Principal Asst Sittee River Methodist
Donation protected
Hello, My name is Jessica. My family moved to Belize 2 years ago. My kids, Fay (11), and Rex (8) attend the public school, Sittee River Methodist School. It is a very small school with around 75 kids. Because of its small size, the Belize Ministry of Education only allocates 5 teachers for 10 grades. This means each teacher has 2 grades in one classroom. And one of the teachers is ALSO the principal.
It became very apparent to me during my kids' first year at Sittee River that the principal was having a hard time doing both jobs. My daughter was a student in the principal's classroom and she was not receiving nearly enough instruction. The kids in the class were doing anything but schoolwork. I felt like it was a lost year of schooling.
After talking with the principal, we decided to raise money to hire an additional teacher. I raised $5000 last year and we were able to hire an amazing young woman, Elenita. When we started interviewing candidates, we realized we did not need a new teacher, but rather an office secretary and an assistant to the principal. This person was to do everything possible to free up the principal's time so she could teach for much of the day.
Since that moment, Elenita has done so much more. She is the office manager, the sports coordinator, the substitute teacher, the field trip organizer. She knows the name of every single kid in that school and helps keep an eye out for trouble in the yard at break time. She is a consistent presence in the office and is always there for kids that need help.
I do not know how we would function without Elenita at our school, which is why I'm raising money to keep her on another year.
In addition to the GoFundMe campaign I am also trying to raise money in our local community. This past May, I ran an Escape Room at our hotel and we raised $500. Knowing how small our community is and how little extra income our neighbors have, I felt very grateful for this support.
Please help us meet our goal to hire Elenita for the next school year. These kids need and deserve a teacher that can spend her time in the classroom! Thank you for reading! Please share with your friends.
It became very apparent to me during my kids' first year at Sittee River that the principal was having a hard time doing both jobs. My daughter was a student in the principal's classroom and she was not receiving nearly enough instruction. The kids in the class were doing anything but schoolwork. I felt like it was a lost year of schooling.
After talking with the principal, we decided to raise money to hire an additional teacher. I raised $5000 last year and we were able to hire an amazing young woman, Elenita. When we started interviewing candidates, we realized we did not need a new teacher, but rather an office secretary and an assistant to the principal. This person was to do everything possible to free up the principal's time so she could teach for much of the day.
Since that moment, Elenita has done so much more. She is the office manager, the sports coordinator, the substitute teacher, the field trip organizer. She knows the name of every single kid in that school and helps keep an eye out for trouble in the yard at break time. She is a consistent presence in the office and is always there for kids that need help.
I do not know how we would function without Elenita at our school, which is why I'm raising money to keep her on another year.
In addition to the GoFundMe campaign I am also trying to raise money in our local community. This past May, I ran an Escape Room at our hotel and we raised $500. Knowing how small our community is and how little extra income our neighbors have, I felt very grateful for this support.
Please help us meet our goal to hire Elenita for the next school year. These kids need and deserve a teacher that can spend her time in the classroom! Thank you for reading! Please share with your friends.
Organizer
Jessica Lowe
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN