Lets Be Ready

"Even what seems impossible, becomes possible when trying"

Hello everybody!

The Lets be Ready team wants to express its gratitude to all our sponsors for their donations, we know that it has not been easy due to the pandemic, but even so, you have not left us in these difficult times. So "THANK YOU SO MUCH" for your contribution.

We want to tell you that we are very happy, because almost the majority of the communities in which our teachers are located are already working in person. Obviously following the prevention measures and biosafety protocols. The children are attending in small groups, with a maximum of 5 children per group and 3 days a week, for two or three hours (depending on the location). There are only two communities that are working from home, this because the authorities still do not allow it. Without a doubt, we are in a better situation than last year. And it can be seen in the results that have been obtained in the last month.

Our teachers have been very resourceful and creative, each in their own way, having endeavored to put Bloom's Taxonomy method into practice. Some have had very good results with this method and others continue to explore it. Adapting to a new way of teaching is not always easy, yet teachers are working hard to change the traditional for the new. There are those who are always looking for new ideas so they always work with recyclable materials. An example of this is our dear teacher Evelyn Loch, who teaches classes in the “Patzicía” community. She is very creative and every year she changes her activities, without a doubt she is a leader in her community. In the photos below you can see what I mean ...

The progress of children is very noticeable, many already know how to write their name, they know the colors, shapes, lines and they already know how to follow a pattern. Progress is clearly being faster and broader than last year. Parents are very grateful for our work and the support we always give them.

The first delivery of the nutritious drink "Chispuditos" has also been made and in some communities, the weight and height of each of the children was carried out. Parents and children are very happy and grateful to have this help. Each mother prepares it at home and sends the Atol cup to her son to drink at school. It is being done in this way so that there is no contact between the other mothers when preparing the drink, and thus avoid the spread of the virus.

Now we are working with a small group of 6 teachers, in a pilot program for the “Early Stimulation of Reading from Home”, we already had our first two meetings, one virtual and one face-to-face. We were talking about the possible obstacles that we could find in our communities and what we could do to face them. We have two people who are analyzing the information, Jeff Barnes and Jacqueline Figueroa, experts on the subject. This new method will not only work with children, but also with parents. It will be very interesting, but later I will have all the details already put into practice.

Once again, we thank you for your support and the great heart you have in helping us. May God continue to bless you! And we wish the well-being of your entire family. See you next month, see you soon ...

"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the World" (Nelson Mandela).

Hello everyone, it is a pleasure to write to you again. I hope you and your families are doing well. Everyone in the Let's be Ready program is very happy for this new school year, we hope to meet the expectations and goals proposed for this year.

The directors of the Let’s be Ready program organized a small two-day workshop last January, taking into account all the biosecurity measures due to the pandemic; this in order to share ideas of how it was worked during the 2020 cycle, and to show you a new method to work this year.

With the help of Nancy Carpenter, Lucy Diaz and I (Margarita Bejarano), we shared new ideas and a new method for teachers called “Critical Thinking”; based on the steps of Bloom's Taxonomy. We do a lot of research on this topic to understand it and thus explain it in a simple way to our educators. Surely you have heard it, it consists in ensuring that students acquire meaningful learning that lasts a lifetime; Making the child learn new knowledge and skills, after carrying out a learning process. We are all very excited to apply this new method.

As it is very extensive, we are going to start applying it in reading; that is why during these first 5 months we will work with 5 star books, putting into practice the steps of Bloom's Taxonomy and thus achieving an effective “Critical Thinking” in our children. We hope to have good results for the training in July, where everyone will share how it went, if it worked for them or not.

Due to the Pandemic, the government of our country has given instructions on how schools, colleges and institutions will work to teach during this year. Colors are being used to mark the places with the most infections, such as the traffic light. For example, if my community is in red, the boys still cannot attend classes. But if it is green, it can, but in small groups and only on certain days of the week, not every day. That is why we are working differently in each of the communities where our schools are located.

Some are giving face-to-face classes in small groups three times a week, others are making home visits every 15 days to leave homework and reinforce topics. And others are working with job guides; because the community situation is still at risk of contagion.

It has been a bit difficult to start this way, but we are willing to do everything we can to help our boys get ahead together. Even though some of us will continue to work from home, they are very excited and that is one more reason for me not to give up.

We have already started classes and it has been a success; I hope I can tell you more in the next report. Thank you so much for giving us another year of support and not leaving us. May God Bless you and allow you to meet your proposed goals for this year.

Greetings to everyone from Guatemala.

“The problems we face every day are inevitable; But it is the way we solve them that will make us different. " And without a doubt, that was demonstrated this past year 2020.

It was difficult, because many of us faced different situations that at some point we did not know what to do; but it was not an impediment to find a solution and thus get ahead. I am pleased to tell you that I greatly appreciate the effort and dedication shown by our dear teachers. Each one had their challenges and obstacles that could be a source of discouragement or even surrender; but they proved capable and willing, so as not to stop educating their children.

We managed to carry out an oral and written evaluation, to see what the results were this year. Each teacher adapted the assessment according to the topics they saw during the year and according to their progress. We take into account prevention and biosecurity measures. Some carried out the evaluation from house to house, others in groups of 3 children and only one teacher in the "Canoa" community did it by phone calls (This because the community authorities do not allow anyone who does not live in the community, as protection from Covid-19). It was a challenge for all of us, but very satisfying. I can tell you that out of 15 children we had in each school, from 2 to 3 children, they were the ones who could not continue. Unfortunately there were parents who showed no interest in homework or in asking what to do; others did not have the means to do so and there were those who did not know how to read or write; so they did not understand the tasks. In general data, I can say that of the 100% of children we had in the beginning, 20% no longer continued and 80% came out successfully.

