Post by title1parent on Jun 28, 2010 5:15:11 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=390220&src=76
Naperville teacher off to Kenya for volunteer mission
By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald 6/28/10
For some people, stepping out of their comfort zone is trying a new food, speaking in front of a crowd or learning a new language. But Crone Middle School teacher Melissa Bachler is pushing well beyond the boundaries of her comfort zone for the sake of helping underprivileged children.
Bachler, who teaches language arts and social studies at the Naperville school, leaves today to begin a month of living in a cow manure-and-mud hut on a sugar cane farm in Kabula, Kenya. During her four-week stay, she will volunteer at a local school helping the children with reading and math.
While in college Bachler volunteered at the local disability center by reading books onto tape for residents and tutoring weekly, but she had gotten away from it since then. A single woman with the whole summer ahead of her, Bachler decided to return, headfirst, to volunteerism.
After looking into volunteer opportunities in the United States, Bachler said she felt she could do more "in a place that needs more."
"I found a grass-roots group, Volunteer Kenya, that will allow me to immerse myself in something I've never seen before and bring me home much more appreciative for what I have," she said. "I've learned that, in Kenya, boys are educated and the girls are left behind because education is so expensive, about the equivalent of $50 American a month."
During her stay Bachler will assist a Swahili teacher at Etico Johns School, a volunteer elementary school for girls with 450 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. She'll help teach the younger students English and math skills. When not working, she and three other volunteers will sleep in a mud hut on property owned by her host family.
"It will be kind of like college again with the four of us on bunk beds in the hut," she joked. "It will take some getting used to."
Bachler said her family was in disbelief when initially told of her plans but realized she was serious when Bachler began raising money for her trip.
"Ever since then, they've been nothing but supportive of my efforts," she said. "My Crone family has also gone out of their way to do anything they can to help me prepare."
Crone Principal Stan Gorbatkin hired Bachler four years ago and called her a dedicated and passionate child advocate.
"I was not at all surprised when she told us of her plans because if there was a teacher to take this trip on, she'd be the one because she's a big-picture thinker and a giver," Gorbatkin said. "She's a very hardworking, well-rounded and humble individual who will benefit from taking on an endeavor that stretches her ability like this."
Bachler admits that some health and physical safety warnings that have been issued may have dissuaded her from the trip had she known about them before signing up.
"I'm signed up so I'm going," she said. "The best advice from people who have taken similar trips is to trust people you are there with," she said. "The Kenyan family will take care of me."
She'll also be arriving with a few things to take care of herself as well. Trip planners advised she bring a mosquito net, any of her medication and chocolate. She also was advised to bring as few clothes as possible because all laundry is done by hand.
"So I'll have to go a whole month with only one pair of pajamas, one bathing suit and about four dresses," she said. "It's going to be a challenge."
The rest of her bags will be filled with paper, writing utensils, markers and colored pencils for the students.
She's not sure how, but she intends to incorporate her experience into her lesson plans next school year to let her students know about "things I've seen and places in the world that are less fortunate than us."
That will likely be a lesson plan Gorbatkin sits in on.
"To have a staff member engage in activities like this and come back and talk about her experiences with the student population and faculty is a great opportunity," he said. "We're all really proud of what she's doing and wish her the best."
Naperville teacher off to Kenya for volunteer mission
By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald 6/28/10
For some people, stepping out of their comfort zone is trying a new food, speaking in front of a crowd or learning a new language. But Crone Middle School teacher Melissa Bachler is pushing well beyond the boundaries of her comfort zone for the sake of helping underprivileged children.
Bachler, who teaches language arts and social studies at the Naperville school, leaves today to begin a month of living in a cow manure-and-mud hut on a sugar cane farm in Kabula, Kenya. During her four-week stay, she will volunteer at a local school helping the children with reading and math.
While in college Bachler volunteered at the local disability center by reading books onto tape for residents and tutoring weekly, but she had gotten away from it since then. A single woman with the whole summer ahead of her, Bachler decided to return, headfirst, to volunteerism.
After looking into volunteer opportunities in the United States, Bachler said she felt she could do more "in a place that needs more."
"I found a grass-roots group, Volunteer Kenya, that will allow me to immerse myself in something I've never seen before and bring me home much more appreciative for what I have," she said. "I've learned that, in Kenya, boys are educated and the girls are left behind because education is so expensive, about the equivalent of $50 American a month."
During her stay Bachler will assist a Swahili teacher at Etico Johns School, a volunteer elementary school for girls with 450 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. She'll help teach the younger students English and math skills. When not working, she and three other volunteers will sleep in a mud hut on property owned by her host family.
"It will be kind of like college again with the four of us on bunk beds in the hut," she joked. "It will take some getting used to."
Bachler said her family was in disbelief when initially told of her plans but realized she was serious when Bachler began raising money for her trip.
"Ever since then, they've been nothing but supportive of my efforts," she said. "My Crone family has also gone out of their way to do anything they can to help me prepare."
Crone Principal Stan Gorbatkin hired Bachler four years ago and called her a dedicated and passionate child advocate.
"I was not at all surprised when she told us of her plans because if there was a teacher to take this trip on, she'd be the one because she's a big-picture thinker and a giver," Gorbatkin said. "She's a very hardworking, well-rounded and humble individual who will benefit from taking on an endeavor that stretches her ability like this."
Bachler admits that some health and physical safety warnings that have been issued may have dissuaded her from the trip had she known about them before signing up.
"I'm signed up so I'm going," she said. "The best advice from people who have taken similar trips is to trust people you are there with," she said. "The Kenyan family will take care of me."
She'll also be arriving with a few things to take care of herself as well. Trip planners advised she bring a mosquito net, any of her medication and chocolate. She also was advised to bring as few clothes as possible because all laundry is done by hand.
"So I'll have to go a whole month with only one pair of pajamas, one bathing suit and about four dresses," she said. "It's going to be a challenge."
The rest of her bags will be filled with paper, writing utensils, markers and colored pencils for the students.
She's not sure how, but she intends to incorporate her experience into her lesson plans next school year to let her students know about "things I've seen and places in the world that are less fortunate than us."
That will likely be a lesson plan Gorbatkin sits in on.
"To have a staff member engage in activities like this and come back and talk about her experiences with the student population and faculty is a great opportunity," he said. "We're all really proud of what she's doing and wish her the best."