The Other Half....

Being a US college student, I had not invested too much thought in how young people abroad learn about their physical world.   My assistance for the group heading to Caminante this summer has driven me to dive head first into the issue.   The experience of finding out the degree of education for those living in Caminante was a sobering reminder that many youth lack the resources to capitalize on their potential.  I was told that my lesson on the solar system would be given to children considered years behind in schooling by US standards.  Designing the lesson has become an unconventional problem solving task.  I plan to teach the students about earth rotation, day/night cycles, and time zones.  Most American youth take this knowledge for granted, while children in Caminante have no clue why the sun rises in the morning.   The problem to be solved is working from the ground up.  With this audience, lessons must start in the simplest way.  These children do not have the fortune of a strong education and this affects their receptiveness to learning otherwise foreign concepts.  Instead of catching these students up to their American counterparts, I hope this lesson will inspire at least one student to become a motivated learner. These children lack economic freedom, but a newly cultivated drive to understand may give them better prospects and vitalize their sense of youth.

Steve Palaia