‘The Impact of a Library’ by Joseph Addae, Ghanaian Headteacher

The Messiah International School has housed a library open to the entire community since December 2015. In the future we hope to expand the library and enable other schools to use the library during the day time as well as after school. The school currently run a Readers’ Club – we hope this will soon be open to the entire community, too, once the library is expanded. Joseph Addae is the Director of the Messiah International School, and a key member of the Reading Spots team. 

”It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations — something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own ” (Katherine Patterson)

The library, from what I have seen so far, is a catalyst in its own way. It is really helping the pupils in their academic life.

Both teachers and pupils  have been using books from the library as teaching and learning aids. During English lessons, pupils go to the library to make use of the dictionaries available to look up for words, their meanings and sometimes synonyms if necessary. This has actually been facilitating teaching and learning as compared to previous outcomes.
Also, since the library has a conducive environment for learning, pupils who are willing to study during break or on their free time are able to have a quiet environment. Concentration is essential for learning and the library provides just that with minimal distraction.
The library is helping the pupils in ways they don’t even realize. They have in mind that they are reading for fun but it is also beneficial improving their vocabulary and all. The arrangement in there is also a nice scene to see and has increased the enrollment drive.

As a parent, I can’t keep calm about how helpful the library has been to my kids. I need to let all know so that they understand its essence. I have realised that my kids have resorted most often to reading during their free time. At first, the only thing they were reading was their notes plus the books I seldom bought  them from the bookshop. Apart from that, they were seen hanging out with this friend or the other. But now, since they are allowed to borrow books, they seem to be around most of the time. I’m also happy to say that, they are improving as they try to select phrases from these books and say them. Gradually, if this continues I know they are going do really great.

Joseph Edward Addae
         (Director)
Messiah International School
To donate to the expansion of the project visit www.justgiving.com/reading-spots.
(Below, Joseph is in the middle in the white T-shirt)
Pupils in Abofour queuing up to take books out for the weekend:

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