Another 9th Grade Post

Last week I wrote about a 9th grade student named Ti Blanc. Then I shared the results of the national exams for 9th grade. Today I have a piece of writing from one of the 9th grade assignments this year. To help the students practice writing in English, I gave them each a paper with a topic already written on it. They were required to write 25 sentences about that topic. I know that sounds like a lot. It was. They made me mad the week before, so I gave them a longer assignment as a punishment.

Anyway, this particular piece of writing comes from Jean Ricard, who is probably the best with English in his class. He was also the class president this year. It's not perfect English, but I think you'll get the general idea of what he wants to convey.

Student Spotlight: Ti Blanc

Ti Blanc (pronounced tee blahn) is translated as "little white." His real name is Dieufills, but I’ve never heard anyone call him that. Nicknames are common in Haiti and his dad is likely called Blanc because he has lighter skin. Therefore the son became Ti Blanc because he’s a smaller version of his dad.

Ti Blanc was in 9th grade last year. To move on to 10th grade, students must pass the national exam for the 9th grade level. Along with the rest of the 9th grade students, Ti Blanc had to take and pass a national exam in order to move on to 10th grade. The scores are in and Ti Blanc will be moving on to 10th grade this year. This young man is a natural leader, and often keeps his classmates in line when they act out during class. In addition the kid is hilarious, but he is also very responsible and sets a good example for other students. 

An example of his antics: This is Ti Blanc's awesome outfit for the end of school year party. I burst out laughing when I saw him the first time that morning. I can't tell you how ridiculous this outfit is in the mountain of Haiti. The other kids thought he looked like a painter and they laughed quite a bit about it. He was very proud of having a funny outfit for the party.

National Exams

Similar to public school in the United States, students in Haiti are required to take standardized national exams. At the end of grade 6, 9, and 12 students must pass an exam to move on to the next grade level. At the end of grade 13 students must pass a test to graduate from secondary school.

Haitian national exams work a little differently than ISTEP+ in Indiana. Currently in Indiana students are tested in Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies or Science depending on the year. In Haiti, students are tested in every subject. Another difference is in the scoring. In Haiti students receive a score for each subject, but all their scores together determine passing and failing. For example, the test may have 700 points possible. A student could receive a 0 in math and still pass because the sum of their other subject scores is enough to meet the cut off.

Recently the 6th grade scores were released. Gramothe 6th graders had a 95% passing rate with 41 of 43 students passing. MTM's school in Dumay had 78% passing rate with 14 of 18 students passing the national exam. The two classes combined had a 90% passing rate. That's incredible!

Hopefully the 9th and 12th grade scores will be released soon so I can find out how my students did. I hope their scores are just as amazing.

I miss Haiti

Mark Your Calendars

I will be sharing about Haiti and my students at Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church in Goshen, Indiana on Sunday August 21st.

I will speak very briefly during both morning services (3-5 minutes) and then I'll head over to the Sunday school area to share in more depth about what I'm doing in Gramothe.

WHO: Britney Smith
WHAT: sharing about Haiti
WHERE: Brennemen Memorial Missionary Church, 61115 State Road 15, Goshen, IN 46528
WHEN: Sunday August 21st at 9am & 10:30am

Student Spotlight: Samy

Samy is a man of integrity, a hard worker, and one of our brightest students in Gramothe. He will be in the Philo class this year (the equivalent of being a senior), which means he will be in our first graduating class in May. When he graduates from high school, Samy would like to attend university and/or seminary.

Samy came to us from Cap Haitian, which is on the north coast and several long hours away by car. The details of how he came to be in our area are still a little fuzzy for me. His family still lives in Cap Haitian, and when I first arrived in Haiti last September, Samy was homeless. For a while he bounced between homes of other students, but in June Willem found a more suitable living arrangement for him. Life has been difficult Samy, but he hasn’t given up his hopes and dreams for the future. He knows that with God the impossible can become reality.

Student Spotlight: Ojimene

This is beginning of a new blog series. I miss my students in Haiti. Many of you tell me you enjoy learning more about specific students. Every so often I will introduce you to one of my high school students in Haiti. I'll tell you a little about their personality and what I have learned through observation and conversation.


Ojimene (woh-gee-men) is 17 years old and will be in Rheto (the equivalent of being a junior) for the 2011-2012 school year. She is timid, curious, and gentle. Ojimene lives in Thomassin 48 very near to Willem and Beth’s home. I often see her carrying water and running errands for her mother. One of the things I like most about Ojimene is her beautiful smile. She enjoys playing jokes on others and is very rarely without a smile. Ojimene patiently decodes my attempts at speaking Creole and speaks slowly so I can understand her. She is not very confident speaking English, but she is quite sassy with the boys in her class. The girl can definitely hold her own. Ojimene dreams of becoming a doctor when she finishes high school.

Support Update

This has been a very encouraging week.

1. I received an e-mail that a couple wants to donate $1000 to my ministry in Haiti.
2. I am tentatively scheduled to share at my parents' church on Aug. 21st. Once it's confirmed I'll share more details.
3. Some friends e-mailed me yesterday to say they are going to partner with me for $100/month, which is totally awesome. But it's even better: they want to bless Arold and me with more talk time while I'm here in the States. I sent the "how to" email a couple of hours and go and they've already sent some minutes to Arold's phone.

Such sweet blessings.

Who do you know?

I mentioned earlier this month that I will be able to return to Haiti and my teaching position there when I am fully funded. In order to live and teach in Haiti, I need $2500 a month. Thankfully some very awesome people (most of whom sponsored me last year too) have collectively pledged $1200 per month. In order to raise the remaining support I need, I am sharing the story of how God is working in Gramothe and giving people the opportunity to partner with me in ministry. Already I’m scheduled to share with two area churches and at a camp in the coming weeks, but I would like share with more people.

Today I’m asking for your help. Would you consider your connections? Do you know a group or organization that would like to learn more about what God’s doing in Haiti? Do you attend a church that is looking for a ministry to partner with financially and relationally? Mountain Top Ministries hosts teams from the US and Canada who serve in a variety of ways (medical clinics, construction, teacher training, pastoral training, church seminars, etc). Do you own or work for a business that makes tax deductible donations to non-profit organizations? Do you know someone who is looking for a cause to champion? Do you know an individual who is passionate about education, serving the poor, or missions?

Who do you know that could potentially partner with me in breaking the bonds of poverty in Haiti?

Shoot my an e-mail at britneyLsmith(at)gmail(dot)com with any connections you are willing to share with me.

Sseko Sandals: I want some!

In case you don't know I work for a non-profit organization, specifically a ministry. One of my favorite things about Mountain Top Ministries is the fact that they empower Haitians to change their own lives. They don't just give handouts to people; they do ministry in a way that gives dignity to the people they're serving. MTM teaches skills and then provides opportunities for Haitians to use those skills. It's a beautiful thing.

This week I learned about a company in Uganda that has the same philosophy. Sseko Sandals provides young Ugandan women the opportunity to further their education. In the 9 months between high school graduation and the start of university classes, Sseko Sandals hires young women to make sandals so they can afford to attend university. As their website says, "These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war." And I believe them.
 
Check out the Sseko website to get the whole story. They just celebrated their second birthday, and they have lots of stories and pictures on their website. I am really impressed with this company and what they are doing in Uganda. After you spend some time perusing the website, buy yourself some sandals!!!

I am currently drooling over all the possibilities. I will find a way to work these sandals into my budget. And when I do, I'm sure there will be more pictures here on my blog.