It’s January and time for a new school year at Dorie’s Promise! We’re excited to share updates on our various schooling options this year which include the third year for our Dorie’s Promise homeschool, local private school, public school, university, and a special needs program.
Our staff worked hard during the last few months to find the best educational options for our children.
Schooling Options after Lockdowns
The pandemic lockdowns challenged us to find creative solutions and alternatives for our children’s education. In Guatemala, in-person lessons at schools were closed for over a year, followed by months of “hybrid” lessons switching between online lessons and in-person classes. (You can read about the challenges we faced here.)
Three years later, our staff has overcome our initial challenges and is focused on finding the best methods to teach our kids.
Not all children enter Dorie’s Promise with a solid educational background. Unfortunately, some of our children come to us completely unschooled, not just toddlers, but sometimes older kids too. Our responsibility is to help them catch up and eventually achieve the schooling level appropriate for their age.
Every child is unique and so are their needs. We take this to heart, especially with regard to schooling.
Homeschooling at Dorie’s Promise
This year we will be homeschooling seventeen kids ranging from 1st to 10th grade. Because of our children’s difficult backgrounds, their schooling needs tend to vary in numerous ways. For this reason, our classes are organized into groups based on their needs. Each child’s detailed educational profile identifies their strengths, growth opportunities, and challenges.
After last year’s renovation, our classrooms have everything a proper space needs such as desks, blackboards, books, and ample supplies. Most importantly, our teaching staff is ready. They are college-educated with experience to guide our students in Guatemala’s core lessons that include mathematics, language, history, entrepreneurship studies, arts, science, and of course, English.
Additional Schooling Options
About half of our children attend school outside Dorie’s Promise. Based on each child’s needs, educational goals, and personalities, one of our local schools is sometimes the best option. The schools we chose care for our children and teach them well.
Our preschool children are getting the best of both public school and home learning. Our homeschool program is currently focusing on children beginning in 1st grade. This gives our Pre-K kids the opportunity to attend public schools that meet their needs. Meanwhile, Ana Maria, our psychologist who has formal Montessori training, is setting up a special area in our house inspired by those principles. Our younger children will be ready to start elementary studies fully prepared.
Once again, several of our children will be attending a local private school. They have been attending this school for many years and are enjoying the advanced studies and bilingual education they receive. During the 2022 school year, Dulce began attending a special school outside of our home where she can get the special education she needs. She is continuing her studies this year too!
Thanks to the generous support of our donors, our oldest children are continuing their studies. After a few months of considering her options, Jennifer will be starting her first year of university and is pursuing a Communications degree. Myra is beginning her second year studying medicine. For the second year, she received a full scholarship.
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Please join us in prayer as we celebrate our children’s many educational opportunities. It is a privilege for many children in Guatemala. We also pray for their well-being and cheerful dispositions to learn and continue their education.