February 2017

Preschool and Homeschool Storytime

       My first major highlight of February was launching a Preschool and Homeschool (Early Elementary) Storytime at Faith International Academy (FIA) on Thursday mornings 10-10:45. We are following the "Color Your World with Books" theme and format I used several years in a Florida public library and with the missionary community in Yaounde, Cameroon. 
       Each week this spring is designated as a certain color week or a season/holiday - children and parents are invited to wear that color (of course I do), children are encouraged to bring something that color for "Show and Tell," I share stories about things that are the week's color, and children do a craft that is the focus color. We start off with a rhythm instrument parade around the library ("quiet" in the library not a concern), do action rhymes and songs, and conclude with rhythm instruments to "Rock and Roll Freeze". 

  

The morning after the first weekly session, a teacher friend mentioned having heard "rave reviews" of the Preschool and Homeschool Storytime. (PTL!) Our school has no preschool class, and this is my way to support  missionary families with young ones in a foreign land. I have received many expressions of gratitude from parents of preschoolers and asked one Mom to put her thoughts in writing.

Rachel Stevenson (above) writes, "I was amazed and deeply touched when Miss Watts cheerfully volunteered to lead a preschool hour. As a mother of a very active preschooler, whom I spend all day, every day with, I look forward to preschool library hour with so much joy. Tad loves to make music, say rhymes, and listen to stories read by Miss Watts. We are so glad to have her here." 

 

Rachel is wife of one of our high school teachers and she is almost finished with a master's degree related to special needs education. She is a tutor at our school and in the community. We are grateful for her teamwork in our education endeavors.

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Fifth Grade Field Trip to the Davao School for the Blind

The other major highlight of February for me was organizing and taking a field trip with fifth graders at Faith International Academy to Davao School for the Blind.

Students at Davao School for the Blind sang several songs for us and then we joined them.

During the morning we sang together: "This Is the Day the Lord Has Made," "Amazing Grace," and "Hallelujah, Praise Ye Lord." The wonderful musical abilities of the blind students left a lasting impression on my students and I. 

Faith International Academy students shared a favorite scripture verse, and we invited Blind School students to do the same.

As I requested, students of Davao School for the Blind taught FIA students how their name is written in Braille - using either a slate and stylus (metal pick with wooden handle) or a Braille typewriter.

We played a game that is sung, while a student and Peter (teacher at Blind School) lead in an action that all follow. Peter described the action to blind students.

One blind student demonstrated how to read a Braille book to several of us.

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Preview of Spring Break Missions Trip

Another teacher (Ruth) and I are scheduled to fly to Manila, then to San Jose, Mindoro during our spring break in late March to work with Kermit and Raquel Titrud at an elementary school for children from a language group that Kermit is helping to do translation consulting on.

We are being asked to just converse with the 30 children. Much of the time we are here to divide them into groups so we can give them more one on one help with their English. They need more native English speakers to help them. The school has those on staff who are gifted with math and teaching them science, music, art and social studies. More help is needed with teaching them proper English...such as giving more English sentences or expressions using the words they already have learned to some degree, looking over their notebooks and correcting their English and practicing with them the English they have in their notebooks.

Kermit wrote Ruth and me:  "...my motivation for all this - to produce Bible translators and consultants and other kinds of professionals for the Mangyan community (like teachers, lawyers, missionaries, pastors, etc.). I'm told that as of now, there are no professionals among the Taubuid speakers. We hope to produce a number of them, with your help." 

Wow! It is an exciting privilege to be part of such efforts. We are scheduled to be there for only a little over half a week. Please pray that God will multiply our efforts and enable us to be a special blessing to these precious children.   (Of course I plan to take some puppets!)