Tales from the Inner City: Part 1

I worked at Orchard Villa Elementary School for 3.25 years between 2005-2008.  It was one of the most amazing learning experiences of my life.  Through this blog I hope to share some of my experiences working in a neighborhood that was once foreign to me, but that I now return to time and time again.  You surely won’t agree with everything I have to say here, but they are my experiences, and my memories, whether they are retrospectively falsified or not.

Orchard Villa Elementary is located in Liberty City, the heart of Miami-Dade County.  The attendance boundaries of Orchard Villa include NW 61^st Street, the most dangerous street in the entire county, a title certainly not to be proud of, but one that must be respected.  Our students came from 61^st and the surrounding neighborhood.  We did, however, have several out-of-boundary students that would flow in on occasion, without the knowledge of the school board of course.

I had the privilege to have one such student.  Being a 3^rd grade teacher I had the responsibility to help my students pass the 3^rd grade Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, an assessment that had to be passed in order to proceed to the next grade.  It didn’t help that many of my students entered my class reading on a Kindergarten level, or below.  Alas, I digress.  Xavier, as I will call him, lived much farther north than the school, to the point that every single day of the first 3 weeks of school he was tardy by at least 30 minutes.  Since Reading was the first subject taught every morning, Xavier was missing 30 minutes of Reading instruction daily.  Oh, and he needed that instruction.  I knew that if he wasn’t present every day, for every minute, that he would not pass the 3^rd grade FCAT.

I made the decision that as long as Xavier was in my class, he would come on time.  I talked to his mom and explained to her the seriousness of the situation, and then I volunteered to pick him up every morning from where he lived, and drop him off every afternoon.  This resulted in the inclusion of his younger brother into the plan, as he also attended Orchard Villa.

Xavier, his brother, his mother, and her boyfriend lived in a hotel.  Well, it looked like a hotel, but didn’t exactly include the amenities of the Four Seasons.  It was dingy, disgusting, smelled, and in fact is today closed.  At the time, however, for $150.00 a week, a room could be rented to at least live, until the next week.  Every morning I would pick up Xavier and his brother at 6:30 AM, this would give us enough time to get to school by 7:00AM, complete morning tutoring, and even have breakfast before school began at 8:00 AM.  At the hotel I was greeted every morning by the large security guard, who called me “Teach”, and made sure I wasn’t messed with.  There were times that I would walk Xavier and his brother up to their room, only for their mom to open the door and plumes of marijuana smoke escaped through the door.  It was a very sad situation overall, but I knew that if I could get those 2 kids to school on-time, everyday, that not only would they eat a nutritious breakfast every morning, they would receive free tutoring, participate in a full day of education, and hopefully, attain some level of academic knowledge.  For 2 months it went on, a successful plan at work; and I felt like I was making a difference.

It was a Monday morning, a week or so before Thanksgiving.  As usual I rode up I-95 early in the morning to pick up Xavier and his brother.  I arrived promptly at 6:30, phoned their mother to let her know I was there: no answer.  Ok, a phone being off wasn’t unusual, so I stepped out of the car and went inside.  Dressed in a suit, as I did every day of my teaching career, I walked into the hotel and headed towards the elevators.  “Hey Teach”, I heard the large security guard call out to me.  “Are you looking for those kids?” he asked.  “Well” he said, “they don’t live here anymore.”  A look of bewilderment came over my face, but there was nothing I could do but turn around and walk right back out the door to my car. 

That was the last time I heard from Xavier, his brother, his mother, or her boyfriend.  To this day I have no idea where they went or what happened to them.  That is the reality of teaching in an inner city school.  Students come, and they go.  Most unfortunately, the cycle continues.  I pray for Xavier and his brother, that they have found academic success somewhere else, because certainly, the odds are against them.

Hiring and Firing Staff in Haiti

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Presiding over the H.E.R.O. Residence for Orphans is filled with heart-warming experiences and events that I am proud to share through Facebook and my blog.  It brings us tremendous joy to watch Robenson count to 50 in English or to see Valencia smile as she admires her newly braided hair.  The lives of the children in our care have changed tremendously.  From living in squalid shacks with no running water or electricity to now receiving 3 meals a day, a solid education, and a safe and secure place to live, watching them evolve into well-behaved and respectful children is a true delight. 

