PEARLS OF WISDOM: LEARNING WITH AND FROM LIBERIAN REFUGEE MOTHERS

Just as dusk begins to set in, my students eagerly flip through the children's novels strewn about a table; some make decisions on content, others on picture quality. The sixty minutes of tutoring time fly by, as in small groups the women alternate reading and listening. My job is simply to be a resource when a group encounters a difficult word or letter combination.“Sis' Jessie, what is the purpose of this ph sounding the same as f?” While I offer my untrained insight into the written English language, I take in priceless lessons from these incredible ladies – my teachers as well as my students. The hour is precious.

A love for learning espouses such deeper meaning for me after spending six weeks teaching adult literacy to Liberian women on a refugee camp in Ghana. In addition to the regular afternoon literacy class that I taught, we initiated a tutoring program in the evenings to supplement class time for those who wanted extra help. These sessions were non-compulsory, and designed to be a daily time for the women to simply practice reading; a break from blackboard lectures on rules and exceptions. 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. soon grew to be my favorite hour of the day. Being under the ruthless Ghanaian sun since the rooster's crow at dawn, I was inevitably exhausted come tutoring time, but the warmth and spirit of the Liberian mothers always gave me a second wind.

The women who come to tutoring approach literacy with the purest enthusiasm. This authenticity enables them to take an extra hour of their responsibility-laden day to feed an eagerness to learn. Life on camp is demanding for everyone, but this particular group of people especially: To be enrolled in the Mother's Skill Training Center of Population Caring Organization, one must be female, single, and the primary caretaker of children. The specificity of qualifications would seem to limit interest in the program, but in fact it attracts more women than it is able to accept, and there is a waiting list. Literacy classes are free of charge through PCO, as the organization is trying to reach those women in the refugee camp most in need. The ladies are determined to become proficient readers and writers, in order to qualify for jobs and find better ways to support their families.

The women show up on time Рan anomaly in West African society. Eyes aglow, they quickly divide into groups around the room according to reading level. The classroom is green, small and unspectacular, but it takes on new beauty as it develops into a space for self-initiated learning. I huddle on termite-infested benches with three or four ladies around a children's book, and absorb their excitement when they successfully sound out words and feel themselves progressing. My initial worry that my tutees would have an aversion to a clich̩d anthology of African folklore called Pearls of Wisdom is proven unreasonable; the ladies love it, and they throw themselves into the short plots with a zest for the storylines and ultimate morals. The traditional stories immediately become the group favorite. Each night, after closing the book, my Liberian mothers lower their voices to a more intimate level, and we mull over the life lessons we are learning together.

—Jessie Blumberg '09