t imagine learning three languages at once and without books to take home, but wondered if this might cut down on homework.
From my visit to Jams’ Academy and from what I’d learned from Kalene and Moses Jams, I hoped that establishing a library of textbooks could help with education with consistency and continuity. Necessary breaks from school- for holidays or due to family needs- could help teachers know where to leave off and puck up instruction. Workbooks, especially those that corresponded to material in textbooks, could help asses individual learned. Teachers could rely more on checking written responses than on listening to group verbal replies. Learning by rote has value but it’s easy for an individual student to slip through the cracks and “mouth” the answers, without really knowing or understanding the content. Workbooks might help catch and correct this. Hopefully, the books would be as much as a help for teachers as for students!
Having said that, I loved hearing the children respond in unison to the teacher’s and teacher’s helper-student’s lead in singing and reciting vocabulary words. Those are the areas one must have a verbal response, and Jams’ Academy students give a hearty and enthusiastic singing/shouting. Heads, shoulders, knees and toes is a classic!
The Jams’ Academy report card ceremony was a highlight of our trip to Cameroon. The sight of all those pink and blue clad students, surrounded by their colorfully dressed families drove from the fact that education is valued and supported in this community. When both adults and children engage in a ceremony, with speeches and presentations, they show that they hold education, and especially this early school, in high esteem.
I was so fortunate to have visited Jams’ Academy in December 2013, and look forward to continuing our connection in the years to come."
Holly Smith
