Lately we’ve been trying to get the Namumu children into the habit of reading more books. There are a number of donated books lying around in the Namumu store room, children’s books and young adult books, mostly. We’ve been distributing them and encouraging the kids to read some every day. Some of the staff members have even been reading with the children during their free time.
Since I don’t have much to do in the evenings I’ve been wandering over to the small, lighted chalet near the girls’ dormitory and reading with some of the girls from time to time. Most of the girls only attend sporadically, but my homegirl Wendy is there almost every night.
Wendy is 14 years old and is in the 9th grade at Siavonga High School. Sadly, the reading skills of many of these girls are pretty terrible. A few of them in the 7th grade struggle to get through children’s books, for example. Wendy is rocking and rolling, though.
I always ask these kids what they want to do when they leave Namumu. Wendy says she wants to be a journalist. I’m trying to encourage her to work towards that goal. I told her that she needs to be reading or writing something every night, and so far I think she’s done it.
While some of the other Namumu girls around her age are struggling with reading, Wendy and I have almost made it all the way through “Gifted Hands”, the autobiography of Ben Carson, the world famous neurosurgeon. It’s not an easy read. He uses some big words and a good deal of medical terminology. Wendy has a tough time with “hemispherectomy”, a word Ben uses excessively, but she’s almost got it down. She keeps plugging away and has almost finished the book. I’m very proud of her.
Wendy is a nice girl who’s happy almost all of the time. In addition to reading she likes working in the garden and, like all other Namumu-ans, she loves professional wrestling. I’ve learned to not even bother showing up to read before 8 pm on Wednesday evenings because that’s when WWE Smackdown is on and lord knows she can’t miss that. She really likes this one wrestler named MVP and thinks that he is very handsome, but let me tell you, this guy is a total goober and I make fun of her for it constantly. Google image search for him and you’ll see what I mean.
If you have any message for Wendy or any advice on finding a way into the journalism profession give me a holler and I’ll be sure to pass it along…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Go Wendy!
ReplyDeleteWe'll miss you at the beach next week (especially Harry I'm sure). But we'll eat some Crab Shack hushpuppies and shrimp for you :-).
Hey Sam,
ReplyDeleteResearch supports that the more you read the better your writing skills! So keep Wendy plugging away at reading and her writing will improve. One of the girls I work(ed) with (now a 7th grader) has made honor roll every 9 weeks in 6th grade (last year). As you know, she's deaf and uses a cochlear implant. Anyway, she LOVES reading and is never without a book. As a result, her writing has improved leaps and bounds. Again, her success is noted being on the honor all of last year. Her mom told me earlier this week that she earned 24 or 26 A's all last year!
Sorry Sam, the above comment was from Sharon.
ReplyDeleteHey it's JJ. That's awesome she wants to be a Journalist. I just googled imaged "MVP" and I think I know what I'm being for Halloween now.
ReplyDeleteStill reading with the girls, well thats good. When i was there though it semmed to almost be a private reading lesson with wendy, good to hear a few more show up now, if not every day.
ReplyDeletestay sane
tom
oh and tell cholewey i'm working on the starwars delima but my boss isn't paying me at the moment
ReplyDeleteHi Sam -- this is Erika Hobbs, and I am a reporter with the Orlando Sentinel. What kind of advice are you looking for? You can shoot me questions at ehobbs@orlandosentinel.com. To start, I'd tell her basic things: read whatever you can get your hands on; read and watch the news; write ALL the time; ask questions, even if they seem stupid; be curious; and most of all be brave. She's going to have to be brave to fight her way through school, get her byline and story out in the public, snag and publish the truth, and really, to get a job. She's got a cool future ahead as the business changes. She'll have so many more ways and outlets to capture and publish the stories she wants to tell. School is very important -- she'll need a degree to be hired, and more and more Western outlets (which she certainly could work for on contract) are looking for extremely savvy reporters. But, like I said, shoot me specifcs and I can help more. But above all, tell her this: Be brave. Don't give up. The world needs her.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few other ideas. I don't know how she gets her news or what has motivated her to be a journalist. See if you can tap into that. Otherwise, see if you can find a local news reporter, or a correspondent from Times of Zambia, Agence France Presse, AP, Reuters or another outlet. Even if it's a government-run paper, look it up. See if anyone is willing to spend some time with her if they can be around, or email her or something like that to naivgate her through the system there: how did they get started, where did they go to school, what classes did they take, how did they break in the market, that kind of thing. She might also be able to start providing some content for online publications, if she has access, of course. She might not be paid right away, but she should keep the samples, called clips, to use as a portfolio for school and jobs. She might be able to write teen stuff, or slice-of-life stuff, or even provide other news as needed. You might be able to help her with a simple google search for places that are looking for that type of contract work.
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteHow cool you could get advice from Erika Hobbs to help Wendy! That is great you are reading with these children/youth!
You are awesome!
Joni
Sam: Nancy Hathaway writing. Are your ears burning? We had an Af. Part'p. Grp. mtg. last night--you'd surely have a swelled head if you'd been there! We are so grateful you're there and know you're such a blessing to them!
ReplyDeleteAmanda & I read Gifted Hands many years ago, and she just earned her M.D. Great book! Congrats to Wendy, you, and the others who are opening such a gate to their world!