DESTINATIONS — CARIBBEAN
TAKE THE PLUNGE
climate. I’m standing in front of a class of 64 five-year-olds, and I can feel every single one of their expectant eyes focused on me. The pressure is on. It’s time to learn about the letter K. Given that I have about as much experience
M
Clients shouldn’t be wary of immersing themselves in Jamaica’s friendly local scene, says Joanna Booth
teaching small children as I do taming lions, it’s probably unsurprising that I’m a little nervous. But we read a story together, with lots of audience participation, and spell some words beginning with K, and pretty soon I’m really enjoying it. And if the volume of hugs I receive at the end is anything to go by, so did the kids. (That, or they were just extremely happy it was finally over.) I’m at the West End Early Childhood Institution in Negril – a name that’s almost bigger than the school itself. The building is painted in a rainbow of cheerful colours, the teachers seem kind and committed, and the kids are lively and engaged. But there would be an elephant in the room, if only there was space. There are 192 pupils packed into what is essentially a two-room hut. This is a seriously overcrowded school. That’s going to change. This is one of the schools supported by the Sandals Foundation – the philanthropic arm of the hotel business – and so the premises will be getting an upgrade this year. It’s also one of the schools that clients staying at the nearby Sandals or Beaches properties in Negril can visit if you book them on a Reading Road Trip with Island Routes. This two-hour, $25 excursion takes guests into a local school, where they’ll be paired with a small group of children aged between three and 10 for reading and comprehension exercises. Shy clients can be reassured that they won’t need to stand up in front of the whole class as I did – Sandals kindly organised a special individual visit for me as my stay didn’t coincide with the group tour, which runs on Thursdays.
l NEIGHBOURLY NEGRIL Negril has established a reputation for being the most laid-back area of Jamaica, so you might
y palms are suddenly rather sweaty – and it’s not down to the warm Jamaican
5 March 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 55
CARIBBEAN
travelweekly.co.uk/destinations
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