Beans as a Pedagogical Tool

“They had the patience to teach them”, said Nueva Suyapa resident Reina Martinez with much gratitude. She refers to the work of the Gideon Project and their counselors in helping her three grandchildren overcome their speech problems.

Twins Jonathan and Tonya and cousin Darwin, as seven-year olds, had difficulty pronouncing many words, often still using “baby talk” to communicate. They had not attended kindergarten and were denied admission to first grade at their local public school. Concerned, the twin's grandmother and Darwin 's mother sought the help of Gideon on the recommendation of a past beneficiary. The children made great academic strides thanks to weekly speech therapy sessions with Nazaria, the Gideon Project psychologist. But public schools still required a kindergarten diploma for enrollment.

A Gideon counselor, Augustina, promised she would do everything possible to get the diplomas. As providence would have it, Augustina had previously been trained by a government-endorsed alternative education program. She provided individual tutoring in order to prepare the children pass a kindergarten equivalency exam.

She was resourceful in her methods of teaching, using one of the most commonly found items in Honduran households. “They learned how to spell using beans,” she explained, smiling. By arranging them on a table, they formed the letters of their names; an activity, their mothers observe, the children continue to happily practice.

After passing their exam, a small graduation ceremony was given for the three new kindergarteners. The diplomas presented to them now hang on their walls as a reminder of their accomplishments.

Augustina's commitment to the children continues: she regularly calls their mother to see how they are doing and how the enrollment process is going.

Thanks to the services provided at a symbolic cost of 10 Lempiras ( 50 cents) per appointment by this AJS-supported project, Jonathan, Tonya, and Darwin are now moving on to their next challenge: first grade.

Read more about the Gideon Project

The Association for a More Just Society (AJS) oversees and funds initiatives carried out by Honduran partner organization la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ). AJS is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so all donations to AJS are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.