Starting at the beginning of the fall semester and throughout winter break, Professor Hartmann, Professor Maynard and the student cohort for this year's Shoulder to Shoulder project have been planning for their time at T.N. Kirnon and Adele in Antigua. During the semester, we collected books and materials that we have packed into our suitcases and are ready to bring with us. Most of these books and materials came through donations from, including but not limited to, Lasell Alum and the family and friends of the current participants! We could not be more grateful for the items we have received. 

In relation to the preparation that each of the students have completed in order to be successful on the grounds while in Antigua, there is a tremendous amount of work that has been done. Some students are working independently while others are working in partnerships to complete their toolkits that consist of resources and lesson plans to support their teaching in the classroom. We have 5 students teaching in classrooms at the Adele School, which is a school for students with special needs. This is our second year having students collaborate with teachers at the Adele School. We are happy to have 3 more students working alongside teachers at the Adele School than we did last year in our first year there. We have 7 students teaching in classrooms at T.N. Kirnon for the sixth year. Students are working in classrooms ranging from Kindergarten to 6th grade.

Each year we go to Antigua, we choose a specific focus in relation to literacy in order to allow students to find a love for reading and writing. This year, we have shifted our focus from reading to writing, with a goal of allowing all students to have a voice in the classroom through literacy. We are excited to give students the opportunity to develop their voice and learn through collaboration.

This year, we have two students returning to this experience for the second year in a row. Professor Hartmann and Professor Maynard wanted to use this opportunity to improve the sustainability of the program. The two students are working on creating more thorough reflections throughout the experience, and working on making the transition from one cohort to the next more collaborative. This will be done by current students creating resources such as short clips, that can be accessed by future cohorts. 

We are eager to travel to Antigua to begin collaborating with teachers and students at the Adele School and T.N. Kirnon.  

Lasell's current cohort pictured with our Antiguan friend and colleague Amil Jeremiah, who currently lives in Boston.