"Kreyòl Pale, Kreyòl Konprann": Haitian Identity and Creole Mother Tongue Learning in Maténwa, Haiti

LKM, a small island school in the Matènwa community engaged in the reform of Haitian learning from a postcolonial education system to culturally relevant methods pedagogy, focuses on mother tongue instruction to legitimize the Creole language and new practices of cultural awareness to develop Haitian identity in students. The children attending LKM reach literacy competence in the L1 to L2 method while their learning derives from local contexts, creative processes such as the LKM mother tongue book initiative, and emphasis on children's rights and non-violence. Through observations, interviews, a focus group, and prolonged stay in the field methods, this research aimed to understand the impact of LKM's learning on the primary school children, notably the 1st and 6th graders and to promote the hope that this learning model represents for the future of Haiti.