Teaching

Since I got back from vacation, I’ve been working two days a week in second grade and three days in first grade. I have definitely had my frustrations this year, mostly with the kids’ behavior, but the lack of resources also makes me feel sometimes like I’m teaching with one hand tied behind my back. But as my volunteer year comes to a close, I’m reflecting on the changes I have been able to make and feel positive about them, especially in regards to teaching methodology and instructional strategies.

I feel like I’ve brought read-aloud to the forefront of instruction here. Kenia always tells me how much she enjoys hearing me read, and the kids always ask me to. I was able to start a Word Wall of words kids should be reading at first glance. We do ten a week on flashcards, and then I put them on the wall for them to practice. For the kids who struggle the most, I did an oral reading fluency take-home activity so they could practice every day with their tíos. For our science theme, we’re studying living things versus nonliving things. I introduced the idea of a Venn diagram, and the students did really well with it, although it was really hard at first. I also had the kids create a personal coat of arms when we studied the individual. The other day, the kids were getting a talking to after yanking the tail off a poor little gecko. All they wanted to do after that was talk about experiences they’d had with animals, so I suggested they write about it. I did an example on the board, we shared ideas, and I sent them off tow work. I was so pleased with their ideas, although I was as usual frustrated by the demand for perfection in spelling in first grade when, for me, ideas have always held more weight. Imagine my delight when I came back from teaching second grade and Kenia was having the kids write their own “avisos” after sharing her own example. She told them that the most important thing was that they were writing and that content is what counted!!

In second grade, I’m working on eliminating round robin reading. The kids lose their place, those who struggle get embarrassed, and those who already read well get bored. I started with a cloze read, where I read aloud and leave out a word which the kids then supply chorally. They seem to be really engaged with that strategy. I’m using questioning strategies to get the kids to make predictions and draw conclusions, since they are really lacking in analysis. I really like that the teacher Xiomara is open to new ideas and asks me to show her strategies. The other day, she was struggling to present an activity on volume and asked me to step in. I had a blast doing it, and the kids really surprised me with how well they understood it. We had several graduated cylinders of various sizes and they had to figure out different ways to make a liter. I was impressed with their use of fractions and repeated addition.
In turn, I’ve learned a lot from the teachers here. When I left Puyallup, I would have said that discipline and management were my strengths, but I have been challenged here in ways I never imagined. The amount of behavioral problems here is astounding, but Kenia has really helped me understand where the kids come from and why they behave the way they do. I now know how to manage not just one tough kid, but a whole classroom full of them. I can’t imagine running into any group of children more challenging than these. I’ve also benefitted from learning the Montessori method, and my work in younger grades will be a big help to me when I start teaching second grade this fall at Meeker Elementary in Puyallup.

Bellydance Comes to the Ranch

When I was home in January, I got all jazzed about the idea of teaching a bellydance class to the older girls on the Ranch. I packed music, some costuming, and zils donated by my former teacher Zanbaka. When I got back, I got permission to start classes. Anyway, for reasons I won’t go into on my blog, my initiative died a sad little death. I did end up showing some of my girls Zanbaka’s bellydance guidebooks where I am featured as the model, which they thought was pretty cool. One of those girls is an officer in the Youths in Action group on the Ranch. They were in charge of this weekend’s activities, including Saturday night’s talent show. When neither the tías in Talita Kumi nor the volunteers came up with a presentation, I was convinced (it didn’t take much) to perform. This was about 15 minutes before the event began, so good thing I studied tribal improvisation. I ran back to the house, where Miriam helped me get ready. I dressed like I did when I performed at Zeiger, so a little more conservative than normal. When I arrived at talleres, people asked me if I was dancing and if so with whom. What I got was lots of, “You’re dancing ALONE?” I was a little nervous; I’m not going to lie. This is something definitely outside of mainstream Honduran culture. It didn’t help that we had technical difficulties, but my music finally came on. When I took my position and the lights went down, I could hear little Jarvin’s voice saying, “Qué bonito!” I only danced for a few minutes, but I managed to have a good time and was really appreciative of the shouts of support from my girls. They really loved it and asked me when I was going to teach them to move like that. They were mesmerized by the zils, and Aida asked me who was playing, not realizing that I was doing it while I danced. My tía Delmy was especially impressed and said she really wished she’d learned to dance from me. It looks like there’s interest, so maybe there’s still time, despite the snail’s pace at which everything moves here. In any case, I got to strut my stuff, and we all know how much I like that.

