After two and a half years in Bolivia, I still get the occasional intercultural slap in the face. The school semester ended on June 19th and I added up all the stickers from all my 80-something students and declared nine winners. The prize was a trip into the city to a restaurant/ice-cream parlor. My US public school upbringing had instilled in me the concept of a permission slip. I couldn't even conceptualize the plan of taking the kids offsite without written parental approval.
I handed the kids each a permission slip at the announcement of their winning. I made a special effort to be clear in telling them that they wouldn't be allowed to go if they didn't show up on time with the slip signed by a parent. They gave me a sidelong glance but said that they understood. Then the day of the field trip arrived and one boy came running up to me with sweat literally dripping off his face saying that he wouldn't be able to go. I asked him why and he explained that his father was traveling and his mom doesn't know how to read or write, even her own name.
My stomach hit the floor. I knew that the concept of a permission slip would be foreign but I never considered the possibility of a literacy roadblock. We stood there staring at each other trying to come up with a solution. Finally his face lit up and he asked, "can my aunt sign it?" I was just as excited as him as I told him to hurry because we needed to get going. We had a great time and I think it was something really special for the kids.
I was relieved and lucky that his aunt was an option. The thought of this boy that worked so hard all semester not being able to enjoy his prize because of his mother's illiteracy still haunts me. It gives me a lot to think about but my immediate thought is how much can improve in one generation. This boy is one of the top students in a computer class and his mother can't read or write. That gives me such hope for these people. How much more will the condition improve for the next generation?
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