A Classroom Of Her Own … In The Dominican Republic

When Heather MacDonald graduated from URI with a degree in elementary education in 2010, she imagined she'd find a job here in Rhode Island, but it turned out full-time teaching jobs here were few and far between.  

So she substituted. That was all right for a while. Living with her parents in East Greenwich, she continued waitressing at Olive Garden – a job she'd held throughout college – and took substitute jobs as they came up. But after two years, the routine was getting old. 

In September 2011, she spent three months teaching at a school in the small village of El Pedregal in the Dominican Republic. The place was familiar to MacDonald. She'd traveled there a couple of times before with groups from St. Luke's Church in East Greenwich. She learned she could get a full-time teaching job at a Christian English-language school in the neighboring town of Jarabacoa. 

After thinking about it, MacDonald, 26, decided to sign on. The fact is, the whole time she'd been substitute teaching in Rhode Island, she'd known she could more easily find a full-time teaching job in another state, especially in the South. 

"But since I was already connected to the DR, I figured, why not go big, if I'm going to move?" said MacDonald in an interview last week. With first hand knowledge of the place, she said, "I felt more comfortable saying I’m going to move to the DR than some random town in the South."

She signed on for a two-year commitment and moved to the Dominican Republic in August 2012. Her Spanish was already pretty good, but it quickly became better. 

Although the cost of living is lower there, MacDonald only makes $350 a month, so she lives simply. 

"It’s more of a missionary job," she said. "You’re giving up a lot to be there. It’s religious-based service." 

But she also, finally, had her own classroom, and students were were hers for the entire year. And, she had a lot of freedom in her teaching.

"They give you the books and they say, 'Do with it what you want,'" MacDonald said. "There’s no list of things you need to accomplish by June, so it gives you a little more creative spirit. You're able to have a little more fun with it."

Of course, life in the DR is different. 

"You have to become familiar with the cultural things – how to do your laundry, getting used to the power going out every day, walking everywhere, just kind of slowing down," she said.

The people are different too. They are warmer, friendlier than in the U.S., said MacDonald. And she's seen differences with the children too. Cliques, for instance: "They just really don’t exist there." 

And the kids aren't so hung up on fashion or stuff in general, she said. 

MacDonald just flew back to the DR for her second year on Friday. She's got plans for more that she'd like to accomplish. 

She wants to start a group to empower the young women of El Pedregal, girls from the village who usually don't go very far in school. For those girls, getting pregnant as a teenager is usually their only future. 

Her pay covers rent, electricity, and food, but little else, so she's been grateful to those who've donated to her work. Going forward, she plans to use donations to help establish the young women's group. 

And MacDonald is already thinking she might sign on for a third year. With one year already under her belt, she's gained the confidence you can only get after seeing your students through a whole school year. 

"When I was in college, I assumed I would teach here [in Rhode Island], but this has expanded my horizons," she said. "It’s nice to go to work and know you are making a positive impact in children's lives. I want to have a good impact on their education and their life."

If you are interested in donating to Heather MacDonald, send a check made out to Heather to 5329 Post Road, East Greenwich, R.I. 02818. Susan MacDonald (Heather's mom) will deposit any donation into Heather's checking account.