Learning Never Ends

I’ve been reading a book entitled “Adult Literacy: A Handbook for Development Workers,” I’ve really enjoyed reading it, but have to admit we really need to retool our program. The first step will be to gather everyone interested in literacy classes and find out exactly what they want to learn and the logistics of learning. The learners who are currently in my class have been getting the word out. They set the date for Feb. 29. I’m really excited for the meeting.

One of the things the book said was that adults tend to learn better when they sit in a circle or a semi circle. So on Thursday morning we redesigned the class. I explained the best I could to Rebeka that I needed James to come help me organize the class. To my delight James arrived and we were able to re-organize the class quite nicely, using mostly gestures, as we were the only two people in the classroom and we don’t speak a common language.

The semi-circle classroom layout.

Learners talk with Janet after class.

My learners aren’t the only ones learning. They teach me something new every time I’m there, whether it’s a word or a custom or a way of doing things. I often feel like they are teaching me far more than I will ever be able to teach them.