One of the bigg...See Moreroject Teach/Konbit Pwof is offering its 11th annual professional development seminar for Haitian teachers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 1-9, 2009.
The seminar, staffed by teachers from North America and Europe, is attended by Haitian teachers who may never have had any teacher training. It covers teaching methods for core subjects, with a strong emphasis on respecting and protecting children’s rights and the importance of a teacher’s role in society.
Here is what some former Project Teach volunteers have said:
I was struck by the Haitian teachers’ level of enthusiasm. Every morning my “students” sang to me, giving me a sense of pure joy as we began our day. [D.R. 99, 01]
Participating in Project Teach has been the most important professional development experience of my teaching career. The Haitian teachers with whom I had the privilege to work reminded me why teaching is the most important job ever. [M.L. 06, 07]
One of the biggest realizations for the Haitian teachers was that learning could be fun. Project Teach’s approach was invaluable. [G.T. 06, 08]
I had never seen such poverty, but I had also never met people more generous or with a greater “joie de vivre” and profound belief in the future. The participants in my group had to travel many hours to reach the seminar site, but each day they arrived on time and smiling. [D.R. 99, 01]
An experience like this should be mandatory for every teacher from the North. [G.T. 06, 08]
On the first day, all my worries were replaced with energy fed by the Haitian teachers’ boundless enthusiasm. I quickly realized that their intellectual appetite and overwhelming need for support would easily fuel the energy I would need to teach in these difficult conditions. [L.M. 99, 03, 08]
The spirit of generosity shared by the Project Teach volunteers will stay with me forever. In life, one must seize the opportunity to give, participate, and open our hearts to others. For me, this is the cornerstone of Project Teach. [D.R. 99, 01]
Seeing first-hand the realities of the Haitian school system and the monumental daily obstacles our colleagues there face was truly humbling, yet the volunteers and the Haitian teachers shared an incredible sense of solidarity and passion for teaching. [M.L. 06, 07]
Project Teach’s success was visible daily. We could see it in the participants’ vigorous after-class discussions about how best to apply the techniques and strategies they were learning into their own teaching. We saw it when they made plans to spread the message about children’s rights – so central to Project Teach’s program and so controversial among them – to other colleagues. Upon returning to the site six months later, a participant stopped us to tell us how much the seminar had meant to him, how much more he now enjoys teaching, and how much happier his students are now that he has changed the way he runs the class. You couldn’t have a stronger incentive for continuing this work! [I.P. 98-08]
Come join this exciting project. This year we particularly need trainers in the methodology of teaching:
Second Language (English, French, Spanish) Math Social Studies, and Writing.
Application materials and more information available from: [link removed]