Behind the scenes of these stories and experiences, however, is the very real day-to-day management that is vital to the successful operation of the H.E.R.O. Residence.  We are truly blessed to have a wonderful staff that is the true core of H.E.R.O.  I take pride in the quality of the staff members that we employ at H.E.R.O.  Together we have built an understanding that being part of H.E.R.O. is not simply a job.  We are a team, a highly skilled team, with the sole goal of helping the children of Haiti.

For the first time in my life, as the President of H.E.R.O., I am responsible for hiring and firing staff members.  Our very first hire, the current Residence Director (former driver), Brice Smith, has been a blessing.  I have and continue to rely on Brice for helping me navigate the country of Haiti, finding electricians, plumbers, maintaining community relations, acquiring birth certificates for our children, and hundreds of additional tasks that are too many to name here.  Finding a quality employee like Brice is like finding a needle in a haystack, but guess what, we did it, and we aren’t letting him go!

Along this road, however, I have had the displeasure of firing staff, also a first for my life.  The first time was definitely the hardest.  After she allowed one of our children to leave the compound without permission, and not reporting that he had left, or trying to find him, it was time for this staff member to leave.  I was nervous, I admit, and didn’t want to do it.  But, after relieving her of her duties, well, let’s just say it was a slippery slope.  I fired the karate teacher for not coming on time and missing days of work.  I fired the tutor because she was spending more time on her phone than helping the children.  And most recently I fired the new house mother, who lasted all of one week, because she decided that H.E.R.O.’s plan for the children was ineffective and inefficient, and wanted to do everything her way (which FYI, just wasn’t good at all).  All new hires now begin on a one month probationary period.  I explain to them that working with H.E.R.O. is about working as a team.  In fact, I would much rather work with individuals that lack the capacity, but understand the team objectives than someone with the capacity but who doesn’t want to be a team player.  Some will make it, some won’t.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brice, Iloude, and Cecilia, the 3 full-time Haitian staff members that have been with H.E.R.O. nearly one year.  Thank you for working as a team to help the children of Haiti.

Sincerely,

Steven Kirby, Ed.D

President

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Building Relationships and Shelves in Haiti

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Greetings Friends!  This past weekend was filled with construction, visitors, and a trip to church.  There is still much to be accomplished before the opening of school on October 3^rd, so we are quickly arranging all the necessary clothing items, school supplies, enrollment forms, and school fees to ensure that Franky, Robenson, Valencia, and Dayanna have a successful school year!

The orphans in our care have lost both of their parents.  While there are many residences for orphans that accept children that have perhaps lost one parent, or no parents at all, H.E.R.O. is committed to helping the true orphans of Haiti.  This does not mean, however, that the children in our care do not have any family to speak of.  In fact we have a responsibility to work diligently to maintain contact with any living family members that our children do have as they will play an important role in the lives of our children as they grow older, and especially as they exit our program.  The maintenance of familial social networks is vital to the success of our children as they must realize that while H.E.R.O. is their family, they also have blood-relatives that can help them become successful citizens of Haiti.  This past Saturday Valencia and Robenson’s aunt and grandmother came to visit.  You can see a brief video of their visit below.  The Aunt and Grandmother were thankful for having found H.E.R.O., a residence for orphans that truly provides and satisfies the needs of each child.  They talked about looking for other residences for orphans for Robenson and Valencia, but found some where the children were physically abused by the other children, meals were an irregularity, and the conditions unsanitary.  It is my goal to continue to provide the children in our care with the utmost opportunities for success in Haiti and the world.

Additionally, this past weekend we completed 2 of the 10 shelves that are being built to house our donations, school supplies, and other items.  We want to have a residence that is as organized as possible to ensure that our programs operate smoothly, all items are easily accessible, and to demonstrate to our children the importance of keeping a well maintained environment.  Below you can watch as Billy and Robenson put the finishing touches on our shelves.  I have already bought the plywood and boards for the next shelves, all of which we hope to have finished by the beginning of the school year on October 3^rd.

