Progress in the Computer Lab and New Behavioral Incentives
When the construction of the new computer lab was complete, we began computer classes. We teach four one-hour classes each day during which we attempt to maintain order while instructing. Often we end up running around in circles. The classes are divided by age, but surprisingly age does not match up with ability. Many of the children are very bright, but some have mild to severe learning disabilities and even the best behaved still act up. 
Most of them do not have much familiarity with computers, so we had to start with the very basics, for example how to turn on the computers safely. Jimmie has been installing educational programs and our little students are learning quickly and having fun. They have progressed from typing programs, to using a word processor, to exploring the internet. Some things, however, remain challenging for them (and amusing for us), such as their failed attempts to understand the difference between single and double clicking with the mouse.
In the past weeks, I have truly grown to understand the challenges of being a teacher. Each class tests our patience and dedication. Every day at least one computer will break and need fixing, three children will cry and need encouraging, and we have to provide more than ten explanations about how it is not your turn yet. It is also challenging to teach a fourteen year old how to type and use the internet when he did not attend school and never learned to read properly. Then there are miscommunications because of our limitations with Portuguese vocabulary specific to computers. Sometimes, the younger children will mumble about something for ten minutes and then look up at you with their big eyes waiting for a response.
All you can offer in those instances is the “I-have-know-idea-what-you-just-said” smile, as Jimmie puts it, and start all over, trying to help them with their computer. At the end of the day we are exhausted, but we know that in the morning, smiling faces will be waiting at the door to greet us and beg to be let into the computer lab. In addition to being little monsters at times, the children of Criamar have demonstrated genuine excitement to use the computers and we are surprised by their capacity in this endeavor. The learning curve has been incredible in some cases. Children who had never touched a computer are now beginning to help others when they run into obstacles.
Additionally, the computer lab is serving as a badly needed behavioral incentive for the orphanage. With the help and cooperation of the social moms, we have developed a discipline and reward system that has the prospects of creating some sense of order. As incentive for good behavior (which can be a rarity here), when the children complete all of their responsibilities they are allowed to have free time on the computers after class ends. Their responsibilities are seemingly simple: good personal hygiene, going to school, doing their chores, and respecting their social mom, but the children here are rebellious. We are using behavioral charts to keep track of their progress. For each house we built one chart with all of the children’s names on it and the days of the week. We provided the social moms with different colored pins to represent each responsibility that the children are required to complete in a day. This way we can visually represent who is making progress. The children at Criamar have little sense of inappropriate conduct and without an incentive to behave, they can be wild. Integrating the computer lab and the behavior system has given the social moms more control and the children absolutely love the free time. And they love to cry and throw a fit if they don’t get free time, which is good in a sense, because it means the system is beginning to work. The children value free time and immediately regret acting badly. Each morning before starting the computer classes we visit all of the social moms to chat and check the charts that we developed to see who has been good and who can have free time that day. So far it seems to be working. More of them are doing their chores and behaving well, especially when they see that their friends who have behaved well are playing on the computers.
Computer classes are successfully moving forward for the time being, but we have become concerned with the future viability of the program. We found ourselves wondering what would ensure that the computers remain functional and the children continue to learn after we leave. In order for our impact to be sustainable we had to come up with a creative solution. Earlier, we had thought we would like to involve the high school students at the American School of Brasilia (EAB) in a volunteer project with Criamar, especially since Emily Dobson, a teacher at EAB, was already highly involved with orphanage. Now it seems that the continued success of our computer education program might depend on it. Having students from EAB engaged with the children at Criamar will be beneficial as a service learning experience for the high school students and to sustain the growing program.