Choluteca Weekend

This February, three girls from the Ranch were given the opportunity to bypass their year of service and go directly to bachillerato (high school) in Choluteca, a city about 3-4 hours south of Tegus by bus (it’s really close to the Nicaraguan border). They’ve been asking me when I’m going to come visit them, so I decided on the second weekend in March. It helps that one of my favorite kids of all time is there. Magda is such a rockstar. She really has it together. One of my favorite things about her is that she really stuck it to the machistas in talleres and insisted on being allowed to be in welding and then passed her national exams with flying colors. I left school at 1:00 p.m. on Friday and hopped on the bus to Tegus. I got off at El Mayoreo and quickly found a bus to Choluteca. Figuring out transportation all by myself is always a big confidence booster for me. This being Mother’s Day Weekend, the bus took forever to get to Choluteca. Magda must have called me 8 times to make sure I was okay and so she’d know when to meet me at the terminal. I got there a little after 7:00 p.m., and she and Heidy were both there to pick me up. We took a cab to the house where the three girls live. They are staying with the cousin of another pequeña and her three daughters (so with “family”). Ingrid welcomed me into her home and fed me lots of greasy food so that I would leave “bien gorda.” Two of the girls bunked together so I could have my own bed, and they set the fan up right next to me because Choluteca is notoriously hot. Those girls really know how to consentir. I didn’t carry my own bags, never washed my own dishes, and got scolded for making my own bed. And that little pumpkin Magda kept trying to pay for me when we went out. Heidy made me coffee Saturday morning, and then I took my first ever bucket shower. It was a little area outside, blocked off with sheets, those being the only things between me and the rooster next door. I was told to throw water on any of the dogs who tried to come in. After we got ready, Wendy, Magda and I headed to a nearby swimming pool with their friends from school. We were there pretty much all day. I felt shy around the friends because they spoke Spanish differently and really fast. Once we headed to the park in the late afternoon, they started to ask me questions, and we all warmed up to each other and had a great time. We spent the evening back at the house, where Heidy painted my nails for an hour. She’s a perfectionist and had to do an elaborate design. I think it’s a modern teenage Honduran equivalent of the washing of feet in the Bible. It’s an act of service and love. The girls sent me off Sunday morning with lots of hugs and requests for another visit. All in all, it was a lovely weekend.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

So back to work it is! Momo and I had decided that after Semana Santa, I would start working part time in first grade and part time in second with my kids from last year. Because the little kids are gone at the beach this week, I was in second grade the whole week. The teacher is Xiomara, an ex-pequeña herself, and I’m helping her with instructional strategies. It’s been going well – the kids are excited to have me there because they get more individual attention with a second teacher, naturally. I’m back in hogar, which is wonderful. I loved being greeted by some of the girls as if they hadn’t seen me in years. Wednesday was Día del Trabajador. We had a mass honoring Joseph the worker and a fantastic lunch (pork and scalloped potatoes, oh my!) for all the employees. There was also a band and dancing. I was starting to feel like a rejected seventh grader at a junior high dance, so Victoria and I took matters into our own hands and salsa and merengued it up. Thursday was a fun day because I left school at noon to go on compras. One day every month, the kids who had birthdays that month all pile onto the NPH bus with the folks from sponsorship for a day in the city. They get pizza, cake, and some spending money to go shopping. I went with cousins Saravia and Hallan. Hallan’s sister met us at Pizza Hut and I got to hold her precious 4 month-old Vienna Emoly. She loved my Muppet faces, but Saravia really had the magic touch with her. The bus ride home was full of teasing and laughter and general hysteria. That night, there was a tremendous storm with heavy rains, thunder, lightning, and the biggest hail I’ve ever seen in my life. I definitely got some pretty big ice chunks put down my shirt, thanks to my little lovelies in hogar. Today, I found myself alone with the kiddos because Xiomara was sick. I read them a book from my childhood called Two Bad Ants and had them illustrate three main events in order (a comprehension activity they’d never done before). They worked so well I wanted to take a picture. It all went well until computer class because they power went out, so I had to fill an hour and ten minutes. We went out to have the PE class, and they did well with structured activities, but as soon as I gave them some freedom, they lost it. I gave them homework as a consequence, and they weren’t too happy, but such is life. Just left the volunteer meeting and am relaxing a bit before we begin ye olde work weekend.

