Feeling guilty about the last post, I have composed the following…
1. Tucking my girls in at night, with hugs, kisses, and “Te quieros.”
2. Feeling like a rockstar as I walk around the Ranch and have my name yelled.
3. Hot tea from the kitchen.
4. 3 month-old Ricardo falling asleep on my chest after his bottle.
5. Being called Tía Kimmie.
6. Bantering with Kenia at school.
7. Visiting the conses in the baby house with Saravia.
8. Cokes and tortillas con quesillo in the caseta at school.
9. Natalia telling me I’m her mom.
10. Mass. (I know, but I really like it.)
11. Cheap movies from La Isla.
12. Living simply. That one blue plastic plate has lasted me all year for all my meals.
13. The sound of cracking nits (lice eggs) between my thumbnails. Don’t judge. I can now delouse someone and am thus thinking of becoming a full-time catracha.
14. Being half of Tío Richard’s conses al cuadrado. Or maybe I’m the square root?
15. The feeling of always being on somewhat of an adventure.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Things I’m NOT Going to Miss…
As my year comes to a close, I thought I would go negative and write about what I’m not going to miss. In no particular order:
1. The smell of unwashed humanity on a skanky public bus to Tegucigalpa.
2. Tegucigalpa.
3. Community living i.e. Passive-Aggression 101 and cleaning up other people’s disgusting messes. Note: last kitchen duty this Thursday – woohoo!
4. Banging my head against the wall trying to get my students to analyze or think critically.
5. Having to do so much with so little.
6. Packages I know about that never arrive.
7. Forgetting important dates such as birthdays, which I never do at home.
8. Doing without electricity, cell service, water, or Internet at any given moment.
9. Being the Internet go-to girl for my girls during my free time because there’s no other way they can do their homework (thank you, talleres teachers). See above for more related frustrations.
10. Going hungry at work because there just wasn’t enough food.
11. Cleaning my own classroom.
12. Year-round bugs that find me inexplicably delicious. (Little known fact: my eyelids are especially tasty.)
13. Lice, scabies, and pink eye. Not that they don’t exist in the States, but I’m not as likely to get them.
14. Campañas de limpieza (cleaning campaigns).
15. Having my personal and professional life be one and the same.
I think I’m perhaps doing this because my subconscious knows how hard it’s going to be for me to leave, and focusing on everything that sucks might make it easier. But, as Mr. Gendreau used to say, it was in my craw and I needed it to come out.
1. The smell of unwashed humanity on a skanky public bus to Tegucigalpa.
2. Tegucigalpa.
3. Community living i.e. Passive-Aggression 101 and cleaning up other people’s disgusting messes. Note: last kitchen duty this Thursday – woohoo!
4. Banging my head against the wall trying to get my students to analyze or think critically.
5. Having to do so much with so little.
6. Packages I know about that never arrive.
7. Forgetting important dates such as birthdays, which I never do at home.
8. Doing without electricity, cell service, water, or Internet at any given moment.
9. Being the Internet go-to girl for my girls during my free time because there’s no other way they can do their homework (thank you, talleres teachers). See above for more related frustrations.
