Yesterday when we went to the school to teach, the teacher did not want us to teach English. Instead, he wanted us to help the students with their Spanish comprehension. This experience was a learning experience not because I was teaching, but because I was struggling. I knew that if the assignment had been in the English it would have been easy, but because I did not understand Spanish I was struggling just as the students in my class will be. Often they will understand the topic, just not able to communicate it.
This has taught me to have as much patience as possible with all of my students and to work through as many examples as possible. I will have to work hard with my ELL students to help them with the English vocabulary used in chemistry. In addition, I will also need to work with the other students to ensure that they also understand. Today when we went to the school we did not teach, but instead did a service project. This service project was unplanned prior to us arriving and seeing the state of the playground. Once we saw this someone asked if it would be possible for us to clean up the yard. Together we all worked to turn this area into an area that was safe for the students to play in. When the students came over and were allowed to play in an area that before they had been unable to, they were elated. Seeing the smiles on the faces of these kids was one of the most gratifying experiences I have had. We took a few hours out of our day and we made a positive change in someone else’s life. The feeling that this gives is immeasurable and unique. Overall this trip is still going well. I love being around the students and experiencing the lives of others. Seeing the similarities between the people here and myself is amazing. It shows that while diversity is important so is emphasizing the similarities. Ensuring that students know that everyone around them matters and everyone can contribute positively to the world is so important. I have loved this experience so far and cannot wait to see what this next week has in store for us. Me oblivo inglés. At this point of the trip I am having trouble differentiating between the two languages. Some days speaking Spanish seems impossible and others it comes as easily as English. On the days that it comes easily I will often find myself thinking in Spanish in addition to just speaking it. I still have the problem of speaking Spanglish when I am not careful about my words, however at this point I just accept it. I am happy that I know enough Spanish that I am able to hold conversations with my family and understand most of what is going on around me.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to teach English and this reinforced the fact that I no longer want to teach elementary school. I enjoyed teaching, however I often drifted and got bored with this age group. The kids are a lot of fun, however I defiantly need to be with students that are older. In addition, yesterday night I was able to go to a fútbol game with my host family. My papá tico was going to play and they thought that I would enjoy going to with them. It was amazing to observe something that is so essential to the culture of Costa Rica. The team that was playing before my papá tico’s team was amazing. Their control was astounding. Overall, I really enjoyed watching the games and also the people around me. These people seem to love fútbol and the atmosphere was very positive. Today we had a dance class and soy terrible. Unfortunately, it is official I am a terrible dancer. It was entertaining to goof off with everyone and be terrible together, however it is most defiantly not my calling. Overall, this trip has been amazing. Some parts seem to never end and other parts end too soon, but all has been good. Costa Rica has been an amazing adventure and it is hard to believe that it is half over. This past weekend we went to Manuel Antonio National Park. It was absolutely amazing and beautiful there. We were able to go swim in the Pacific Ocean and to also see some amazing animals in their natural habitats. This national park is a perfect example of the resources that Costa Rica has and the importance that the resources have. The rules there all serve to help preserve the natural environment there with as little disruptions as possible.
In addition, this week is our first week in Monteverde. Last night I meet my host family that I will be with for the next two weeks and they seem amazing. They have a small baby and an eight-year-old child so I am excited to be able to interact with some different ages these next two weeks. The little boy has caught on that I do not know very much Spanish and he speaks very slowly to me. The first time I meet him he was extra careful to fully pronounce all of his words carefully. The family overall seems to be adorable and I am so excited to see what these next few days will hold. Spanish class is getting to be extraordinarily draining. The conversations are fun and even when I don’t get to speak a lot I am still able to learn a lot. Listening to the people around me speak the language is defiantly helping me to gain more conversational skills. The grammar aspect of the class is extraordinarily boring. So far most of what we have learned is from past classes I have had so it seems very repetitive and pointless. This feeling is something that my future students will defiantly experience. ELLs in particular when learning the academic language that is essential for their success in school will be something that is boring to them. I will be challenged to find a way to keep these kids engaged and to inspire them to continue to want to learn. On Friday we visited La Carpio. There was a boy there how told us his story. He dropped out of school in the third grade, worked with garbage, and smoked. The things that he said were touching. He obviously had seen many struggles in his life and seeing him retell these stories was amazing. He was concerned that he was not presentable and embarrassed about his appearance and story when in reality is should be the rest of us embarrassed. We get concerned with likes and with followers while others face these problems in his life. He is simply doing what he must to get by and to help his family. His brothers depend on him and he tries to do what he can.
The most depressing thing that he said during the time that we were there was that he did not have any dreams. He was asked what he wants to do with his future and he did not know. This made me realize that there were never any expectations for him. No one ever told him of all the potential he could have and pushed him to do well. I never want my students to feel this way. This has made me aware of my role as a teacher in touching my students’ lives. They might need someone to look up to and to encourage them to continue in their schooling. These kids might need someone to be there for them because they do not have someone at home. This has taught me to be aware in schools and to become a role model for all of my students. The past few days have been absolutely amazing. I have been able to teach at the elementary school and also explore mas de Costa Rica. Today we went up to the Poz volcano and it reminded me how much the environment matters to this country. It makes me curious whether the country is so environmentally oriented because of this or if it because of a greater respect for all things. In the US there are many things that we take advantage of and many times we ignore the little things and the effects our lifestyles might have on the planet, but here they are aware of their footprint. I have also observed that there are more small cars then anything else and many people do not drive. I am curious about what the attitude of the people here is in regards to the environment.
