Penn-Trafford teacher helps Jamaican students with English, science

A Penn-Trafford High School science teacher has devoted time, energy and money to a humanitarian project helping students in Jamaica learn standard English while teaching them science.

“It gives me the opportunities to share my abilities and knowledge. If I can give back to people who are less fortunate, then I am going to do it,” said Samantha Ramaswamy, 31, who teaches Advanced Placement and honors chemistry.

While the official language of Jamaica is English, the majority of people in the Caribbean island nation speak Patois, a creole language including English, African and other influences, according to WorldAtlas.com.

For a week in late September, Ramaswamy co-taught reading and writing through science to about 50 students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades at a church in Broughton, which is in the Westmoreland parish of Jamaica. The church was used because the school was closed because of the pandemic, Ramaswamy said.

They did a variety of scientific experiments, such as making Alka-­Seltzer rockets, making soda with Mentos breath mints and baking soda and using glitter to show the effectiveness of soap.

The highlight of the experience was having students say how much they loved science, “seeing the interest and the kind of spark for them doing science,” Ramaswamy said. Girls saw a female scientist and knew they also could do the same, said Ramaswamy, who is president of the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association.

“It was like they did not think girls could do it,” she said.

The trip was a SuperKids project sponsored through Great Shape! Inc., a nonprofit based in Modesto, Calif., that serves seven island nations in the Caribbean. It is supported by the Sandals Foundation, which was founded by Sandals Resorts International.

Ramaswamy was provided room and board at a Sandals resort in Jamaica. While Sandals advertisements portray a vacation of luxurious relaxation, she roomed in a “low-level” room with two other teachers and was transported to the church where she taught the students. As part of the requirements for the program, Ramaswamy paid for her flight and covered project fees.

In addition to teaching, Ramaswamy said she brought with her school supplies for the Jamaican teachers to use in their classrooms. Before her trip, Ramaswamy worked with Penn-Trafford’s Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society to collect school supplies and monetary donations for those students and teachers who often lack supplies such as pencils and paper.

She gave each of her students a composition notebook that became their prized science notebook, as well as crayons, pencils and whiteboard markers.

Ramaswamy “is the best kind of volunteer to have: willing, able, enthusiastic, helpful and ready for new challenges,” Brad Adams, co-director for SuperKids and Teach the Teachers, said in a statement. “Samantha has become an essential part of our team and is a great asset to our projects.”

She became interested in volunteering with the organization on a 2017 vacation to Jamaica, where she met some teachers involved in the Teach the Teachers program. She had previously worked with the Great Shape! program Teach the Teacher for parts of two summers in 2017 and 2018 in Jamaica and said she plans to return to Jamaica next summer.

“Working with teachers is what I love to do,” Ramaswamy said. “It’s nice to know you are helping multiple teachers who are helping students.”