This upcoming week is my first week of teaching full-time. I'm kind of nervous - because I have so much to do. On the other hand, there isn't nearly as much to do as the previous placement. I already have a general sketch of what we're doing in most of the subjects. I have never EVER taught a lesson in science, so that's intimidating. The only subjects I'm completely creating from scratch are grammar and math, as I did the previous weeks. Actually, creating math lessons from scratch begins on Thursday. I'm terrified, because it seems like I can never find time to plan for math.
I don't really know how things will go, seeing as I'm picking up 3 additional subjects this week. AHH! (Tomorrow starts with a bang! 6 subjects)
Back to planning I must go.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Transportation and Nature
Forms of Transportation ("sí" if I've taken it!)
-city bus (sí)
-busito - a smaller bus (sí)
-walking (sí!)
-colectivo - taxi (sí)
-hitch-hiking (sí!)
Note to Mom and Dad : (I knew that you would be concerned about the last one!) We only hitch-hike in the country. We got an amazing hitch! The people were so nice and even offered to take us back. People in the country are so much more laid back and friendly - kind of like how ¨country¨people are in the States.
La Tigra was SO fun today. So relaxing, so wonderful to be in God's creation, so refreshing to be with great girls.... Basically, La Tigra is a national cloud forest - kind of like a rainforest, but colder. It´s BEAUTIFUL. How do I summarize it? We took a taxi to El Centro (the center of Tegus, which is an experience itself), took a busito to El Atillo (on the bus ride, the honduran man next to me fell asleep and almost put his head on my shoulder! it was so funny!), walked for FOREVER, got a few short hitches, visited a house that sells Mora (Blackberry) Wine and Jelly (where I bought some tasty jelly!), walked more (all uphill), got a hitch from some wonderful people, walked in La Tigra for about 2 hours, rode back with the same people to Tegucigalpa, ate Little Caesars and TCBY for dinner, and took a taxi home.
That was my day! Sometime I´ll probably post pictures. But, for now, I´m going wash out my cut that I got in my leg while hiking! Yippee!
-city bus (sí)
-busito - a smaller bus (sí)
-walking (sí!)
-colectivo - taxi (sí)
-hitch-hiking (sí!)
Note to Mom and Dad : (I knew that you would be concerned about the last one!) We only hitch-hike in the country. We got an amazing hitch! The people were so nice and even offered to take us back. People in the country are so much more laid back and friendly - kind of like how ¨country¨people are in the States.
La Tigra was SO fun today. So relaxing, so wonderful to be in God's creation, so refreshing to be with great girls.... Basically, La Tigra is a national cloud forest - kind of like a rainforest, but colder. It´s BEAUTIFUL. How do I summarize it? We took a taxi to El Centro (the center of Tegus, which is an experience itself), took a busito to El Atillo (on the bus ride, the honduran man next to me fell asleep and almost put his head on my shoulder! it was so funny!), walked for FOREVER, got a few short hitches, visited a house that sells Mora (Blackberry) Wine and Jelly (where I bought some tasty jelly!), walked more (all uphill), got a hitch from some wonderful people, walked in La Tigra for about 2 hours, rode back with the same people to Tegucigalpa, ate Little Caesars and TCBY for dinner, and took a taxi home.
That was my day! Sometime I´ll probably post pictures. But, for now, I´m going wash out my cut that I got in my leg while hiking! Yippee!
Friday, November 9, 2007
A deceivingly-long sentence!
The newly-updated portion "About Me" in my blog profile, for those of you who don't actually read those random parts of the blog:
I'm currently student teaching in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where life tastes different (like tortillas!), there is no completely safe place to be, girls from America receive a lot of stares (and I mean STARES - no blinking involved) from even well-to-do people, buildings have no carpet or form of heat, clothes are hung outside to dry, an entertaining evening consists of chasing a 1 inch-long ant, English-speaking Honduran kids have amazingly cute accents, everyone of at least mild means has a maid, the neighborhood ice cream truck EXISTS!, people wear winter attire when it's 60 degrees outside, the electricity randomly goes out, students have to write 100 sentences for each time they speak Spanish in class (writing, "I will only speak English in class"), little boys easily control their mothers, school regulations are nothing compared to schools in the States, the tortilla and purified water men visit the neighborhood every few days, transportation options include: driving a car (which not many people own), riding the city bus, taking a colectivo (a taxi), walking, hitch-hiking, or riding in the bed of a friend's truck (which I most frequently do), the currency is lempiras (also known as lemps), and GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!
