Two Watertown Students Taught and Learned During a Trip to Haiti

The following information was provided by MassBay Community College:

Watertown residents and MassBay students Rebecca Melnick and Maria Vasquez joined a group of faculty and students from MassBay Community College and UMass Boston which traveled to Haiti this past semester as part of a project to enhance cross-cultural cooperation and educational partnerships. 

Melnick and Vasquez were two of five students who went on the trip sponsored by the US Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Post secondary Education (FIPSE) Program. 

The project, "Real problems, Real needs, Real solutions: Early Childhood Education Workforce Development in the U.S. and Haiti," emphasizes what U.S. students and Haitian teachers can learn from each other and from each other’scultures.

The trip was summarized as an “amazing experience” by all who traveled. The students described how they were “challenged to step outside of [their] cultural, social, and educational comfort zones,” and learned a lot about themselves in doing so.

For 11 days, the group stayed with a host family in the town of Jacmel, Haiti. There, they observed Haitian culture and explored issues of race, ethnicity, poverty, and social justice as part of the program’s goal to increase cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity. In addition, they travelled to several schools, assisting Haitian preschool teachers and teachers-in-training develop their curriculum and implement new, effective teaching methods.

“It is crucial that teachers continuously learn more about the students they lead within the environment they live in,” said MassBay professor Linda Romero, who also traveled to Haiti, about the importance of cultural competence. “What teachers know and do is one of the most important influences on what students learn.”

Before embarking on the program, Rebecca and Maria took courses on Haitian culture and improving their cultural competence and student teaching skills. Once there, they spent mornings working with the Haitian preschool teachers under supervision from their professors. In the afternoons, they attended classes taught by UMass Boston Professor Marc Prou, learning more about the local culture and practicing Kreyol, the Haitian Creole language.

But the highlight of the trip, everyone agreed, was interacting with the kids. Rebecca, who has previous experience teaching young children as a student teacher, remarked, “A lot was different in Haiti, but the kids were the same everywhere. They were cute, they were loud and wild, they fought—but they were a joy to work with.”

To create games and activities for the students, as is customary in Early Childhood Education programs and practices, the group made use of “trashables” materials they brought on the trip or could find in Haiti, including coffee stirrers, plastic bottles, and rocks.

“We learned that you don’t need state of the art equipment to be ‘good teachers’,” Maria explained. “We made bowling pins out of rocks and bottles and taught them how to play bowling. Even the teachers participated.”

The group recognized that there were many things they could learn from the Haitian teachers as well. Singing and dancing, for example, is a common occurrence at the Haitian schools.

“They’re some of the most enthusiastic teachers I’ve ever seen, singing and dancing with their students,” Maria said, noting how American teachers could use singing and dancing as another form of play in their own classrooms. “Both the Haitian and American teachers learned from each other. They got some valuable tips for the classroom that they didn't know before, and we got some valuable lessons from them too.”

The trip made a lasting impact on everyone involved. Some stressed how the experience gave them a deeper appreciation for teaching, seeing the difference they made in such a short amount of time.

“I learned how not to give up,” Maria said. “Now, I would rather try and fail, than quit and wonder. I took a piece of Haitian culture home with me.” Every student said they would go back if they had another opportunity to re-experience the food, culture, and people in Haiti.

“Jacmel is full of hardworking people that always seem to be out and about. However, at the same time, the place is peaceful and laid back. I met some amazing people over there that I will never forget.”