Reading Competition -Part 3

            Thursday’s competition was between 8 semi-finalists from Antigua and two from our sister island of Barbuda. My students carried books with them to keep them occupied during the down times. I had some time to chat with some of the other teachers who accompanied their students and was pleased at the commonalities that we share as colleagues despite our varied experiences.

            Thursday’s reading selection was from the newspaper and, therefore, did not have as much opportunity for dramatic expression. It did have more challenging vocabulary and many of the contestants stumbled over words such as: ‘Halcyon’, ‘distinguished’, ‘officiated’, and ‘mediation’.  Our E performed valiantly and in the end tied for third place with a student from Piggots Primary School earning herself a trip to the island wide finals on Friday. Yet another field trip for our class?

            The principal and I agreed that three days out of school would be too much for the class and so E went on Friday with her teacher from last year. We anxiously awaited the news and tried to find the contest on the radio where it was supposedly being broadcast. Soon after lunch, one of the girls shouted, “There’s E!” and the whole class piled out the door to greet her as she came across the courtyard.  A smile of relief was on her face as she announced that she did not win but came in second by one point! We all showered her with comments that showed how proud we were of her and her efforts.  The class is now excited about holding a school-wide reading competition based on what we had  seen.