Where in the World is Monte Cristi?

Monte Cristi is the most Northwestern province in the Dominican Republic and shares a small part of it's border with Haiti (see highlighted pink area below).

The Dominican Republic

The project is located in the capital city of the province of Monte Cristi, San Fernando de Monte Cristi (see red circle on the map below).

The Province of Monte Cristi

Below are a few of my favorite photos of Monte Cristi. Click on the link to watch a slide show of photos I have taken of Monte Cristi: http://picasaweb.google.com/115999177107602842715/MonteCristiPhotos#5450136973244026610

The dirt roads of Monte Cristi



The local baseball stadium

The Monte Cristi Tap Dance Project

Growing up, most of us had many opportunities to pursue interests in sports, art, dance, music, etc. In Monte Cristi the children have no such opportunities. Therefore I have chosen to share my love of tap dance with the students of Monte Cristi by teaming up with the local dance/gym teacher. This local teacher gathers students several times a year to teach dance routines that are then performed for the town at holiday gatherings, parades, etc.

Dance routine in Monte Cristi gymnasium for Dominican Independence Day

Currently the dance routines are all some combination of cheer-leading and poms. In order to offer something new, different, and perhaps more challenging, the local dance teacher and I will be introducing tap dance. The teacher and her most dedicated students are quite excited (after watching me perform several sample routines) as am I. The tap classes will be free. Students will perform at local community events, parades, holiday celebrations, special school events, etc.

I am currently fund-raising to buy tap shoes for a small set of students and the local dance teacher, as well as pay for shipping costs to get the shoes to Monte Cristi. Once they arrive, I will begin teaching both the local dance teacher and the dance students she selects. We hope that eventually she will become the lead tap dance teacher and tap dance will become an ongoing activity in Monte Cristi.

The tap shoes are only $7 a piece. For information on the product, click on this link: http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.php3?mf=/dancewear/shoes/page1 and search for the "Capezio Recital Tap Shoe," pictured below:

To help purchase shoes for The Monte Cristi Tap Dance Project, please write a check to Julie Lindenberg and write "Monte Cristi Tap Dance Project" in the memo line. Send the check to:

Attn: Monte Cristi Tap Dance Project
2104 Seminary Road
Silver Spring, MD
20910

Or, if you would like to purchase shoes directly- please contact me at JulieLindenberg@gmail.com for size and quantity information, as well as shipping information.

Shipping costs from the dance supply company to the Dominican Republic vary depending on the total purchase amount, and thus on the number of tap shoes purchased. Please see the chart below for pricing:

Purchases up to:	Shipping cost:
$50.00	$49.25
$100.00	$55.50
$200.00	$71.00

Education in the Dominican Republic- Background

The Dominican Republic has the worst education system in the entire Western Hemisphere. Even the education system in Haiti is more effective, for those fortunate enough to attend school. In a 2008 study, the DR ranked dead last in Math, Reading and Science, with a significant lag behind 16 other Latin American countries in the study (UNESCO, SERCE 2008).

A typical public school in the Dominican Republic

Across the entire Dominican Republic, students in public schools attend school for only four hours a day- either in the morning or the afternoon. However due to late starts, early dismissals, cancellations due to rain, and an immense amount of free time, students on average receive only 2.4 hours of "instruction" a day.

School is often cancelled or let out early due to rain

I say "instruction" because there is little to no teaching going on. Teachers usually arrive late to school. They often leave the classroom unattended for large amounts of time throughout the day. Walking through a public school in Monte Cristi, you often wonder where the teachers even are. You pass by classrooms of unattended children, and then you may eventually stumble on a group of teachers seated outside in the shade, discussing the latest gossip while their students wreak havoc in the classrooms. I have walked by classrooms and had students beg me to come teach them something. When I ask what exactly they would like me to teach, the usual answer is "anything!" Sometimes teachers fail to show up all together. Since it is the teacher's responsibility to find and pay their own substitute, the students are almost always left without any teacher. Sometimes the principal will allow the students to stay in the classroom and have free time all day. Other times the students are simply told to go home.

Students left unattended in the classroom

When the teacher is in the room, usually he or she writes sentences on the board for students to copy. Although this is perhaps a 10 minute exercise, students may be given up to an hour to complete this task, resulting in complete chaos when they have all finished. In math, students often copy example problems or a series of numbers off the board. Often they are given tedious exercises to complete, such as writing the numbers 4,000 to 10,000, counting by 3's. In a recent algebra class, students were told to copy an example off the board of how to solve algebraic equations. No instruction. No explanation. One example, and then several homework problems. Then move on to another topic the next day.

Homework also involves completing tedious exercises, such as writing numbers 2,000 to 4,000 counting by 2's, etc. In social science, homework usually involves copying a page or two straight out of the outdated textbook into their notebooks. On other occasions, students must memorize several paragraphs from these textbooks to deliver to the teacher word-for-word.

My hope is to help provide educational opportunities to the students in Monte Cristi.