10. Going hungry at work because there just wasn’t enough food.
11. Cleaning my own classroom.
12. Year-round bugs that find me inexplicably delicious. (Little known fact: my eyelids are especially tasty.)
13. Lice, scabies, and pink eye. Not that they don’t exist in the States, but I’m not as likely to get them.
14. Campañas de limpieza (cleaning campaigns).
15. Having my personal and professional life be one and the same.
I think I’m perhaps doing this because my subconscious knows how hard it’s going to be for me to leave, and focusing on everything that sucks might make it easier. But, as Mr. Gendreau used to say, it was in my craw and I needed it to come out.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
27 Baptisms and 2 Baby Boys
Last week, we 27 of our children were baptized into the Catholic faith. Each of them was dressed in his/her finest, all the little girls in dresses of white. They all had a godfather and godmother. I was asked to be Natalia’s, but was unable to because I’m not Catholic. I was really honored to be asked, however. The baptisms were done by Padre Cheche, a Mexican priest and my favorite of those who give mass here, and Father Luta, a visiting priest originally from Uganda. Padre Cheche gave a really interesting explanation of baptism. He said the purpose of baptism is to wash one clean of original sin. But, he asked, are these little ones capable of sin? No, but they come into the world sinners regardless. He gave an example of a baby born with HIV. It’s not the baby’s fault, but the baby still has the disease. And we do everything in our power to help that baby cope with the illness. Similarly, he explained, these little ones are born into sin through no fault of their own, and we do everything we can to help them, which means we baptize them. I’m not sure if I’m explaining it or translating it well at all, but it was something that stuck with me. It was fun to see the kids’ different reactions to water being poured on their heads, from laughter to tears. Henry, one of our special needs boys, really wanted to play in that pool of water. I really love how steeped in tradition the Catholic church is, and it was special to be a part of an important moment in our NPH Honduras family.
In other Ranch news, our newest additions are twin 3 month-olds, Alan and Ricardo, and their 3 year-old sister Berenice (it sounds so much prettier in Spanish). They come from the nearby town of Talanga and were part of our comedor project, but have now come to live at the Ranch. The boys look like two little old men. I had my first up close and personal encounter with them today. I went up to the clinic where all new kids stay for a few weeks, and Tiffany had just prepared a bottle for Ricardo. I had the pleasure of giving it to him, which brought back my Connor nanny days. He fell asleep in my arms like a little caterpillar and managed to nuzzle his head right under my chin. I know exactly where I’ll be spending all my free time for the next six weeks.
In other Ranch news, our newest additions are twin 3 month-olds, Alan and Ricardo, and their 3 year-old sister Berenice (it sounds so much prettier in Spanish). They come from the nearby town of Talanga and were part of our comedor project, but have now come to live at the Ranch. The boys look like two little old men. I had my first up close and personal encounter with them today. I went up to the clinic where all new kids stay for a few weeks, and Tiffany had just prepared a bottle for Ricardo. I had the pleasure of giving it to him, which brought back my Connor nanny days. He fell asleep in my arms like a little caterpillar and managed to nuzzle his head right under my chin. I know exactly where I’ll be spending all my free time for the next six weeks.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Semana Pedagógica
So we’ve had a week off of school, and since I decided not to take vacation, I’ve been working in various capacities. For three days, I was in Casa Suyapa with Momo helping paint the Montessori classroom there. After the first day of painting everything white, I was told I would be given an easier job since I made so many “manchas” the day before. I resigned myself to adding painting to the ever-growing list of practical life-skills which I do not possess. After painting everything a light blue, Momo decided she wanted to paint a tree in the reading corner. Since I don’t draw and I also know that Momo is very particular about how she likes things, I figured I would just paint in whatever someone else designed. But that was not to be, and I ended up in charge of designing and drawing it. So I took a deep breath, embraced my inner Quinn (think: opus), and went for it. It ended up being really great, much to my surprise, and Momo was delighted with it.
When I wasn’t painting, I was working in hogar. With the tías on a retreat one day, my two girls who didn’t go visit family for the week and who aren’t in their year of service, were taking care of the younger girls. I ended up helping out in Hijas de María (girls 7-9). I’m the teacher for a lot of them, so they were pretty tickled to have my come cuidar them. The rest of the time, I was hanging out in hogar and helping with homework, the latter of which is incredibly frustrating. The talleres teachers demand homework that requires doing Internet research and printing information and images. This is difficult because Internet, electricity, and ink are all short supply here. I find it especially ironic that the computer teacher assigned a project (requiring electricity) instead of doing an exam because the power went out in his classroom that day. This is an on-site school ; it’s not like they don’t know the reality we live in. And don’t get me started on the complete pointlessness of the homework and the utter lack of associated learning objectives.
