“Chita pa bay.”
Translation: “Sitting doesn’t yield. Meaning, one must work to receive.”
About two weeks ago the kids had their 2nd set of exams for the year. The scoring is on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being a perfect score. Any score below 5 is considered failing. After the first set of exams a few of our kids were dangerously close to falling below that 5 marker and unfortunately one of our girls obtained a non passing score. So as an attempted means of motivation I told the kids that anyone who did not pass their exams would not be allowed to watch movies on Friday nights (we normally watch a movie Friday and Saturday evenings). To prove the seriousness of this new rule, the one student who didn’t pass during the first trimester missed Friday night movie every week. Honestly, I felt horrible about this, seeing her sit outside alone, but I knew I had to stick to the rule otherwise it wouldn’t mean anything.
As the kids brought me their report cards I think I was more excited than most of them were. I was praying and hoping all of them passed. And they did! Many of them getting 6’s and 7’s, a huge improvement from the previous exams which were mostly 5’s. Nadine showed the most remarkable improvement, jumping from a 5.44 to a 7.08!! Another motivational tool I use to encourage kids to do homework and study throughout the year is small gifts. The top scores of each class are allowed to pick a small toy from a “treasure bag” I have hidden away just for this occasion.
My hope for giving these little incentives and rewards is to prove this proverb true for these kids. If they want to be the one in their class to choose from the treasure bag they know they have to work for it. Not studying and not doing homework will not get them anything; it has the potential, in fact, to take away certain privileges. I pray they will learn that working hard to does reap its benefits, even if they are not immediate. These kids had to work and study for 2 and a half months before they knew what their reward would be.
Now another trimester begins and I cannot wait to see the improvements I know these kids will make. Please pray for the school and the teachers and the other students and for our kids’ education. Pray that the Lord bless all of the children at Godet Community School with knowledge and understanding that will benefit them both now and in the future.
Leave A Comment