Always Touched by The Power of Ubuntu & To See the @kwamealexander Effect on Our Writers

When we pull into the University a little after 7:30 a.m., I never know what I'm going to experience in the day. Ali and Abu immediately get to work preparing the classrooms, and I head to my computer so I can print out the items that instructors send the night before. Mondays are trickier because we have new rosters and the need to greet parents in the parking lot.

That is why, at the end of the day, when I was running an errand to the Provost's office, I was thrilled to see a young man in Ubuntu Academy reading Rebound by Kwame Alexander with Ali Adan as his mentoring teacher. Chances are, this might be the first book he's ever been given as a gift in the United States, and I loved hearing Ali work with him on pronunciations and comprehensions. The young people are loving the book and it has been perfect for them as they access new English words and think about telling their own stories to one another. Many of our kids have only been in the country for a couple of months - that is the power of the literacy lab's design.

Meanwhile, I walked into the classroom where William King and Jessica Baldizon lead the mother ship for the 32 young people. I look to the back wall and see a throw-back poem - a shout out to the 'As In' poems from The Crossover....and it's all about UBUNTU.

As in "I am a part of CWP writing camp and have been able to assist students better their language skills which will help them become successful members of Ubuntu Academy."

As in "Navigating through each student to help them find courage in themselves to share their stories and find their Ubuntu spark."

As in: "Allowing myself to keep an open-mind and to outside my own comfort zone (like all the students) to experience diversity and incredible change through Ubuntu."

Well, that was nice to read, because I see that the learning occurs when I'm not around (wipes sweat from brow - phew).

Meanwhile, downstairs on another floor, To Write or Not To Write - The Shakespeare Lab kicked off. We had 8 sign-ups online, but then 15 kids showed up today. Boom. Success. I find it fascinating that we are balancing between bard-loving thespians who love deconstructing Elizabethan English on one floor and English language learners trying to construct their first sentence in English on another.

But it's working, and our National Writing Project teacher institute gets to experience it all. This is CWP and it's a thrill to see the magic at Fairfield University.