Every afternoon of the week, I spend two hours rehearsing with the modern dance group. I think I’m just really irritable because I was getting more frustrated than usual. The group leader is great, but he lacks some dance basics. He never counts in 8, the moves don’t necessarily make sense musically, and he changes the steps when he dances. I was also frustrated with my own body. I’m not 16 anymore, and it just doesn’t come as easily anymore. But the remix was great, and I’m always game for a performance. We were preparing for an intermission presentation for Saturday’s Festival de la Canción (American Idol NPH Honduras). I put on my dance team game face and danced FULL OUT, as we like to say, and was gratified with cheers of, “Kimmie! Kimmie! Kimmie!”
It’s been interesting to have a change of pace, but I think I’ll be glad to get back to my usual routine. I’m looking at about six more weeks, and I think I’m pretty much done. Little things are starting to stress me out and frustrate me and I’m missing the food and conveniences of the first world. It’s definitely not the kids; just sometimes the situation makes it hard.
When I wasn’t painting, I was working in hogar. With the tías on a retreat one day, my two girls who didn’t go visit family for the week and who aren’t in their year of service, were taking care of the younger girls. I ended up helping out in Hijas de María (girls 7-9). I’m the teacher for a lot of them, so they were pretty tickled to have my come cuidar them. The rest of the time, I was hanging out in hogar and helping with homework, the latter of which is incredibly frustrating. The talleres teachers demand homework that requires doing Internet research and printing information and images. This is difficult because Internet, electricity, and ink are all short supply here. I find it especially ironic that the computer teacher assigned a project (requiring electricity) instead of doing an exam because the power went out in his classroom that day. This is an on-site school ; it’s not like they don’t know the reality we live in. And don’t get me started on the complete pointlessness of the homework and the utter lack of associated learning objectives.
Every afternoon of the week, I spend two hours rehearsing with the modern dance group. I think I’m just really irritable because I was getting more frustrated than usual. The group leader is great, but he lacks some dance basics. He never counts in 8, the moves don’t necessarily make sense musically, and he changes the steps when he dances. I was also frustrated with my own body. I’m not 16 anymore, and it just doesn’t come as easily anymore. But the remix was great, and I’m always game for a performance. We were preparing for an intermission presentation for Saturday’s Festival de la Canción (American Idol NPH Honduras). I put on my dance team game face and danced FULL OUT, as we like to say, and was gratified with cheers of, “Kimmie! Kimmie! Kimmie!”
It’s been interesting to have a change of pace, but I think I’ll be glad to get back to my usual routine. I’m looking at about six more weeks, and I think I’m pretty much done. Little things are starting to stress me out and frustrate me and I’m missing the food and conveniences of the first world. It’s definitely not the kids; just sometimes the situation makes it hard.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Need a Little Motivation...
If you're still reading this, please leave me a little comment para animarme to write more.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
You Know You’re Just About Fluent in Spanish When
…your girls check the spelling of certain words with you for their homework.
…you can explain division of polynomials (also a sign your math skills are still smokin’).
…you can just as easily speak in usted, tú, or vos.
…you know the difference between “Ya llego” (I’ll be right there), “Ya vengo” (I’ll be right back), and “Ya voy” (I’m coming).
…you understand inappropriate humor.
…you don’t switch to English when you get really mad.
…colloquialisms are part of your everyday vocabulary.
…your students aren’t sure if you speak English.
…they also no longer check with another teacher after asking you a question.
…after not speaking with a girl for months (she’s in the city doing her year of service) and finally talking to her on the phone, she exclaims, “¡Ya puedes hablar español!”
…you can explain division of polynomials (also a sign your math skills are still smokin’).
…you can just as easily speak in usted, tú, or vos.
…you know the difference between “Ya llego” (I’ll be right there), “Ya vengo” (I’ll be right back), and “Ya voy” (I’m coming).
…you understand inappropriate humor.
…you don’t switch to English when you get really mad.
…colloquialisms are part of your everyday vocabulary.
…your students aren’t sure if you speak English.
…they also no longer check with another teacher after asking you a question.
…after not speaking with a girl for months (she’s in the city doing her year of service) and finally talking to her on the phone, she exclaims, “¡Ya puedes hablar español!”
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.
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.
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