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SMHS grad builds library, teaches English
By Emily Elders
Cara Wittekind, a 2005 Smoky Mountain High School graduate, didn’t spend her first summer as a college student hanging out at the beach with her friends.
She didn’t get an easy summer job, go on vacation with her parents or drive around with her radio blaring.
Cara, the daughter of John and Rachel Wittekind of Cullowhee, decided to do something different when her Morehead Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill funded a service summer which she was required to complete.
Smoky Mountain High School graduate Cara Wittekind, second from right, spent this past summer volunteering to teach English in Costa Rica. As part of her service project, she raised money from her church, family and friends to buy almost 100 books for a library at this high school in San Joaquin de Tuis. Wittekind and her students take a look at some of the new books, which include everything from classic literary titles and modern fantasy novels to scientific field guides and volumes of poetry. Students had only textbooks to read before Wittekind began the library.
Cara joined the WorldTeach volunteer program, funded through Harvard University’s Center for International Development, after meeting with a representative on campus.
The WorldTeach program makes it possible for undergraduates to travel to a developing country for two months and to teach English in the country’s elementary and high schools.
“I chose to go to Costa Rica because the government there is in the middle of some big reforms, including major changes to the educational system of the country,” Cara said. “I’m enrolled in the education program at Carolina, so I chose a teaching-based service.”
One of the reforms is the implementation of the “Telesecundaria,” or television high school. Lessons are broadcast on videos to rural towns which previously offered no secondary school, and cover all the school subjects that would be taught in a traditional high school.
“The opportunity to be the human component in these kids’ educations and provide an interactive learning experience is what drew me to the program,” she said.
The 10-week experience began with an intensive introduction for Cara’s group of volunteers, which included both students and professionals from all over the world. The volunteers spent a week together in Orosi, Costa Rica, where they received a “crash course” in Costa Rican culture, English as a second language education and intensive Spanish.
After that, Cara said, it was off to her site, bags packed with supplies the schools were lacking. She was stationed in San Joaquin de Tuis, population 250, with a host family that included three children as well as two parents.
“I had thought that Orosi was small, but after two hours in a truck on these winding mountain roads, I realized that I was truly going to be in the middle of nowhere,” said Cara. “The beauty of the mountains more than made up for it, though.”
Cara said her experience began with her host family before she even started teaching at the local school.
“I learned to milk cows and make cheese and to cook traditional Costa Rican meals. And I loved the coffee! None of the coffee came from more than 100 miles away, so I really began looking forward to it.”
After her introduction to her host family and the town, which encompassed few buildings aside from two churches, two stores, two schools and a soccer field, it was time for Cara to begin teaching. Her students ranged from seventh- to 11th-graders and were grouped in classes of eight students apiece.
“The four-hour classes and the small group size allowed me to really personalize the lessons,” she said. “I followed the regular English teacher’s plan for subject matter, but I did a lot more interactive projects too, which the students rarely got to do.”
Cara said she also taught art classes to the entire school (only 32 students) during her second month. Some of their projects included learning to mix colors using painter’s wheels, and designing and making jewelry.
In addition to teaching ESL, the WorldTeach program requires volunteers to complete one community service project during their time at a site. Volunteers are allowed to choose an area in which to work, as long as it fills a need that the local area has not been able to provide.
In San Joaquin de Tuis, one major problem the students had was that there was no reading material available to them other than their textbooks.
“I decided to undertake the project of building a bookshelf and benches for the school, and adding a library for students to use,” said Cara. “The students told me they would read if they had access to books, so I wrote home to ask for help.”
Cara’s plea went to the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Sylva, of which she is a member. Her letters home inspired members of the congregation, and some of her family and friends, to donate money for books, and Cara was able to purchase almost 100 books. In accordance with the students’ wishes, she stocked the shelves with both old and new literary works, including books by Plato, Isabel Allende, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, and even love poetry and scientific field guides.
“This was a great way for me to experience a new culture first-hand and also to participate in something so much bigger than a vacation. I am so glad this experience has been a part of my life,” said Cara, who continues to keep in touch with both her fellow volunteers and her host family.
Those interested in more information about WorldTeach can contact the organization at www.worldteach.org.
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