Another Week Beyond – 1914

Dear Friends

Last year, attendance for a reading programme targeting 4 to 9-year olds was dwindling.  There was always a bunch of dedicated volunteers waiting in our air-conditioned classroom but only a handful of children would show. Those who came always had a fun-filled learning experience and they left for home with a sense of achievement.  However, not everyone came back the following week and so at the end of the year, we decided to stop the programme and redeployed the volunteers.

Many children that we are in touch with could do with some help strengthening their ability to read. It disturbed us that our programme could not reach them and so we spent a fair amount of effort trying to set up a few bookshelves filled with books on the ground floor of the flats where they lived.    We had books donated by the National Library Board and we thought that parents and neighbours could work with us to change the books regularly. Unfortunately, the idea could not be implemented but the “library at the void deck” has now become the “library in a backpack.”

The past 2 weeks have been very encouraging as children and a couple of parents greeted us enthusiastically as we laid out straw mats at an open space below their homes.  Within minutes, they were seated and tuned into the programme answering questions that our volunteers had put forth to gain their attention. Then they listened raptly as we started telling a story from a big book.  When the story ended, the children chose a book from a backpack which had some 15 books that were appropriate for their reading level.  Our backpacks    catered to reading levels from the first year of kindergarten to the second year of primary education.

Each child then sat with a volunteer who read the book out to them before they attempted to read it aloud on their own. When done the child set aside that book and some others that he or she will bring home for the week before coming together as a group for a game of tag. After an hour of sitting and reading, the children did not turn down our invitation to move vigorously and to return the following week.

Some children told us that they will ask their friends to join them and it seemed like sitting on the floor, the lack of privacy or air-conditioning were not things that would discourage them from coming to the programme.  So, “What is a conducive learning environment?” we asked ourselves.    The open space was at times very warm and residents were constantly walking by with a few curious enough to observe what was going on.   From this experience, we reckoned that a conducive learning environment is one where people felt at home and attended to. This open “classroom” was also a familiar playground for the children and those walking by were their spectators.  The open space was where the children performed in every sense of the word and hopefully, the perfect place to up their performance in reading.

Enjoy your week.

Gerard

 The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention. –  Richard Moss

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PAST AWB POSTS

2443 – Why Do You Work?

I was visiting Meelah, a resident who has led food drives and many social activities to enhance the wellbeing of her neighbours.   I listened intently, as she expressed her concern for families that would require assistance. I was   touched that she continued to keep track of so many lives in spite of her own declining health. She donned on the new spectacles she had recently afforded and checked her reflection using her phone before looking at me expectantly for a response. “How? I look like a teacher or not?” She exclaimed while tucking some strands of hair behind her ears.

Read more >

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Every morning, like clockwork, four-year-old Lisa (not her real name) stops by her neighbour’s flat on her way to preschool. She stands at the gate, waiting patiently to say “Hello” to the elderly man who lived there. Known for his stern demeanour and habit of scolding noisy children, this Uncle wasn’t someone most would approach. At first, he ignored her. Undeterred, she stands there, day after day, offering her simple greeting. Then one day, something changed. The Uncle returned her greeting. Soon after, they began sharing quiet moments – sitting together, eating biscuits, and watching TV —always under the watchful

Read more >

2441 – Looking for Treasure not Dirt

As a community worker, I knock on doors to introduce myself and to explore how residents may contribute toward the wellbeing of their neighbourhood.  By chatting with them, I discover their talents, aspirations and values. Of course, not everyone talks to me when I knock but it is always so rewarding when they do. Last week, I met 98-year-old Madam Wong and her son who is in his 70s. I learnt that Madam Wong shares her art and craft skills with the older residents in her community.  What she enjoys doing most and is really good at is “weaving” together

Read more >