Krista and Kimmie Do Central America

My dear friend Krista travelled all the way to Honduras, using up all her vacation, to come play with me. I have to give her major props. Honduras isn´t exactly a tourist destination, it´s a pricey ticket, and you have to get shots just to come here, for goodness sake! That and everything we wanted to do required getting up at 5 in the morning. We did manage to have an absolute blast, though!

Krista got in on Saturday the 16th, and Saravia accompanied me to the airport. The three of us girls headed into the city center for a lovely lunch at Cafe Paraiso. After stocking up at the grocery store, Krista got the colectivo and public bus experience to get to the Ranch. We were full up with visitors, so she actually got to stay in the priest´s house - pretty sweet digs. Instead of letting her rest, I dragged her to my hogar to meet the girls who weren´t with family for Holy Week. Those who stayed were leaving to go camping, and I wanted to make sure she met them. We also hit up the baby house, always a popular spot for visitors. On Sunday, we had a procession with all the boys to the church for Palm Sunday (with Tio Chele on a real live donkey and everything). From there, I gave her the tour of the Ranch followed by a hike to the cemetary. I somehow managed to get us lost until some nice old man in Tamal y Queso pointed us back in the right direction (and accompanied us silly gringas for part of the way). It was great eavesdropping on Krista´s phone conversation with her boyfriend about the Ranch. She really loved it. The kids didn´t hesitate to hop on her lap and she was impressed by the fact that we send our kids to college. I think she´s going to start a sponsorship when she gets back.

We headed to Tegucigalpa on Monday, catching a jalon with Reinhart and Camila right to our hotel door. I made sure Krista got all the important Tegus experiences like eating a baleada at Dolores, chilling out on the Pincho Loco patio, and buying a movie at La Isla. We met up with Leila later in the day and headed up to her apartment for a spaghetti dinner.

At the crack of dawn Tuesday, we were off to Copan. The ride to San Pedro Sula wasn´t too bad, but the windy road in the busito to Copan nearly killed us. We got in around 3 in the afternoon to find that the hostel I´d booked lost our reservation. It didn´t take too long to find something else, fortunately. I was crazy that day because I had to figure out how to do an interview, so we went searching for an Internet cafe with Skype and a webcam. It went pretty well, although I was glad they couldn´t see my sweat. We went out for a celebratory dinner and shopping in charming Copan Ruinas afterwards. The next day, we decided to hit the ruins. The Mayan ruins in Copan are not as much known for its impressive structures (which are nonetheless breathtaking) as for the quality of its sculpture. It boasts beautiful stelae of the ancient kings of Copan and a huge staircase detailing the history of the place. Totally worth seeing. And of course we were huge immature dorks who had to pose photos where we pretended to be sacrificed on altars...naturally.

On Thursday, it was up early again to head to Antigua, Guatemala. Loved being a Honduran resident and not having to pay fees at the border! Antigua is a lovely colonial town with beautiful churches and people from all over the world. We stayed at the Yellow House Hostel - clean, helpful, and full of character. It is run by Ceci, a delightful Paraguayan woman, who was pleasantly surprised to be able to converse with me in Spanish. Tons of people speak English in both Copan and Antigua, and I received many compliments on my Spanish, boosting my already out of control ego. In the wee hours of the morning on Good Friday, people are creating elaborate alfombras (carpets) with colored sand and sawdust, pine needles, flowers, and fruit. They symbolize the cloaks laid down for Jesus on his way to the cross. Unfortunately, it rained for the first time in twenty-some years, so there weren´t so many alfombras and our tour was cancelled. It was rescheduled for the next day, and we still got to see lots of alfombras (we helped make one, although I use the term help loosely)and a procession (we saw multiple over the course of 4 days). The processions are pretty amazing. You can hear them coming with the band that plays the same two melancholy songs and see them by the horde of men in purple robes surrounded by clouds of incense smoke. 80 men carry a huge wooden platform with a figure of Jesus and sway back and forth as they pass over the beautiful alfombras that last too short a time. You can really tell how heavy the platforms are by the women´s faces (they carry a smaller platform with Mary). The whole thing is really quite moving. We also saw a beautiful stations of the cross. The robes change to black with the death of Jesus, and then there is a huge celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday with candy in the streets for the kids.

