Back to school in Fondo Negro
Most of the kids living in Fondo Negro attend one of two schools, the elementary school or the high school. Fondo Negro is a small enough community that the kids walk to school. They wear uniforms consisting of blue tops and khaki pants or skirts.
The schools were built by the government and are made out of cement and yellow in color.
Each class has about 25 kids per teacher. Just like in American schools, the elementary school students remain in one class all day and the high school students change between classrooms. Classes can be noisy and full of activity but there are definitely times when the students buckle down.
The amount of hours spent in class is significantly less than in American schools with a lot of down time at both the elementary school and high school levels. There is PE in elementary school and social breaks in the high school.
Each family must pay for uniforms and materials for classes. This causes financial stress on families and some children miss school because they don’t have what they need to attend. Joshua 1:Nine works to fill some of those gaps. You can help by donating to support a student’s efforts to attend school.
I’d like to support a student!
School is work but it also is a lot of fun! It’s a chance for each student to spend time with their friends and to learn more about the world around them. Laughter is a common staple. Without it, it wouldn’t feel like a day in the Dominican Republic!