At Helene Christian English School (better known as HCES) we definitely aim to teach academics. For the past three years, we have made a concerted effort to identify learning objectives and align our curriculum and practices to those learning objectives. Instead of trying to teach a little bit about lots of things, we’re striving to teach a lot about a few key things…specifically reading and writing.

HCES is the only school on the island for children to receive an education in the English language. English on the island is complex though. If you’ve never thought about it, or taught it, you might not know that there are different kinds of “English.” Just on Helene, there’s American English, British English, and Bay Island English. Each is a legitimate form of English. This complexity presents a challenge for teachers, students, and for me. Since each form is legitimate and culturally important, that requires that I help our teachers understand their own linguistics and support them in teaching a form of English that may not be their first language.

The curriculum that we use is produced in the United States and therefore is structured around American English vocabulary, syntax, and spelling rules. Most of our teachers are Bay Island English speakers. Bay Island English is a creole with its own vocabulary, syntax, spelling, and phonetics. Throw in the influence of Spanish, and things get quite entertaining! But we are learning! And we’re doing it together.