If you would like to find out how you can become a part of the H.E.R.O. residence for orphans and join our movement to serve the most disenfranchised youth of Haiti you can visit our website at www.haitihero.org or send an e-mail to steven@haitihero.org.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Steven Kirby, Ed.D
President

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Haiti Got The Better of Me Today!

Do you know the feeling of relaxing on your comfy sofa, in a beautifully decorated air-conditioned room, watching 220 channels of T.V., perhaps eating some Doritos, or peanut butter M&Ms?  Well, that is NOT the feeling that I had today living in Haiti!

Today was the culmination of gross.  3 weeks ago we began having power trouble with our inverter and city power.  It got to the point where we spent nights at a time without electricity, the kids having to use flashlights just to find the toilet.  Then the disgusting smell began.  What the heck was that smell!  Oh, it was coming from the batteries being charged by our inverter!  I asked our Residence Director if the smell was normal, and he said, “yea, it happens when the batteries get too hot.”  I said, “Call the electrician and make sure that the smell is ok, and won’t harm us!”  He called the electrician, and we were given the OK.

Finally, after 3 weeks of electrical problems the electrician came today, but not until 5:00 PM.  Fortunately we were occupied the entire morning and afternoon with nothing less than a cockroach infestation!  I had started to see a cockroach here and there, not alive, but dead, 2-3 times a week.  They would pop up dead in the kitchen, outside near the generator, even in my bedroom.  Then our cook said, hey, it looks like those cockroaches keep getting into the vegetables I put in the cupboard.  Hmmm.  So, I quickly purchased a can of something made in China to kill cockroaches, and started spraying the entire cupboards.  That’s when the war began.  They went left, they went right, they flew in the air!  2 inch cockroaches, trying to escape the napalm I was laying on them.  They could outrun the gas, but they couldn’t outrun my foot!  Together we must have killed at least 30 large cockroaches, the others hiding within the cupboards.  I purchased roach motels, more gas, liquid-gel roach killer: everything I could to win this war.  I promise you, that at 1:00 this morning, I will be sneaking up on those roaches, with a can of spray in my hand, with a promise of death.

Not to be out done, the smell was back, coming from the batteries of course!  Thankfully the electrician was available, so he came down and checked, saying that the smell was, “definitely not coming from the batteries.”  What!  Then we tracked the smell, from the batteries, to the back of our refrigerator!  Wouldn’t you know it a mouse had been crapping for at least 4 days in the water retention tray in the back of the fridge!  It was the most disgusting thing I had seen that day, well, other than the 30 cockroaches we killed in the morning!  The electrician took apart the whole fridge, we cleaned the tray, put it back together, and stepped back to ponder the day.

I honestly thought that we lived in a clean house!  The bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchen are cleaned daily!  The walls, windows, and doors are cleaned weekly!  We keep our food covered, we clean up after ourselves right after we eat, all dishes are done right away, and yet!  And yet we live, apparently in filth!  But, I will not lose this war!  I will fight every cockroach and mouse that lives in this house until it is dead, and we have won!  Now, that rat, the one the size of a grown man’s shoe that I saw the other day; well, that might just have to wait.

Sincerely,

Steven Kirby

President

Education in Haiti: Universal Education for No One

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Haiti was recently ranked as having the 145^th worst system of education in the world out of the 169 countries represented in the report.  As the country prepares for the 2011-2012 school year it seems to me, in my humble opinion, that the system of education in Haiti is progressing nowhere.  The original start date presented by the Ministry of Education was September 5^th.  Now, however, I hear that it has been moved to September 12^th, and the rumor mill has it that the schools will not actually open until the first week of October, at the earliest.  Why?  Why after more than a year since the devastating earthquake can’t schools open on time?  The answer is: POLITICS!

