Do We Make a Difference?

Pictures: Out of the Mid-Service Conference I committed to a photography project. We brought 2 digital cameras with us to Azerbaijan. One of them has a view finder, but the LCD is broken. conversation club participants take the camera for a couple of days and are asked to take interesting pictures. We then discuss the pictures. Now we are going to chose 50 and print and display at the library. These are four of my personal favorites. I am always impressed with the natural photographic ability of some people. Each photo is beautiful in its own way, please feel free to comment below on the photos.

Peace Corps Volunteers want to make a difference wherever they serve. We are always looking for a demonstration that perhaps we have positively affected people and sites. For me it was a Monday. I have been assisting one young man make job applications via the internet. I have especially been helping with the cover letters and some language in his resume. For example, when the application asked about work experience he lists his previous jobs. When the application asked "Why did you leave this position?", he would respond with "to get a better job." I suggested to change to "accept a better job." That does not sound like he is constantly looking to change jobs. Then we work on customizing the cover letter to the specific type of organization or company he is applying to. He gripped my hand one day to express appreciation and said something to the effect that he knows he applies to several positions and does not get a job, but every time he applies he learns something new. "I cannot thank you enough", he said, to which I thought "Men da" - Azerbaijan for "me too".

One of the patrons of the library is a young woman who has graduated from the college in the area of computer information. She comes to the library to improve her English and has begun to voluntarily help students with Word and Excel while she continues to look for employment. The man referred to above, she, and I were walking. She seemed a little down emotionally, and the man filled me in. He had recommended to a friend who was looking for computer help this young woman. Today she found out the company was to hire someone else. The point of the story is this: they did not know each other before they started coming to the library. Networking and referring people for jobs outside of family is not common. But, these two were exceptions and I felt I had been a part of it.

That same week, an older patron of the library had recommended a talented young man for an interpreters position. The common factor was the library. We all make our differences in our own ways.

In Azerbaijani schools it is common that if a student falls behind, little is done to help them catch up. Teachers refer to them as "lazy" students who sit at the back of the classes and teachers do not called upon them for answers. I have tried over the last year to model classroom accommodations that can be made for these students. I have talked with teachers about techniques we could use to help certain students. Most of these accommodations are very easy. One little 5th form student with very thick glasses was moved to the front of the room to better see the board. A 9th form student with cerebral palsey was allowed to enter late and go directly to his seat without a lecture about being late to class. When these simple accommodations helped these students be more successful, then it became easier to add other accommodations. Now we are moving into instructional accommodations for students that probably have learning disabilities. There has been a change in these students' interest level, participation rate and academic performance. Recently during our Mid-Service Conference, the TEFLs (Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) during one of our break-out sessions, brainstormed simple classroom accommodations that could be made here in Azerbaijani classrooms for students with academic, behavior, attention and physical problems. Since there are no special education services in Azerbaijani schools, these classroom accomodations are the most realistic solution at this time.

Finally, our Program and Training Director sent this to Linda:
"Our contact at HQ sent out a newsletter with a few stories from posts in the region, and this one made me think of you. I sat in on part of the TEFL sessions at MSC and remember you talking about classroom accommodations. It's really nice to have volunteers in country with so much prior work experience -- your expertise and love of teaching really came through, and your ideas were simple and easily implementable. Take care, Kristina.

Kazakhstan PCV Builds Self-Reliance

This sucess story from an anonymous PCV in the Organizational and Community Assistance Program (OCAP). Get out your hanky!

'When I first arrived at my organization I was introduced to a little girl in a sheelchair. She was 7 ears old and a total sweetheart. She was told that I would be helping her in school and making sure that she was able to participate in a regular education class. She has cerebral palsy which can make many typical activities difficult.

My first few days in class this student would continually ask me to do things for her. She was alwyas pointing out the things she couldn't do. I quickly realized that it wasn't that she couldn't do things it was that no one had ever told her to try and do it for herself. Slowly I started weaning her off asking for help. At first she would whine and whine and say she couldn't do it without even trying. Finally she would give in and discover that she was in fact able to do many things. Now I can go whole class periods without her asking for help and even sometimes refuse help when its offered. She has gone from saying "I can't" to "I can." On days when seh's tired she'll sometimes look at me with a sad face and ask for help but before I can an answer she knows enough to do it herself. She's started focusing on her skills instead of her disability.'"

Everyone can make a difference.

God's speed, Denney and Linda