In addition, I have also gained more insight into what it is like to be an elementary student in a class that you struggle in. At first I understood very little of the class and the confusion I experienced was similar to the struggle my students will experience. I now understand most of the what is being said but I still struggle to respond to mi professor cuando she asks me a question. I believe that this struggle will be similar to those of my students and will be aware and find alternative ways to test their knowledge if necessary. I will be sure to over-explain concepts in order to make sure the students understand the necessary material. In class we have discussed many topics and many of them are relevant to the Tico culture. One of the things we have discussed is the topic of religion in schools. Due to the pais de Costa Rica having an official religion the teachers will often pray before class. This is interesting because in the US this is prohibited. In addition, it was also interesting because they still teach about evolution in school. I find in interesting that there seems to be less conflict here with that issue then at home. This difference will remind me that if my students are ESL students then they might not understand the different rule in the US. All students should be enlightened about the different habits of other countries and be enlighten about the world around them. This entire experience has been absolutely amazing so far. My family is extraordinarily helpful and I can tell that my Spanish is already improving. Living with this family reminds me of how amazing people are. The sister who does not even live with me sat down and helped me with my Spanish homework today. She also had a long conversation with me and was extraordinarily patient. Her patience reminded me of the attitude I need to have with my students. I need to be aware of their struggles and guide them to the correct answer. Interpreting for them is not always the best idea and it is extremely beneficial when the teacher speaks only in the language. At first it is frustrating and un poco translating might be necessary, pero los estudiantes will learn and it will eventually come. Like the age old saying tells, “Patience is key.” ***I apologize for the mixed languages but I sometimes have a hard time differentiating between the two languages when I am writing. In addition, I was also talking to my family at the same time as I was writing so it was easy to get the languages confused. I decided to leave it like that because it is authentic and another example of a struggle that students might have in my class. Up until Sunday I felt that I was playing tourist instead of being immerged into the culture, however, that changed when I arrived at my host family’s home. When I arrived I quickly realized that they do not know English so I would be relying on my limited Spanish knowledge and my dictionary to get by. They were very nice and welcoming. They were also extremely helpful in assisting me with Spanish, gently guiding and correcting me when I said something wrong. This gave me a lot of insight on what it would be like to come to a school and not understand what is going on around you. I will defiantly be aware of the students who do not understand what is happening. Even if my students understand English they might not understand that specific subject or what is happening. Even with the limited experience I have had with this trip so far I am very aware of the challenges that my students might face and have gained a lot of empathy for their struggles. Also, the Spanish test we had to take gave me insight in how my students would feel when being given a test with materials they do not understand. This made me aware of the struggles that the students might face when they do not know English and I am trying to assess them in it. I will try to work with them in order to ensure they are able to do the work and demonstrate their knowledge efficiently. In addition, the emphasis on the environment that I have seen so far has been wonderful. On Friday after we arrived we had some free time, so as a group we decided to walk around. We found this little park/plaza area that were we sat and observed some people. While there I saw that in addition to the standard trash cans there was also a place to recycle plastic, paper, and metal. This was encouraging to see and reminded me how much more focused on environment other countries are. "The things you fear are undefeatable, not by their nature, but by your appraoch. -Jewel This week I have been getting ready for the trip to Costa Rica. I have been shopping and packing. Checking and double checking my list to make sure that I am not forgetting anything. I have packed and unpacked, changed my mind a thousand times trying to bring only what is necessary with me. I have a bad habit of overthinking packing and ending up with a lot of unnecessary items, so I have been working hard to stick close to the packing list.
In addition to packing my bags, I have been preparing myself mentally for the challenges that are going to be present there. I am still a little nervous about living with the Spanish speaking families as well as the difficulties that I know I am going to face while in Costa Rica. While thinking about this trip I came across a quote that my stepsister gave me. It is by Jewel. “The things you fear are undefeatable, not by their nature, but by your approach." This quote reminded me the most important thing about this trip. Being able to adapt to each situation and approach them all properly. My goal for this trip is to keep this quote in mind so that whenever I get nervous or fearful of a situation it reminds me to not freak out, but rather to try a different approach. I believe that this trip will do wonders for me professionally. The experiences of this trip will allow me to become a better individual in general. It will raise my awareness of the world around me and expand my views. This will allow me to better understand the diversity I will face in the classroom as well as in any other environment I might find myself in. Overall I am beyond excited for this trip. I am excited to struggle and to face the difficulties. I want to understand and to gain empathy for students who have undergone this before. I am hoping that this trip lives up to my expectations for it and am aware of my role in this. The full immersion into a culture that is similar, yet different from my own will be an irreplaceable experience. |