First, Haiti still does not have a Prime Minister.  President Martelly is more than 100 days into his presidency, and after having 2 candidates rejected by the Haitian legislative body, a third candidate has yet to be named.  With no Prime Minister in place, no one wants to make any final decisions about what direction the Haitian system of education should take.

Second.  President Martelly wants to implement a program that selects, at a minimum, 100,000 children that cannot afford school fees (charged by both public and private schools) and provide scholarships for these students to attend school.  Unfortunately, from what I can understand, and maybe others can bring enlightenment to what little I do understand about this proposal, there has yet to be a determination about how these students would be selected, what schools they would attend, and where the teachers would be found for this additional rise in student enrollment.  So, while the government tries to figure out how all this will work, the rest of the student population in Haiti is waiting.  We are sacrificing the education of millions of children, for that of 100,000.  There must be a balance here, and this certainly is not it.

I strongly advocate for universal education for all children in Haiti, as stipulated in the Haitian Constitution.  However, there is nothing worse for a system of education than to flood it with students, putting them into schools that are ill-equipped to house them, or placing them with teachers that are ill-equipped to provide instruction.  I disagree that it is better to have students in school, even if they are not learning, than to have no school at all.  Instead, a comprehensive approach to reaching universal education for all must be created whereby a system of educating teachers, creating seats for students, and selecting communities where government-run schools are most needed are the priorities.  Read this article by Charles Kenny that elaborates on this topic and argues for the creation of a quality system of education prior to implementing universal education for all.

Until schools finally open we continue to make preparations for the Education Program for Street Children and the orphans in our care receive daily instruction in Kreyol, French, and English.  We wait for the day that they can return to school for another successful academic year.

Sincerely,

Steven Kirby, Ed.D

President

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Saving Street Children and Orphans In Haiti, YOU Make the Difference!

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  As a result of the kindness and generosity of H.E.R.O. supporters across the nation, and the world, we raised $20,156.00 towards the continued operation of our programs that benefit the street children and orphans of Haiti!  I cannot thank our donors enough for their bigheartedness and willingness to donate to H.E.R.O., even during the worst economy since the depression.  Your contributions are greatly appreciated!

There are those in our H.E.R.O. family, however, that are much more appreciative than I.  These include the 5 orphans in our H.E.R.O. Transition Home for Orphans and the over 70 children in the Education Program for Street Children.  Every day, the five children in our H.E.R.O. home show their appreciation for what has been provided for them.  They say please and thank you at all times, put games back where they are supposed to go, study hard every day during their tutoring sessions, smile at every meal they receive, and most importantly, help others when they are in need.

It is our goal to raise our children to understand the importance of giving back to their family, their community, and their country.  Our children don’t have a dime to their name, but are intelligent, and where one is lacking academically, others can help.  If Robenson doesn’t know how to count from 1-100, it is not solely my responsibility, or his teachers’ responsibility to help him, it is also the responsibility of the other children in the H.E.R.O. home, to help him.  If Franky doesn’t know all the letters in the alphabet, then it is our responsibility, all of us, to help Franky achieve that goal.  Too often we think of success as singular, becoming a doctor, a lawyer, having one million dollars.  At H.E.R.O., however, we don’t believe that you have truly succeeded until you use your talents and good fortune to help others.  When I help you to learn how to count or how to read, I am not doing this for you to become successful.  I am doing this so that when you do become successful, in the future, you will do the same for others.  In this manner we change the definition of success from being about me, the individual, to being about the success of others.  I am not successful until we are successful.

Which brings me back to how thankful I am for our donors that went above and beyond during the month of July: to help H.E.R.O. raise the funds necessary to continue helping the orphans and street children of Haiti.  Thank you for making the decision to share your success with our organization, so that we may continue to provide housing, education, and rehabilitation for the children of Haiti.  The United States is facing the worst recession since the depression, unemployment is nearly 10% and our economy is weak.  Yet, through all this, our donors make the decision that supporting H.E.R.O. and helping Haiti is a priority in their lives.  I cannot thank you enough for your dedication.  Thank you!

Sincerely,                                                             

Steven Kirby, Ed.D

President 

To Make a Donation Visit http://www.haitihero.org/