Jessica Eatough, a teacher at the Solid Rock School on Roatán, uses our Educational Training Facility (ETF) resource room to enrich her students with technology literacy skills that will benefit them in their future as leaders on the island and beyond. We sat down with Jessica to learn more about why she teaches and the unique issues surrounding education on the island.
Why did you become a teacher / Why do you teach?
I became a teacher because of the school Mr. Mark and Ms. Susan Schuler planned on opening here on the island. God kept touching my heart to keep visiting the island and help their ministry and when they announced they would be looking for teachers if they started a school one day, I spent two more years at the university in the States to study Education and came here to teach.
Why do I teach? I teach because God has my heart so in love with teaching, I cannot imagine my life without it. It is hard to describe the joy. There is no bigger blessing than to have a classroom full of kids I consider my own children and be able to teach them about God’s Word and how to become a leader for His glory and teach them the knowledge that will make them helpful, humble citizens to help more people accept Jesus Christ and have the character to do whatever they do with excellence and honesty. I also teach because the more I see the world falling apart, the more I know of the necessity of giving the kids of Roatan a place in their lives that is full of security and love to learn what they need to learn to go into the world and be good.
What school do you teach at? Could you tell us a little about the community where you teach?
I teach at Roca Solida in Flowers Bay. The community I teach is in the developing community of Los Sueños, which is inside Flowers Bay. Flowers Bay is a small community of many big English speaking families and many, many children.
What do you think is the importance of education on the island?
I teach children to be leaders for Christ, teach them to use whatever talents they have with excellence, teach them that they can overcome poverty and any obstacle in their life if they work hard and are willing to let people correct them and show them where to find wisdom, and teach them how the world works and how to think analytically so no one can deceive them.
What are the challenges of education on the island?
One of the main challenges of education on the island is lack of resources. First, a lack of resources for teacher training. While there may be universities on the mainland that help teachers understand the material well that needs to be taught to the children, those resources are not as accessible on the island. Therefore, subject areas that are weak are English, Spanish, math, and analytical skills. Second, libraries with enriching books in English and Spanish. The students are not exposed to much reading material outside homework assignments that help them develop a love for enriching vocabulary and creativity and proper grammar skills. Thirdly, there is a lack of resources to teach our children how to be technologically literate.
What changes have you seen happen in education over the past 5-10 years on the island?
I have seen the development of more Bilingual schools.
How has using the ETF room with the Abundant Life Foundation benefited you / your students?
The ETF room is equipping my students with the computer skills they will need to enter the workforce and study successfully in the university. Almost none of my students have access to computer at home, so we are working on knowing how to effectively research on the internet, use a keyboard properly and quickly, and how to use word processing programs like Word. Without the ETF, I would not have felt comfortable having students graduate this year with little to no computer skills. The students are very appreciative for this opportunity, as well, because they know how important it is. All teenagers in today’s world have access to technology but not to the knowledge of using it successfully in the world.
To support students and teachers like Jessica give here. To learn more about our educational endeavors on Roatán visit here.