Reading Rainbow

I now work at the Library in my village from 4-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays after I finish working with the Primary School. The first 2 hours are for the Primary school kids and last 2 hours for Secondary. I’m excited about the enthusiasm from both children who want to come and the parents who want them to go, but with that excitement I also worry that the interest will only be there as long as I’m around to open the library.

Luckily, I’m getting some help from a few neighbors; actually more than a little, if it wasn’t for them I probably would have quit opening the library after the 1^st week. The kids treat the Library like a McDonald’s Playhouse and saying “Shhh” doesn’t do anything; it’s the presence of the Tongan adults that keep it somewhat in order.

I’m a little irritated that so far about 75% or more of the pencils, crayons, and markers that people have sent me from the States have walked away from the Activities Table I put together. Plus 3 books were thrown away in the bush by some jerk in high school. But I’m not going to get too discouraged, everyone has to learn about libraries and taking care of books, and someone has to do the teaching (raising my hand) and that’s what I’ll try to do. Number one lesson is going to be if one keeps taking all of the pencils, crayons, etc, then they will cease to be provided in the Library.

Speaking of beefing up the Library with supplies and resources, the Primary School in my village has so many alphabet charts, poster materials, books! SOOO many books! That are never, let me make that clear, NEVER used. And when I ask if I can take something to the village library so that it may be used, by the same children mind you, the answers range from…”Sorry, no” or “Not Allowed” WTF? Seriously, god where is the brick wall so that I may strike my head against it?

Lately my best chance at getting these kids to practice speaking and doing activities is at the library where they do not cower for fear of being wrong and being hit…and I don’t have any materials to do it with. The SCHOOL of all places has a plethora that the teachers care nothing about using, and would rather let it all sit there being eaten by bugs, rats, and time slowly demolish them all. This is either hysterically funny or painfully sad, or both, but mostly the latter.

At least more people from the village are starting to recognize of what a waste it is to have resources like libraries and such, just to never use them. Before long I may be writing about how the library is being used every day and how there are computers in the computer lab, and…well I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. A kid reading more is enough for now, and maybe one day it’ll be like Reading Rainbow in Tefisi, minus Lamar Burton unfortunately.