Local donations bring joy to Fijian students

A LOCAL teacher has returned from a two-week pilot teaching program at a public school in Fiji, where books donated by the Surf Coast community were met with wide smiles and eager hands.

Working with Grade 6 students at the St Joan of Arc Primary School in Korotogo, Torquay’s Jack Hannan spent the grassroots program – initiated by not-for-profit organisation Education is Key – assisting a class of 46 students with their literacy and numeracy skills.

Aiming to bring hard-to-access resources to the school and help it revitalise its library, ahead of his trip, Hannan invited Surf Coast residents to donate educational supplies and picture story books to the students that would help foster a love of reading.

These donations were readily supplied, and the young children, Hannan said, were so excited to receive the books, they quickly became a distraction in the classroom.

 

 

“It was really special seeing how the kids responded… We had kids asking about new words they were unfamiliar with, so how to pronounce them and what the meaning was. We also had a few kids gaining interest in new topics.

“We had a few books that were My First Encyclopedia-style books, and so all of sudden there were kids asking about different animals and different technology. It opened up a whole new world.”

For Hannan the experience had solidified his own approach to teaching.

“One really amazing thing that I found in Fiji was the sense of community. It is really big, it’s really strong and it is really important, and for me, a big part of teaching is relationship building. So it went so well, hand-in-hand, during my time in Fiji.

“For such a short period of time, the response I had was just incredible, so it’s reaffirmed by approach to teaching, as far as relationship building is concerned.”

 

 

At the request of the school, Hannan is now organising another shipment of books to be sent over to the students and is again seeking donations from the Surf Coast community suitable for young children in Prep to Grade 8.

This includes both fiction and non-fiction books aimed at teaching students the basics, as well as learn-to-read picture story books and small chapter books for the older students.

For more information, to donate, or to contact Hannan, head to gofund.me/58319a2e

Education is Key has now opened expressions of interest for teachers interested in participating in the pilot program next year.