Working with a Child Aid literacy coach has helped teacher Tomás Bocel discover new ways of teaching. See how trainers and teachers are working together to help children learn to read. Continue Reading
Teacher Stories
Educating the Kickball Kid
“German can’t kick!” The children stood around professor Marco Venicio Sela Girón and stared. The jostling class, normally frenetic with movement, stood still. Nearly thirty elementary-age kids had gathered on the dusty playground at the Rafael Téllez García Elementary School in Sololá, Guatemala, to learn to play kickball and run in the sunshine. Even German. […] Continue Reading
Video: The Power of Participation
With training and support from Child Aid’s Reading for Life program, teacher Thomás Bocel has ditched the rote, lecture-based techniques that are standard in elementary classrooms in Guatemala. Now he is using interactive, hands-on modes of learning that get kids out of their seats and raising their hands. See how Thomás has discovered the power […] Continue Reading
School Profile – Panabaj School
The Panabaj school is entering the third year of the Reading for Life program. During the first two years, the Panabaj teachers and their Child Aid literacy trainer, Mildred Esquina focused on integrating reading and books into student’s everyday school experience. Teachers learned techniques for reading aloud to students, developing comprehension skills and showing students […] Continue Reading
A teacher on a mission to transform her school.
Cecilia Pos Ajquichí’s eyes light up when she thinks about the possibilities. “My biggest desire is to make this a real library for the school,” the sixth grade teacher says as she rearranges books on a shelf. “At least we’d like to have some little tables for the kids and enough books to read. That […] Continue Reading
Celebrating Reading on World Book Day
Check out these great photos of World Book Day activities at Child Aid partner schools in April. Thanks to books and support provided by Child Aid, the schools used the annual “Dia del Libro” celebrations to pump up students’ passion about reading. More than 10,000 children participated in activities including read alouds, puzzles, reading games, […] Continue Reading
Slideshow: Boxes of Smiles Arrive in Guatemala
Follow Child Aid books as they journey cross-country from our office in Panajachel to more than 90 different schools, many of them located in small agricultural towns with little contact or resources from the outside world. Watch our slideshow and see the smiles you helped deliver to Guatemala this year. “¡Los libros están aquí!” Several school-age […] Continue Reading
Video: Teacher Testimonial – Luis Vicente Saminez
[embed_video id=’voOzAFji74c’] Luis Vicente Saminez teaches fourth grade at Rafael Tellez Garcia Primary School in Solola, Guatemala. In 2016, Child Aid joined with his school to bring books, teacher training and Literacy Trainer Edgar Garcia, who gives one-on-one support and guidance to Luis and his students. In this video, Luis shares how he and his […] Continue Reading
New Literacy Trainers Join Child Aid Team
In September, Child Aid added five new literacy trainers to our team, bringing the total Guatemalan staff to 20 people. The additional staffers mean we are on target to help 20,000 students learn to read in 2018. “Our five new employees blew us away with their poise and presence in the interview process,” says Angus Fredenburg, […] Continue Reading
First Training Workshop at Xeatan Alto School
When teachers walk into their first Child Aid workshop, they often don’t know what to expect and their expectations are usually low. That’s because training for Guatemalan teachers is generally of very poor quality. Trainings are conducted in a lecture format with up to 150 to 200 teachers in a session. Presenters talk from a podium […] Continue Reading