I'm currently student teaching in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where life tastes different (like tortillas!), there is no completely safe place to be, girls from America receive a lot of stares (and I mean STARES - no blinking involved) from even well-to-do people, buildings have no carpet or form of heat, clothes are hung outside to dry, an entertaining evening consists of chasing a 1 inch-long ant, English-speaking Honduran kids have amazingly cute accents, everyone of at least mild means has a maid, the neighborhood ice cream truck EXISTS!, people wear winter attire when it's 60 degrees outside, the electricity randomly goes out, students have to write 100 sentences for each time they speak Spanish in class (writing, "I will only speak English in class"), little boys easily control their mothers, school regulations are nothing compared to schools in the States, the tortilla and purified water men visit the neighborhood every few days, transportation options include: driving a car (which not many people own), riding the city bus, taking a colectivo (a taxi), walking, hitch-hiking, or riding in the bed of a friend's truck (which I most frequently do), the currency is lempiras (also known as lemps), and GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!
More Adjusted
Today the students had a half day, because it was Parent-Teacher Conferences. Parents were allowed to come from 12-4pm to talk with the teachers. No appointments were made - parents just waited outside until the teacher was free to talk. That was definitely a Latin American version of conferences! They went better than expected, considering that 12 of the 26 students had one or more F's. Some parents were definitely frustrated with their kids. A few parents asked both Jen (my teacher) and I for parenting advice. Neither of us is married or has kids, but surprisingly, sometimes we can offer better parenting advice than parents themselves can provide (at least we THINK we're providing good advice!). Some parents are clueless.
One thing that was interesting is that some of the girls in my class are heading into the "pre-teen" stage. This means that they're having an attitude about things and that they're interested in new things, such as.................. BOYS!!! A few of the girls have formed crushes on boys in our class. Haha....it's pretty funny, the drama that can result as a result of the opposite gender.
Also, conferences were interesting because the meetings (with the exception of two of them) were all in Spanish. My teacher is really fluent in Spanish, because her boyfriend is Honduran and doesn't speak English. So, she spoke really quickly, and I just sat there, trying to soak up all of the Spanish. I understood 99% of what was said, but didn't understand quickly enough to have enough time to add my comments in Spanish. Also, I've only been here for 3 weeks, so I don't know these kids as well as I knew my last students. I wish I could've participated in conferences for my last class, because I think I could've added a lot of suggestions/advice/observations about the students' behavior and patterns.
Not sure what my weekend plans are yet, but I'm determined to learn more about Honduras, whether by going somewhere outside of Tegus tomorrow for the day, or by visiting a few important places in Tegus (such as the Basilica).
Last night I completed a Visit Request for my family's sponsored child (thru Compassion International) to come visit me in Tegus during my last week here. We'll see if it happens, but I really hope it does. It's dependent on how much it will cost me to bring he and a Compassion Representative here (from 6 hours away, north of Santa Rosa de Copan), pay for food and lodging, and any additional costs. It's also dependent on whether 0r not Compassion's local branch approves my request, because I've given them less than 6 weeks to process the request. It would be quite the experience, and I can't even imagine how excited I would be if it actually happened. This is kind of a dream for me ............ so I hope it becomes actualized!
I'm beginning to kind of like it here - this week was the first that I began to appreciate more things about being here. Sure, the school has a lot of rules, and sure, the culture exchange can be annoying and challenging many times, but those things almost make the experience more rich. Maybe it's because I'm teaching more - at my last experience I enjoyed things much more when I was more occupied and more involved in the classroom. I love having the freedom of controlling a classroom. My teacher gives me a lot of freedom that way - when I'm teaching, she frequently leaves the room. Actually, even if she's there, I usually forget that she's present.
One thing that was interesting is that some of the girls in my class are heading into the "pre-teen" stage. This means that they're having an attitude about things and that they're interested in new things, such as.................. BOYS!!! A few of the girls have formed crushes on boys in our class. Haha....it's pretty funny, the drama that can result as a result of the opposite gender.
Also, conferences were interesting because the meetings (with the exception of two of them) were all in Spanish. My teacher is really fluent in Spanish, because her boyfriend is Honduran and doesn't speak English. So, she spoke really quickly, and I just sat there, trying to soak up all of the Spanish. I understood 99% of what was said, but didn't understand quickly enough to have enough time to add my comments in Spanish. Also, I've only been here for 3 weeks, so I don't know these kids as well as I knew my last students. I wish I could've participated in conferences for my last class, because I think I could've added a lot of suggestions/advice/observations about the students' behavior and patterns.
