Sydnee Lynch, a Spanish major with a certification in secondary education and an Honor’s College ambassador, participated in Reach Out: Enhancing Education in the Dominican Republic (DR). This weeklong study abroad program takes place annually each summer. The program provides students the opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience while also experiencing the culture of the DR.
“When I first heard about Reach Out my freshman year at Ship, it sounded perfect for me,” Lynch said, a member of the Wood Honors College. “I love working with kids, I’m studying Spanish, and I would get to lesson plan and teach while traveling. This program perfectly aligns several of my passions and interests in an incredible opportunity I wouldn’t have access to anywhere else.”
Before going to the DR, Lynch set specific goals for herself. “Going into the trip last year, my first goal was to make sure I was speaking and practicing as much Spanish as possible with the locals,” she said. “As the only fluent Spanish speaker in my classroom, it is safe to say I completed this goal. I was in constant communication with my co-teachers, the classroom teachers and the students.”
While in the DR, Lynch and two other Ship students were placed in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms, who were in charge of keeping the children engaged in the classroom. “I wanted to make sure the students were having a fun time but staying under control,” she said. “I knew this would be a challenge to keep them behaving, engaged and having fun.”
Even with Lynch’s fluency in Spanish, the language barrier was still challenging. “Additionally, adjusting to the rapid pace and unique accent of Dominican Spanish took some effort. “By the end of the week, I was able to keep up with the locals, but it took a few days for me to entirely understand the students and teachers when discussing with them.”
To keep children engaged, Lynch and her co-teachers incorporated interactive learning through songs and games. “We played games like Simon Says (Símon dice), Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (Cabeza, Hombros, Rodillas, Pies), and played some fun games with learning English words like colors and numbers,” she said.
Lynch expressed tremendous gratitude toward her co-teachers. “I am so grateful to my co-teachers who helped me out tremendously. They were patient when I had to interpret for them, and were always ready to help wherever I needed them.”
One experience during Lynch’s time in the DR that stood out to her the most was when the group visited a Haitian batey, a settlement where Haitian immigrants live and work in unjust conditions and poverty. “These bateys are a work camps, where Haitians work for 12-14 hours a day and are paid less than two American dollars for their work,” Lynch explained.
The visit to the batey was challenging for Lynch. “The Haitians living here have no running water, have constructed their homes of scrap pieces of metal and natural elements, do not have paved roads, and live in incredibly impoverished conditions,” she said. “Despite this, I have never met such genuinely joyous people. The children were overjoyed to see us and were the epitome of excited, happy kids. Most of them did not have shoes, their clothes were dirty and mismatched, but despite their lack of designer clothing and mansion homes, this community was bursting with joy and gratitude for what they did have.”
Even though the visit to the batey was heartbreaking, it left Lynch with a profound perspective. “Visiting the batey, even for just a few hours, will be a memory that I will hold forever. When you see and experience that level of poverty contrasted with such exuberant joy, you can’t help but think about all that you have to be grateful for. It made me more grateful than ever before for the simple luxuries of life that we take for granted so easily.”
The week-long teaching project in the DR left a lasting impact on Lynch, that she applies to her educational, professional and global service work. “My experience in the Dominican Republic was too short,” she said. “I wish I could stay and help the community and people of our school for months, an entire summer, a year. Though I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that we have to make a small difference in the lives of these students and teachers, I know that we will never be able to do enough for them.”
Even though Lynch wishes she could have spent more time in the DR, the trip has inspired her to continue global service work, and encourages students like herself to take on international learning opportunities.
“The best piece of advice I have on studying abroad is to DO IT!” she said. “No matter what doubts or thoughts may be holding you back from experiencing an international trip like this, they can be negated. The money will always come back and friends will still be there when you return, but the opportunity to take that trip may not! It is absolutely worth it, and absolutely everyone would benefit from any form of international educational trip, no matter what major, age, or background you are coming from.”
Ways to support and fundraise the Reach Out Initiative:
