Daily snack & Time

The students are very much looking forward to VBS camp, coming up in June. Those who attended last year have heartily recommended it to the new students, and daily we are asked, "When is camp--tomorrow?"

Many of our older students have been language deprived and have great difficulty with the concept of time. Most of them understand tomorrow and today. "Yesterday" to them means anything in the past, and they are often unable to be more specific than that. They will tell you their birthday was "yesterday," when in fact, it was three months ago, but they still remember it well. Explain that something will happen next year, next week, or next month,  and it is beyond their comprehension.

Students who have spent a few years with us usually catch on a little better to time concepts. But even then, if they started school in their teens, they usually cannot grasp the idea of something even as simple as next Thursday. It isn't just a matter of learning the signs; it is understanding the whole concept of time.

It is difficult to invite them to church. If you tell them on Friday, they may show up on Saturday.  For those who understand, we say to come on Sunday. To the others we usually say, "Come in two tomorrows."

 This week the government began providing the students with a pint of milk and either a roll or a cupcake for morning snack. We are thankful that this is available, because most Dominican children have very little milk in their diet.

Teacher Melandina will be leaving after this week for maternity leave. In the DR maternity leave is six weeks before the expected birth of the child and six weeks following the birth, paid leave. Her class will be divided between two other classes, for the remainder of the school year.