Not sure what my weekend plans are yet, but I'm determined to learn more about Honduras, whether by going somewhere outside of Tegus tomorrow for the day, or by visiting a few important places in Tegus (such as the Basilica).
Last night I completed a Visit Request for my family's sponsored child (thru Compassion International) to come visit me in Tegus during my last week here. We'll see if it happens, but I really hope it does. It's dependent on how much it will cost me to bring he and a Compassion Representative here (from 6 hours away, north of Santa Rosa de Copan), pay for food and lodging, and any additional costs. It's also dependent on whether 0r not Compassion's local branch approves my request, because I've given them less than 6 weeks to process the request. It would be quite the experience, and I can't even imagine how excited I would be if it actually happened. This is kind of a dream for me ............ so I hope it becomes actualized!
I'm beginning to kind of like it here - this week was the first that I began to appreciate more things about being here. Sure, the school has a lot of rules, and sure, the culture exchange can be annoying and challenging many times, but those things almost make the experience more rich. Maybe it's because I'm teaching more - at my last experience I enjoyed things much more when I was more occupied and more involved in the classroom. I love having the freedom of controlling a classroom. My teacher gives me a lot of freedom that way - when I'm teaching, she frequently leaves the room. Actually, even if she's there, I usually forget that she's present.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Work
"Children are our most valuable natural resource."
Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. President
I was observed today.... it went well! She said that I was completely in control of the classroom! :-) I personally, didn't feel like they were doing fantastically, because they were really chatty. However, one of the main things I learned in my last placement was CONFIDENCE. My supervisor said I appeared really confident. That makes me happy. Of course, there were things on which I can improve....but that's always the case.
One of the frustrating parts about teaching is that there's always more work to do.... I felt "on-top" of things last night, and tonight I feel like I have to plan the entire next 1000 years of the school's curriculum. Bah!
I'm going to fellow teachers' house for homemade pizza tonight! They're so hospitable. I am a gracious recipient of any pre-planned dinners! :-)
Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. President
I was observed today.... it went well! She said that I was completely in control of the classroom! :-) I personally, didn't feel like they were doing fantastically, because they were really chatty. However, one of the main things I learned in my last placement was CONFIDENCE. My supervisor said I appeared really confident. That makes me happy. Of course, there were things on which I can improve....but that's always the case.
One of the frustrating parts about teaching is that there's always more work to do.... I felt "on-top" of things last night, and tonight I feel like I have to plan the entire next 1000 years of the school's curriculum. Bah!
I'm going to fellow teachers' house for homemade pizza tonight! They're so hospitable. I am a gracious recipient of any pre-planned dinners! :-)
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
On Friendliness
Jen and I were talking about how we can't even be very friendly to people here in Honduras unless it's in a certain context. The bus to our neighborhood didn't come after waiting for 30 minutes following coffee, so we decided to take a taxi. Our taxi driver was younger and really nice, and I wanted to ask him how his day was, but I didn't. We have learned to be somewhat guarded here because of security. It's a shame, really, but also a reality. I want to be able to smile at people , but the only people I feel that I can smile at here are women and children, unless I'm at church or at school. It's too risky to give any attention (even eye contact) to males here. We already get comments for being gringas. Maybe this is just me overreacting, but I don't think so. It goes against my nature to avoid eye contact with people, but it's just something I've had to adjust to while being here.
Wonderful "Strike" Days
There was no taxi strike today. I'm sure glad there was talk of it, though, because I enjoyed my day off. I washed clothes, hung them out to dry (hopefully), got several assignments typed for Taylor, planned all of next week's grammar lessons, and went out for coffee with Jen Walsh. We went to Espresso Americano and then to Duncan Donuts. Jen is a really neat person. It's so encouraging to talk with her. I think we're going to make these chats a weekly event. We talked about going on a day trip on Saturday, so hopefully traveling this weekend becomes a reality. Now I'm eating a turkey and cheese sandwich on freshly baked bread. Yum. You would think that it would be easy to find freshly baked bread in Honduras, but that's actually not the case. Tortillas are king here.
As I'm writing this, a dog is groaning outside our window. He needs to be put out of his misery. A few weeks ago, I saw the "typical" starving-dog in impoverished areas. Not a pretty site to see the entire ribcage of a living dog.
Now, math is calling my name. It has been whispering to me for...well....several weeks now. I must finally heed it's call.
As I'm writing this, a dog is groaning outside our window. He needs to be put out of his misery. A few weeks ago, I saw the "typical" starving-dog in impoverished areas. Not a pretty site to see the entire ribcage of a living dog.
Now, math is calling my name. It has been whispering to me for...well....several weeks now. I must finally heed it's call.
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