We had one outside of Antigua adventure. We decided it would be an excellent idea to climb the active volcano Pacaya. My guide book said you were more likely to be hit by molten rock than be robbed or murdered (aren´t you glad I told you about this after the fact, moms?). It was really amazing. No lava due to the eruption in May of last year - kind of a bummer. Our group was great - Italians, Brits, Aussies, Brazilians, French, you name it. It was breathtaking and not too strenous of a hike for me, although I´m much better than I ever thought I could be. That night, we treated ourselves to a lovely dinner. I had a tandoori chicken panini - something I would never have on the Ranch!! We spent Sunday shopping in the colorful market and being accosted by people trying to sell us stuff. The evening was whiled away playing cards with an Israeli doctor we befriended in the hostel.

And all too soon, our vacation came to an end. Krista headed to the Bay Islands, and me back to the Ranch.

El Batallon

Yesterday, we went on a field trip to the nearby military base. I went with my girls who aren’t in their year of service along with a bunch of the other kids. We met at 7:30 in talleres and went in two different bus trips, between which I sprinted with my girls back to my room to change into tennis shoes. When we arrived, they split the kids up into three different groups based on age. Our first activity was to line up in a military formation and learn commands. Easy peasy for me, thank you very much dance team and drill down. They then sat us down for some “classes.” They were given by some self-important future officers from the academy that I immediately disliked. Especially because one of them surprised me with a question I wasn’t ready for and I claimed not to speak Spanish well which led to him asking me every two seconds if I understood. I was not a happy camper. After two of these classes, we relaxed for a bit and so did the soldiers. They made the mistake of saying they spoke a lot of English and were studying it at the academy. I felt the need to call them out and the kids helped me pressure them into talking with me. They all lightened up, and we had a nice conversation, and they realized that my Spanish was actually quite good. From then on, we were friends. We had lunch there, and then headed off to the obstacle course. My height was quite an advantage and several of the older boys were impressed, which is not easily accomplished. We got to see where the snipers practice and where they do hostage rescue drills. We then walked back to the Ranch, tired and hot but contented.

A Day in the Life

Post delayed due to my little friend, Influenza.

Monday, March 28th 2011

6:45 a.m. Alarm rings. Press “Aplazar” repeatedly.
7:00 a.m. Actually get up. Get ready ridiculously fast.
7:20 a.m. Walk down to school.
7:30 a.m. Prepare classroom. Open windows, put plants in their place, set out handwashing bucket.
7:40 a.m. Kids sit in the ellipse. Guide opening activities: cambio de fecha, read aloud, review words to be placed on word wall (pared de palabras). Kenia waters plants and works outside with various students.
8:00 a.m. Kids read silently. Read word cards with struggling readers.
8:20 a.m. Work time. Introduce new activities at each kid’s level, write activities in notebooks, supervise and maintain discipline.
9:30 a.m. Take kids to art class. Make a paper elephant.
10:10 a.m. Recess. Cut up watermelon for snack.
10:30 a.m. Take kids to English class. Have a tortilla con quesillo with Kenia in the caseta.
11:10 a.m. Write homework in notebooks while Kenia teaches a lesson on upper and lower case letters in the ellipse.
11:30 a.m. More work time.
12:00 p.m. Kenia teaches physical education. Close up classroom with two kids cleaning the bathrooms. Sweep, mop, wash mop, wring out with bare hands (repress gag reflex).
1:00 p.m. Dismissal. Report to tíos regarding homework and behavior. Half the class stays for after school tutoring.
1:45 p.m. Eat lunch (rice and soup) with other Montessori teachers and kids staying after.
2:30 p.m. Reforzamiento begins. Work with struggling readers, help students to write numbers through 100, reinforce ordinal numbers and directionality.
4:00 p.m. Head home to change shoes.
4:15 p.m. Clean kitchen in San Vicente (where you don’t live). Take out garbage and clean out orgánica (repress gag reflex).
4:45 p.m. Practice with modern dance group in talleres. Get assigned godson Hallan as partner. Do a little happy dance.
6:00 p.m. Go to hogar. Chat outside with Saravia and Tía Mirna.
6:30 p.m. Eat dinner (eggs and beans) with Pilares.
7:00 p.m. Help girls with English homework, listen to music, hang out, talk.
7:45 p.m. Evening prayer. Give hugs and kisses to all the girls. Get hug from the girl who hasn’t talked to you for three days for who knows what reason, but who now has a framed picture of the two of you on her bed. Think about how temperamental teenage girls are. Feel bad for your mom having to deal with you when you were that age.
8:00 p.m. Go home. Crawl in bed. Get called a granny by your roommate (no offense to any grannies reading this, including my own). Fall asleep because you have to do it all over again tomorrow.