Farewells and Looking Forward: Guatemalan School Year Ends
“It was a year of many challenges, of many learnings. Success is that my students learned and completed their school year. The challenge is for them to continue practicing during the vacations. Many of them did well; they faced their challenges and learned a lot. My best memory is when we worked on crafts with the children; they put all their effort into doing the best they could.”
While students in the U.S. are enjoying Thanksgiving break, our Guatemalan students will be wrapping up their school year and preparing for a couple months off.
Known as “end-of-year-vacation” or Christmas vacation – which lasts from Nov. 30 to Feb. 15 – this is a time of advancement for students, as they prepare to move on to the next grade, while also holding on to precious memories and all that they learned in their current classrooms.
Over the next couple weeks, desks will be cleared and students will start saying their goodbyes. There will be teacher gatherings and farewell activities such as games, performances and food tastings.
First grade students participate in a group reading activity in the classroom of GLXi teacher Mariela Ramírez.
And for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled year-end activities, our schools will again be having graduations with the granting of diplomas, and closures – which are a chance for children to showcase to their parents the skills and abilities acquired during the school year. These milestone events also promote a culture of sharing, and appreciation of learning, as a community.
This time of change also gives GLXi®, as an organization, the chance to reflect on all that we have accomplished during the year, as well as to set goals for 2024.
“As a forward-looking organization, we are already focusing on 2024 and trying to set the tone for the coming school year, with an emphasis on assessments and improvements. But we also recognize all of the progress that has brought us to where we are today,” said GLXi’s U.S. Executive Director Ana Schulz. “This is a time to reflect on – and honor – all of the talent and hard work that has been demonstrated by teachers, students and program staff over the past year. We are so proud of those efforts, and can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!”
A YEAR OF LEARNING
When we look back on 2023, it seems apt to call it a year of learning. After all, that’s what our students were so eagerly doing! – and we were too, as a program.
Being back full-time in classrooms was a gift to all. We were able to fully implement our educational programming in its evolved form, and we were able to set objectives and implement strategies to ensure that learning achieved its purpose.
Our participating teachers tell us it was evident that students had returned to the classroom motivated to read and write. While overcoming the pandemic’s lasting challenges required perseverance on the part of students and those in charge, it was this eager spirit that allowed for progress over the course of the year.
When we consider our program’s achievements in 2023, the following comes to mind:
Improved Reading and Writing Skills: Increased reading and writing competence levels among participating elementary school children in the program. This progress has become evident since the initial diagnostic assessment we conducted at the beginning of the school year and from the results of subsequent micro-evaluations.
Delivery of Technology and Educational Resources: We were able to successfully distribute technology equipment, school supplies and books to our participating classrooms, and these were well-used and maintained throughout the year.
Teacher Training Updates: A new class of teachers was active and engaged in our teacher training program, which had a more robust workshop format this year. We also launched our preschool pilot program – a major milestone as teachers in our training program learned how to bring the curriculum to pre-primary students.
Community Involvement: Literacy took center stage as GLXi’s teachers and community leaders, as well as other members of the community, embraced our mission and message.
Impact Assessment: We implemented new monitoring and evaluation systems to measure the progress and impact of the program over time.
Equitable Access: We steered our program toward some of the more marginalized communities in Guatemala, so that its benefits can be accessible to all children, not just a lucky few.
A third grade student in GLXi teacher Eira Izabel Pérez’s class participates in a writing activity.
As we begin looking ahead to next year, we have two early goals:
First, it is essential that we start our next teacher training cycle with the planned and projected number of teachers. In 2022, 45 teachers graduated from the Open Books, Open Minds program. This year, there are 57 teachers in training. With the next cycle, we’d like to see these numbers continue to grow!
Second, it is crucial that the school year can support the implementation of our program without any delays. This is how we keep the ball rolling, bringing progress to our estimated 4,691 GLXi students and 182 GLXi teachers, in 52 schools across 11 regions!
It will be a particularly exciting year, as the pre-primary teachers who are currently in training graduate and start to execute our vision and methodology in the classroom.
Final Days of School
While we are already so excited for next year, we are also aware that this can be a bittersweet time for teachers and students.
The end of the school year surely brings joy and anticipation – especially for students.
They have put in their long hours and they are tired of waking up early. They are eager to advance to the next grade. It's a peculiar happiness that is tinged with nostalgia as they bid farewell to their teachers.
Some children think their teachers will be the same next year and have questions on the last day about what will happen upon their return. There are also some tears shed, particularly among younger students, as they think about how they will miss their teachers.
There is no greater testament to the role teachers play in these youngsters’ lives – but it sure can be hard on everyone when those tears well up.
For teachers, these final weeks are filled with satisfaction, for successfully completing the school year and preparing a new bunch of students for further learning. But emotions do run high as they say goodbye to the kids who they have cared for and come to know so well.
Teachers engrave the faces and names of the children in their memory, and start the next year hoping to see those same kids return and continue their learning.
First grade students show off their drawings in GLXi teacher Mariela Ramírez’s classroom.
For both teachers and students, the expression and energy of farewell are pure love. It is an affection and recognition of the daily companionship that they have shared in the classroom – a representation of all that has been learned.
There will, of course, be practical matters to tend to.
Students will be sent off with recommendations and instructions for what they can review during their break: for example, reading, handwriting, and reviewing numerical concepts.
The aim is to provide enthusiasm and motivation for them to keep studying despite the economic situation at home – giving them examples of overcoming challenges, and ways to keep trying in the face of setbacks.
After the last of students depart on Nov. 30, teachers will stay for another couple weeks to organize their classrooms and plan for the next year.
They will file records and grades and perform inventory control.
For appointed teachers, this involves locking up their belongings. For interim teachers, it means taking everything home, as they are unsure if they will return to the same school or classroom next year.
“Q: What does a Guatemalan student do during Christmas vacation? ”
As these steps are taken, there will no doubt be some wistful moments! When those times of melancholy set in, we urge our students and educators to turn their thoughts to fond memories and eager dreams of what’s ahead.
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“The project was a success with the help of GLXi. My students were able to develop the proposed activities that motivated them to read and apply the suggested strategies. My best memory was the day I received the books sent by GLXi and how the children took advantage of the material. The books gave them a great sense of belonging; they felt loved and respected in the classroom.”
“It was one of the years that will remain with a great memory because the group was very united, allowing everyone to support each other to move forward and learn, which is the most important.”
“The best memory of the year is having built trust and joy in my students.”