Ethiopian Review

Pupils from Parkway dressed up in traditional Ethiopian attire for a visit from former teachers Rob Guyton and Judi Walton.

(Haverhill Echo) — CONDITIONS in an Ethiopian school and its wider society were brought to ‘virtual’ life during a visit to a Haverhill school by two of its former teachers.

Rob Guyton and Judi Walton returned to their former workplace, Parkway Middle School, to tell year five and six pupils of their experience of two years spent teaching in the West African country, one of the poorest in the world.

Pupils discovered what it would be like to live in a small hut shared with cows and goats – which were brought to life by the children – carry heavy water containers, greet people and learn in an Ethiopian school during Mr Guyton and Ms Walton’s two recent visits.

Colourful photographs and costumes also helped virtualise further Ethiopian life.

The lessons were organised by the school to fit into the Global Campaign for Education’s Big Read, in which world leaders have pledged to improve literacy levels, and therefore poverty, throughout the world.

Parkway’s English teacher, Avril Dawson said: “Our students have been learning about the causes and effects of this before presenting their work and writing to Gordon Brown to urge him to continue to work towards keeping this promise. We look forward to his support.”

The full article contains 209 words and appears in Haverhill Echo newspaper.