Another important activity that was accomplished was weighing and carving the children. José Tun, in charge of Nutrition, came to the communities to do it. The help of the parents when preparing the atol at home was key to noticing the changes in the growth and weight of their children. Most of our children gained an average of 3 to 5 pounds; and they grew from 2 to 4 centimeters. The parents were very happy and grateful for this help. They closely watched the changes and benefits of this drink (CHISPUDITOS), when they provided it to their children at home.

Also in some communities, teachers were able to organize the delivery of diplomas, in recognition of the classes and to end the school year. Some teachers were able to do a small ceremony, as an act of graduation in groups; others did it individually (of course, always taking into account prevention and biosecurity measures). Although let me tell you that this recognition is also taken by parents, since many of them had to learn to be teachers to carry out all the activities that we asked of them. If it had not been for the dedication, effort and above all the interest in the education of their children; the success of all children would not be possible. So they also deserve our admiration.

We have finished then, one more year. Everyone in the program is very happy, satisfied with the work we did; But most of all, we are grateful to all of our donors. Without a doubt, your help also played a very important role in the education of these children, because they never left us. They were always there, sending their contributions. For that and many more reasons, thank you very much for that great altruistic heart that you all have. Thank you very much for everything! May Jehovah God bless you and you are well, we hope to tell you more next year. Greetings and virtual hugs, from Guatemala.

The phrase "Don't lower the goal, increase the effort" I believe is fulfilled in the work that we have all managed to achieve this year. That's right, despite the current situation we continue to work with great enthusiasm and effort. Fundamental qualities both to do our work and to transmit it to our children.

During this year we have had children who have surprised us a lot, because their performance has been noted. So in this report I want to share with you two very interesting stories of children who have worked so hard during the year to get to where they are.

In one of the schools we have in Patzicía, there is Elba. A very enthusiastic and hard-working teacher, who works double-shift taking care of preschool children in the morning and in the afternoon helping elementary school children between 7 and 12 years old, who need reinforcement.

Among the preschool children is Cristian, 5 years old. A very diligent child, who despite having difficulties in the pronunciation of words at first, had a very limited vocabulary and it was difficult for him to retain new knowledge; made significant progress this year. The truth is all this is due to the teamwork between the teacher and Cristian's mother, she was always aware of the tasks. In addition, she took the role of teacher at home very seriously, as she told stories, played games and dynamics so that her children better understand the homework that the teachers sent them. She constantly asked for ideas and suggestions on how she could teach a certain topic. It also supported the program that the Ministry of Education of our country "I learn at home", which was broadcast on television. Cristian complied with doing all the tasks and activities that his teacher assigned him, that helped him develop certain skills, such as: Improve his vocabulary, have better concentration and retention of concepts, associate number with quantity, improve his fine motor skills, pronounce the sounds of the letters that make up the alphabet among others. Elba says that she is very happy and satisfied with Cristian's results, thanks to the interest, effort and dedication that she and the child's mother showed.

In the afternoon session (extracurricular), we met José; who is in first grade and is 7 years old. It has been difficult for her to retain new knowledge, because reading has been very difficult for him He only has the support of her older siblings, because her parents cannot read. In the personalized visits that Elba made, it was noticed that José was not making progress in his reading and writing, despite the help she received at home. So a plan was devised to support her. Elba looked for ideas and simple activities for her to work at home, but first she explained them to the older siblings, so that later when she taught her brother José, he would understand it better. They also relied on homework assigned to them in public school. And once again, thanks to the dedication, effort and teamwork, José has made progress in his reading and writing, he also performs addition and subtraction. He is very happy because now he can understand what he is learning and is better prepared for next year.

It has certainly not been easy this year, but it has been proven that if we do not give up and strive for what we want, it is very likely that we will obtain very good results.

Well, this has been all for now, I hope to write to you again in the next few days to tell you how we finished the cycle. Once again Thank you for supporting all our donors, we love you very much, greetings and hugs from Guatemala.

"A problem is an opportunity to give the best we have"

It is incredible that we are already two months away from the end of the year, but despite the world situation we are going through, we have learned to get ahead with a lot of effort and dedication.

It has not been easy, because the changes we have faced have affected us physically and emotionally. Even so, the moral support shown to each other has helped to overcome those bad times.

I want to tell you that both parents and our children are very happy about the nutritious drink "Chispuditos". Because month by month it is being provided so that they do not stop taking it. Parents have expressed words of gratitude, as they have recognized that it is a necessary and very effective drink for the growth of their children. Most of our teachers are in charge of personally delivering the nutritional drink bag to each of your children; thus ensuring that no one is needed.

Some months ago they were also provided coriander, lettuce, radish and spinach seeds; some teachers to garden at home with each of their children. And taking advantage of the fact that in these months the subject of plants and the process they carry out is taught, most teachers carried out this activity with their group of children. The children loved it, as these types of activities help them to observe more closely the changes of a living being and to acquire responsibility and respect when taking care of a plant. Obviously this was possible, thanks to the help of the parents at home. They have been a very important source of support for all our teachers, thanks to them the progress and goals with our children have been met. In the photos you can see the effort and dedication that the boys put into planting and caring for their plants. Some have already had their first harvest and others have tried again, because the first time it did not work for them.

In our country, on October 1, “Children's Day” is celebrated, but due to circumstances it was not possible to celebrate it with our children. Even so, some teachers ingeniously sent little mementos to their students to cheer them up on their day. Thank God, all of our children are in good health and none of them have been ill with the virus.

With each passing day, we approach the end of the school year. Which has turned out to be full of surprises due to the changes we have undergone. But despite that, we have had very good results with almost most of our children. I hope to write to you next month, to tell you more details about the results obtained with the education of our boys during this year.

Thank you for your donations and God Bless you for your generosity.