Thursday, August 6, 2009
Parent feedback!
We get a lot of wonderful feedback on the Reading Camp program from parents of the Reading Campers who notice a great improvement in their children's reading skills and interest after attending Reading Camp. This is a handwritten quote from the parent of a Reading Camper from Harlan County, Ky whose daughter attended the Pine Mountain Settlement School Reading Camp last July and again last week.
Harlan Newspaper article in support of Reading Camp
We have more great publicity about Reading Camp at the Pine Mountain Settlement School last week. This article appears in the Harlan Daily Enterprise today.
A different article appeared last year in the Bell County newspaper paper as well as an article five years ago in the Harlan newspaper. What great media attention for Reading Camp!
All the media publicity for Reading Camp in the past few years is chronicled on our blog here.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Let the children come to you
This is the first part of a report about the South African Reading Camp from visiting volunteer Karen Carter. Karen volunteered in 2008 at the Pine Mountain Settlement School Reading Camp and is one of many volunteers from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio who are supportive of the Reading Camp ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington.
Day 1
On the first day of camp there was excitement in the air. The stations were set up, dorm rooms lovingly decorated, and name tags with 18 children’s names lined up and ready to be worn. I was eager for the children to arrive and bring life to Reading Camp South Africa. As our final preparation before the children arrived Brother Daniel led a brief service in the chapel. He read Mark 10:13-16 the passage where Jesus instructs the disciples to let the children come to him. We reflected on this passage and the ways in which we would show Christ’s love to children allowing them to have an opportunity to learn English and to read in a loving environment. It was with this image of Christ calling the children to him and blessing them on the hearts and minds that the volunteers of Reading Camp South Africa welcomed the children to camp. There were songs of welcome, hugs, smiles, and genuine love and excitement for the 18 children as they arrived to camp.
Day 2
At the first chapel Brother Daniel spoke to the children about all people being made in God’s image. As I reflect on this I think of each of the 18 children that have joined us here for a week of learning and fun. In just one day their uniqueness is so apparent. There is Nomthandazo who stepped off the bus and began dancing, Akhona who had a very serious look on the first day but in whom I have seen glimpses of smiles and curiosity, there is Amber and Albernique who on the first evening found the reading corner and started reading…. I could go on through each of the 18 children they are the life of the camp and their energy and unique personalities are what make Reading Camp, whether in Kentucky or Grahamstown South Africa, so special.
Day 3
As the reading comprehension teacher I want to spend some words reflection on the stations at Reading Camp South Africa. Being a teacher here has the unique challenge of the language barrier. The majority of the children speak Xhosa as their first language. They all possess varying degrees of ability in the English language depending on the quality of their school. I learned quickly on the first day of camp that many of the books I had chosen and plans made were far to challenging for the majority of the children. I have had to look creatively at each group of children and plan 3-4 different activities for comprehension for each day. The activities vary from simple English vocabulary activities to more complicated lessons in Comprehension.
-Karen Carter volunteered at the South Africa Reading Camp in Grahamstown this July. She is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Day 1
On the first day of camp there was excitement in the air. The stations were set up, dorm rooms lovingly decorated, and name tags with 18 children’s names lined up and ready to be worn. I was eager for the children to arrive and bring life to Reading Camp South Africa. As our final preparation before the children arrived Brother Daniel led a brief service in the chapel. He read Mark 10:13-16 the passage where Jesus instructs the disciples to let the children come to him. We reflected on this passage and the ways in which we would show Christ’s love to children allowing them to have an opportunity to learn English and to read in a loving environment. It was with this image of Christ calling the children to him and blessing them on the hearts and minds that the volunteers of Reading Camp South Africa welcomed the children to camp. There were songs of welcome, hugs, smiles, and genuine love and excitement for the 18 children as they arrived to camp.
Day 2
At the first chapel Brother Daniel spoke to the children about all people being made in God’s image. As I reflect on this I think of each of the 18 children that have joined us here for a week of learning and fun. In just one day their uniqueness is so apparent. There is Nomthandazo who stepped off the bus and began dancing, Akhona who had a very serious look on the first day but in whom I have seen glimpses of smiles and curiosity, there is Amber and Albernique who on the first evening found the reading corner and started reading…. I could go on through each of the 18 children they are the life of the camp and their energy and unique personalities are what make Reading Camp, whether in Kentucky or Grahamstown South Africa, so special.
Day 3
As the reading comprehension teacher I want to spend some words reflection on the stations at Reading Camp South Africa. Being a teacher here has the unique challenge of the language barrier. The majority of the children speak Xhosa as their first language. They all possess varying degrees of ability in the English language depending on the quality of their school. I learned quickly on the first day of camp that many of the books I had chosen and plans made were far to challenging for the majority of the children. I have had to look creatively at each group of children and plan 3-4 different activities for comprehension for each day. The activities vary from simple English vocabulary activities to more complicated lessons in Comprehension.
-Karen Carter volunteered at the South Africa Reading Camp in Grahamstown this July. She is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
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