Sometimes when I travel, I feel as if I am really time traveling. Unfortunately I don't have Al from Quantum leap to help guide me. The reason why I feel this way is you see machinery or practices being used that are obsolete in the U.S.
I have hit the 1.5 year on my sabbatical and something recently snapped and I miss teaching and am eager to return back to the classroom with students. Luckily, as a teacher, it is pretty easy to go to schools to volunteer. For my last semester away, I am spending 6 weeks in Guatemala and then 3 months in Colombia. I am taking language school and helping out at a place called Nuestros Ahijados.
Their schedule is 7:30-3. Which is a really long day in Guatemala. Most public schools run from either 7:30-12:30, or 1-6. The children are fed both breakfast and lunch.
We usually do one lesson in the morning, and the children have a lot of free time to play. This is a perfect example of having to adjust any expectation I may have had. Although the children seem to have too much unstructured play time, they also seem to get along better.
When I come to school everyday, it reminds me of my time in Africa. The children always run to grab and kiss you with such sweet affection.
There is no copy machine and never seems to be much urgency in Guatemala (or many Latin American countries). On my first day, when she handed me an activity to copy, my first response was sure, where is the copy machine? There are 20 students in our class she just wanted me to make 20 copies of the activity in their journals. Which is what they are doing in this picture.
I love the way the teachers still sit at their desk. This is part of the time traveling concept. When I teach in the U.S, I never seem to have time to sit at my desk. In fact, a lot of teachers (including me) ended up removing their desk from their room because it was a waste of space.
I don't think I will ever be able to capture this beautiful campus. They have a preschool through 6 grade and a clinic that helps service all the malnourished children in the community.
Every Friday the school passes out food to local families.
I have hit the 1.5 year on my sabbatical and something recently snapped and I miss teaching and am eager to return back to the classroom with students. Luckily, as a teacher, it is pretty easy to go to schools to volunteer. For my last semester away, I am spending 6 weeks in Guatemala and then 3 months in Colombia. I am taking language school and helping out at a place called Nuestros Ahijados.
Their schedule is 7:30-3. Which is a really long day in Guatemala. Most public schools run from either 7:30-12:30, or 1-6. The children are fed both breakfast and lunch.
Here is a picture of my kindergarten/ preschool class
For breakfast, they usual have ATOL (or a porridge drink) with bread, pancakes, or something carb based.
When I come to school everyday, it reminds me of my time in Africa. The children always run to grab and kiss you with such sweet affection.
Here is the teacher: Salem. She is only 23. In Guatemala teachers can start as early as 19. They go straight out from high school to a 1 year internship. They technically could be teaching the next year. It is crazy to think this is her 5th year teaching when at 23 I was just starting my first year. She also taught in a school for the deaf so she teaches her students sign language.
Salem with 2 student teachers.
There is no copy machine and never seems to be much urgency in Guatemala (or many Latin American countries). On my first day, when she handed me an activity to copy, my first response was sure, where is the copy machine? There are 20 students in our class she just wanted me to make 20 copies of the activity in their journals. Which is what they are doing in this picture.
I love the way the teachers still sit at their desk. This is part of the time traveling concept. When I teach in the U.S, I never seem to have time to sit at my desk. In fact, a lot of teachers (including me) ended up removing their desk from their room because it was a waste of space.
I don't think I will ever be able to capture this beautiful campus. They have a preschool through 6 grade and a clinic that helps service all the malnourished children in the community.
The view from our classroom
Every Friday the school passes out food to local families.
2 comments:
I loved learning about the school where you are volunteering. It was so much fun to see the children and teachers and their classroom. The grounds of the school are beautiful. The dinosaur topiaries are so fun and the produce piles that are distributed to the families are amazing. Love, Mom
Elizabeth! I always love reading your posts and I think this is one of my favorites. What you have done with your travels over these past years is remarkable and the lives you’ve touched is a real testament to what we have the opportunity to be in our lives. I am very proud of you.
How lucky are those children to have you volunteering in their school! I don’t have a memory of running up to a teacher with such warmth and excitement unless they were really something special so just remember they are soaking in all that love you are giving to them,too!
The setting of the school is incredible. The beautiful views and peaceful surroundings must have a positive impact on their learning. That would be a good research project!
I’d also be interested to hear how their slower pace of life works in their favor. I’ve begun to be a lot more intentional in my work in helping my clients slow down and find meaning in whatever process they are going through rather than just rush to finish. (Good practice for me,too!) miss out on all of the thoughts and feelings that happen along the way with the work. Sounds like this is done in Guatamala so naturally. We could learn from them in this area!
The class picture is adorable. I’m wondering - do some of the children have uniforms or are they just coincidentally in blue?
I especially appreciate hearing the confidence you have in returning to the classroom in the fall. I’m curious where the time you’ve invested in learning Spanish and the different cultures will take you. Wherever that is, what a fulfilling feeling that will be for you getting to use all that you have learned so effectively and to see the positive results happen as you put your improved Spanish into action.
Interesting to hear of the differences in teacher’s training between the US and Nicaragua. Why don’t they require more training or is it just not available in these areas?
Thanks again for taking time to write and send pictures. I love keeping up with all that you are involved with ❤️
Love
Aunt
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