A Marga Melange

"To truly be inspired for great work, you need to know that you're making a difference. That you're putting a meaningful dent in the universe. That you're part of something that's making a difference and that your role in that something is significant. . . "

--David Heinemeier

In this long-overdue return to posting I am going to rely on past emails to present the bountiful influence of Peace Corps Volunteer Marga McElroy to One Candle Schoolhouse. The quote above was chosen in response to a conversation we'd had when I tried to thank her for the many lesson plans she'd created and donated to us. Because her assignment hosts had not known how to take advantage of her vast knowledge and energy, she'd felt ineffectual until her self-motivated projects found a home within our school.

At this writing, Bill and I are again in California for sudden medical reasons, which means that I cannot be with Marga a last time before her assignment ends, in August, when she returns to the East Coast. However, the good news is that being away from the school now provides me with the time to return to updating blogs, so I will start with Marga, her passion for learning, the meaningful 'dent' she made upon us at the school...and my sincere expression of love and respect for a wonderful person.

On Tue, 4/28/09, Betty Halliwell <bettyhalliwell@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Greetings from Books for Peace. Marga McElroy informed me that you could use a shipment from us. Please see the attachment.

Our website address is <www.booksforpeace.org>

Marga had written:

Diane Pool in Brgy Tambobo, Siaton has One Candle School House, her own project where she uses art to teach kids crafts, writing about their illustrations (& vice versa),life skills & self esteem thru their art works. She would LOVE books on drawing! She does a 8-5 scool on sat yr-round at her house for nearly 20 kids (theres a waiting list) & a satellite learning center where they older kids teach the younger ones sun mornings at Siit barangay hall then they are actually BUILDING a learning center at Bonbonon Brgy. She had 90 kids show up for the 3 day/week summer school! Amazing! Chek out the web site or blog whatever--Onecandle school.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 9:34 AM<poolbilldiane@yahoo.com>wrote:

"(Dear Barbara)...the turning over of the school to the Learning Centers takes much more of my time than I'd anticipated, but is worth it. There are leaders emerging, and I'll paste a bit of a letter I just wrote to my relatives, telling them about the opportunity for getting books from the states for our libraries. It will fill in somewhat our activities. If I ever get back to our blogs, you'll see it pasted there, too:

Dear Aunt Maxine, Larry, Vicki, Michele, Danielle & Kyle -

Yesterday's email to you was probably confusing as I was pressed by an unexpected call to attend a Bonbonon Barangay meeting to discuss the need for more volunteers and donations, to continue building the Learning Center, but I think you could follow it from the successive emails attached.

It was an impulse to add all your names--born of your previous offer, Aunt Maxine, to send another donation. Your first made our Working Student program possible but I know the tax deduction makes it easier, so when you'd offered again, I'd not wanted you to do more. until we could offer that. However, when this opportunity popped up I immediately thought of you and how appropriate it was since you were the main influence for my love of books!...and then I thought of all you others who have also expressed interest in our school, and since Books for Peace is located so close to you it seemed a way to make it more real, more viable, to help us.

I have often quoted Tracy Kidder's observation about the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, in Haiti, about "Lives of Service need Lives of Support". Betty Halliwell and her husband are providing a much-needed service--not only to us, here, but many other places so it seemed a way to let others know about the work they are doing, in case you or someone else could possibly support her and us at the same time.

The forward below gives information about how Betty's system works. If you check the website, you'll see that it is connected to Peace Corps volunteers. I became aware of it because last weekend, Peace Corps volunteer Marga McElroy stayed with us and taught all the volunteer teachers for both Learning Centers how to teach a PowerPoint Presentation on Bio-Diversity.

Actually, it was also a lesson in how to Teach Interactively; not just lecture students. What is so fantastic about this is that the majority of "teachers" we have for the budding Bonbonon Center are our One Candle students! Ethel is the youngest--she's thirteen.

There were fourteen in all that Marga spent the morning with: eight who are still in high school; two former OCS students but who are now college scholarship students (entering 3rd year, 2nd year); two unemployed high school graduates who are starting our Working Student program; Gina, from another team of Working Students who is nearing the end of her Program, and Evelyn, the woman who took charge of establishing the very active Si-it Learning Center. Janefel (graduating Working Student) and Renato (#1 handy-man) were both working elsewhere Saturday, but they are my two right-hand persons for the Learning Center project.

When the group came downstairs after Marga had made her presentation to them (exhorting them to not think of themselves as simple volunteers, but as real teachers, LEADERS), it was breath-taking to see the light in their eyes. Igene, in particular--a seriously worried young woman needing employment and trusting that volunteering to help create a school will eventually provide an income--was actually relaxed and laughing spontaneously! It was amazing. And very touching.

While they were upstairs, I had one of my best days ever downstairs, teaching eight students the power behind both Literature and Paintings, with the fantastic material about National Artists that Marga had supplied; none of us had known that Rizal was inspired to write his revolutionary book, Nolie Me Tangere, after Luna won a Gold Award in Spain for the painting, Spoliarium. Imagine! A painting inspired a revolution..."

I would like to add here that because of the materials Marga provided, which included three story books that were based upon paintings by Luna, Zobel, and Amorsolo, several important breakthroughs were made with the students. The most pleasing to me was when, after reading a few pages from Boy With A Kite and Ragamuffin Kid, I noticed a distinct disinterest in Girl At The Fruit Stand. When I asked why they'd lost interest, they said it was "boring." Probing further for specifics, they revealed that the character was not as interesting as the first two because her problems weren't very compelling.

This discussion was the first where a thoughtful analysis and a voicing of their opinions came easily, confidently. This is revolutionary, because previously the students have been reluctant to express themselves independently for fear of 'being wrong'. Marga's introduction of the books, the unusual lesson plan of utilizing a famous painting as a springboard for creating their own original stories, broke through the conditioning.

BRAVO, MARGA!!!

...and now, here, is the book information Marga has brought into our lives that is so vital for the continuing growth of these students and I hope that visitors to this blog will be inspired to support BOOKS FOR PEACE and the good they are doing:

--- On Wed, 4/29/09, Betty Halliwell wrote:

Dear Diane,

Thank you for your enthusiastic response. Marga has told me that my shipment for your work should be sent directly to you, so I need your delivery address for my shipping company, Manila Forwarder. (A P.O. Box won't do.) The first shipment to a new address is limited to one box, so that box should contain as many samples as possible in order to get reactions which can guide selection of contents for a larger follow-up shipment.

Donations to Books for Peace are tax-deductible and are very welcome. They can be sent to Books for Peace, 13646 Hartland St., Van Nuys, CA 91405. (To let your aunt know what she is getting for her donation: Thanks to the shipping company's discount for shipments of donations, I pay $23 for shipping each box, including insurance, Customs clearance, tracking, and delivery to anybody anywhere in The Philippines. Charges are based on the size of the box; my box can weigh as much as 80 pounds, depending on the kinds of books being sent.)

Volunteers also are very welcome, since they can do things which take my time and strength and thus prevent me from getting shipments out as fast as I need to.

Prepare a wish list, as comprehensive and detailed as everyone wants to make it. An important tip: The Books for Peace inventory comes primarily from the discards of schools and libraries, and our materials for classroom use (such as reading anthologies) are usually in much better condition than our discards from libraries (such as popular children's books).

Best wishes,

Betty