Careers & Education in JAMAICA: Waterford Primary student excels with assistance from enrichment centre....Books are houses of knowledge and windows to the world. They allow us to expand our minds beyond the known and experience the unimaginable.

Sunday, April 13, 2014    
BOOKS are houses of knowledge and windows to the world. They allow us to expand our minds beyond the known and experience the unimaginable. For Maria Willis, a student entering grade two at Waterford Primary, this was not the case. At age six, Maria was unable to read. Now a confident grade three student, Maria's bursting enthusiasm for reading is tempered solely by her quiet demeanour.
Maria gets a hug from reading
specialist Jasneth Myers.
Reading specialist at Waterford Primary Jasneth Myers recounts that Maria was assessed upon entering grade two and found to be a non-reader. This means she was unable to identify the letters needed to spell her name. Maria has since made remarkable progress with the assistance of the Enrichment Centre established at her school by the Digicel Foundation.
"Maria has displayed such remarkable progress in a short space of time. She is now reading two levels above her grade level," Myers said.
The Enrichment Programme is a literacy initiative implemented by the Digicel Foundation and the Ministry of Education. It aims to increase the level of individualised instruction available to students between grades one and three who are experiencing difficulties in reading. As with Waterford Primary, schools are equipped with reading and writing resources to improve the standards of teaching delivery and student engagement.
Maria recalled some of the activities she enjoyed most during her daily 40- minute sessions in the Enrichment Centre.
"I liked playing games on the computers, learning words and spelling," she said.
"She was very withdrawn at the start of the programme and did not display high self-esteem," Myers said. more

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