Maggie Meyer, who is teaching, living and learning in Malaysia as a Fulbright Scholar has initiated a literacy project for her school that she would love to get some assistance with. I am going to post her email to me in this blog and hope that others will think about providing some books:
From Maggie
Hi Professor Puffer!
I have finally figured out a way to give a little more back to this community. I have organized a new/used book drive for my students and school. If you are interested in participating, let me know! I have attached a flyer that you can print out and distribute, or give it to friends you think might like to participate as well. (I have copied and pasted the text part for forwarding via email) I am trying to get as many books as I can.
I hope your summer is going well! Give my best to your family.
Maggie
Welcome to the Chalok Literacy Project
Hello! My name is Maggie Meyer. For those of you who do not know me, I am currently living in Chalok Terengganu, Malaysia and completing a Fulbright grant as an English Teaching Assistant here.
Students in Terengganu are keenly interested in America and English. They watch movies from Hollywood, listen to American music artists, and hear about America daily on their television sets. Yet, rarely do these students get the opportunity to experience America and English through books. Books are not only more expensive here but they are hard to obtain. English language bookstores are relatively non-existent in this part of Malaysia. I myself have to travel 7 hours to the capitol, Kuala Lumpur, to buy English language books. Students often cling to every English book they can find, reading them again and again because of the lack of variety. In addition, printed books are expensive in Malaysia. Because they are imported, their price is somewhat higher than if they were purchased in the United States. A one month subscription to the local cable provider is cheaper than one averagely priced English book. DVDs are a fraction of the cost of one book (about 1/3). Because of this, students test poorly on Malaysia’s state exams in reading comprehension. This sad truth sparked the Chalok Literacy Project. It is my goal to provide every student at my school in Malaysia with one English language book by the time I complete my grant in October. As part of the Fulbright mission, I am here to help students understand that English is an engaging and fun language to learn. What better way to raise scores and teach this valuable lesson than to provide these students with English language books?
Here’s How You Can Help
Donate A Gently Used/New Book. (OR SEVERAL books!)
It can be any size you want. It can be about anything you think students would like to read. Ideally, books would be fiction and appropriate for intermediate English speakers. The age range of the students is anywhere between 10-19 years old, so topics can range from fictional animals and adventures to how to gain admission to American colleges. (See end of message for more information)
Don’t have an extensive library? Head online to www.amazon.com. From there, locate and click on the Wish List button in the top right hand corner. A wish list search bar will appear. Type in Chalok Literacy Project. You can choose from a hearty selection of books, purchase them through their secure server and select to deliver them to the CLP gift registry address.
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Caution should be exercised when sending books that include opinions on religious and political matters. These subjects are extremely sensitive in Malaysia as the large majority of the population is conservatively Muslim.
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If you are sending a used/new book, send an email confirming you or your organizations participation to:
ChalokLiteracyProject@gmail.com
More information on how to send your books to Malaysia will be relayed via email.
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