Saturday August 3rd

Yesterday, we held a meeting between the AHA Bolivia Staff, some of
the volunteers for the Pilot Project and the heads of the Artisan
Groups that AHA Bolivia employs. The objective of the meeting was to
ask the Group Heads for feedback about the Pilot Project which is why
it was set about a month after it was over.

After a few words from Anna thanking everyone for their time and
collaboration with the project, the floor was given to the Artisans
and students. Each of them gave us positive feedback. For most
students, particularly if they do not excel in their education, school
life can become quite a frustrating drag. Try to picture going to the
same place day, after day, after day just to see that what you are
meant to be learning hasn’t been clicking. To witness that your
classmates, some of them your friends, others your rivals,
understanding that which you can’t.

In Bolivia, there are more students below the average academic level
than at or above the actual average. Many of the kids here get
frustrated by this. But it is not necessarily their fault. The blame
goes to a system that forces teachers to advance without putting much
care in ensuring that everybody learns correctly. Its system whose
sole focus is to simply meet the schedule and deadlines of the school
year, where those lucky and skilled enough to understand concepts in
that period of time get to be praised and get more opportunities than
the others.

This is not to say that those students get everything on a silver
platter, they, of course, must make an effort. Nevertheless, more
often than not, it’s because of their innate talent that they can
understand more in less time or simply because they have the drive to
continue studying on their own, outside school time. If your teachers
praise you, that is enough of a motivator to keep up good grades, keep
studying.

That is why the Khan Academy was so alluring to all the kids that
participated in our little project. In an environment where they can
advance at their own place, practicing modules on their own, ask for
help from their fellow students or the volunteer tutors… even if they
didn’t quite get it at the start, they were motivated to keep going
forward.

The Artisans expressed that most, if not all, of the kids asked
whether or not we would be repeating this program again, they asked
when that was going to happen. They’ve also told us about how, even in
such a short time, most of them actually look forward to going to
school now (At least to their Math classes). Some of the mothers of
the youngest kids we had, ages 8-10 also thanked the program as their
children used to be socially awkward and shy and by the end of it,
they could speak to other kids and the tutors and also ask for help.

Both children, and adults, are inherently ashamed and afraid of asking
for help when they don’t understand something. And how could they
not, considering that the persons who ask such questions are labeled
“slow” or “dumb”.

I have been through a lot of different schools and school systems and
I believe that to get rid of this so called fear of asking is primordial in
education. It was great seeing how this curriculum has helped the
children to not have the need of asking for help in their current Math
classes’ subject. It was great to hear how the students have started
to find the joy in learning and how their parents can perceive this. It
 was great to hear that we can provide them with the chance to show
them that they can be above average, if they have the dedication and
the right tools for the job.

To finish the meeting, we announced we will start an effort to have
the room open during the weekends, for all kids that would be willing
and able to come. This will be an arduous effort, but seeing how the
kids and the artisans are doing their best to comply and help, we can
do no less.