My Trip Has Been Made

I have enjoyed everyday here in San Pedro. Each day has brought new challenges and experiences both in the school and in life here in Belize. Yesterday made my trip and I as I leave to go inland I have a sense of completion and success within me.
Yesterday began as usual. I got up, took a shower, and got ready for school. We left to begin our daily walk to school around 7:30 in the morning. We stopped by latitudes to get the morning usual. Wheat toast with butter and a pineapple pleasure smoothie from non other than the famous Latitudes. As I waited for the smoothie and toast to be made I confirmed our dinner reservations there for that evening. Being a daily customer I have gotten to know the employees at Latitudes very well. I would say we are on a first name basis but who isn't on this island? I organized a group dinner for the interns and grad students at Latitudes. For those students who work at Isla Bonita and the High School it is has been more difficult for them to enjoy the great food and hospitality at Latitudes due to schedules and locations on the island. I on the other hand have had the pleasure to stop by Latitudes sometimes more than once a day. After meeting the owner a couple times I asked him if he would be willing to stay open for dinner so that our group could come eat and enjoy a group meal together. P.J. the owner at the time graciously agreed and was so excited that we were all coming for dinner. I think this excitement came from the extra business we were bringing in to Latitudes as well as the fact that he was in the process of selling Latitudes to a couple in the states and this group event would be an extra selling point perhaps. Sure enough this past Monday morning I went in to give them the orders for the specific wraps and smoothies so that they could plan accordingly and get enough fresh tortillas for the event and found out that P.J. was no long the owner. That passed weekend he has sold Latitudes and is hoping to open future restaurants/businesses here on the island. Our group dinner was still on and everything was all set to go.
I headed to R.C. after leaving Latitudes in the morning and had a wonderful second to last day with my students. My teacher had them write letters and make cards for me which was a nice surprise. As we talked to them about today being their last day before break as well as my last day in the schools with them they all began to get sad. They emerged from their chairs like zombies calling me "mommy" as they moved closer and closer until I was swallowed up in the hugs and love that poured from them. This was one of those moments you live for as a teacher. Not just when kids hug you or say they will miss you but when all your students, even those that took you weeks or months to reach feel just as home if not more at home with you than they do at their own house. Those moments when you can tell they know you care. You look into their eyes when you are talking and just that undivided attention and connection makes their whole world brighter and you can see their whole face light up. This was one of those moments and my eyes filled with tears. Immediately my little munchkins saw the tears in my eyes and asked if I was sad and I told them they were happy and sad tears. This took some explaining how you could be happy and sad at the same time.
After school I walked back down the beach and back to Pedro's Inn. I dropped some of my things off and changed out of my school clothes before heading back down the beach to Latitudes. The dinner was not until 6:00 pm after our meeting but I had "class" at 5:30 to attend. Stay tuned for more about class. I got the dinner organized for the group and the date set and then had a once in a life time opportunity come up. I got to Latitudes and decided to try something new and ordered french toast. I was never a cinnamon fan back home and definitely did not like any type of food related to cinnamon. Put a little on the apple pie and besides that hold the cinnamon for me. Not the case here in Belize. Give me banana cinnamon waffles, cinnamon rolls from Pandulce Bakery and now I could add Latitudes french toast to my list! I got the french toast to go in order to get back to Pedro's in time and they packaged it up in a to go container along with some delicious syrup. Again not a fan of syrup in the states but boy is it delicious here!

... To be continued (lunch break is only so long). Stay tuned for the part that made my trip!

Small Groups & Short Stories

The other day in language arts we re-read the story we read the day prior that we had been discussing. In language arts this week my students are studying the message of a story and what lessons can be learned from text. These pictures were taken as my students worked on their story additions. The task was to write text that continued the story we read and changed the message of the story. An illustration to go with the picture was also part of their assignment. These students love to express themselves through the use of art and drawing so I find myself adding a visual art component to my lessons whether it is drawing a picture of a story, a picture of their environment for science, or decimals through pictures of dominoes in math. I have learned just how much fun dominoes can be in math and the many many uses they have. Tomorrow they will explore decimals through a different medium when we make our own individual abacuses.

Painting at Isla Bonita

This past Saturday I attended a fundraiser at Isla Bonita Elementary. The barbecue fundraiser was to help raise money for a family in need. Also on Saturday at Isla was a mural painting activity that I participated in. There is a cinder block wall that surrounds the school grounds and it has always been a faded yellow. The art director at this school, Natalie, organized an activity to paint the wall. The interns and the students painted a multicolored paisley/swirl design to encompass the school's personality and culturally unique population. Isla Bonita is one of the private elementary schools on the island. Class sizes range from 8-15 kids per class and there is one class per grade/standard. This picture was taken as we worked on painting the wall. Working side by side children of this school and my peers was a enjoyable way to spend part of my last Saturday on the island of San Pedro.

Meet The Dog Whisperer

TLC should come to San Pedro, Belize and start an island series of their show Dog Whisperer. This young man walks anywhere from 8-12 dogs at one time. Most of the dogs on the island have homes but wander the streets during the day and night begging for food as though they are homeless. Even though many of the dogs have homes unfortunately there is also a large quantity of dogs that do not. This man walks various dogs up and down the beach. North end to South end and they call him the "dog whisperer" because as you might expect he has a way with dogs. They do not fight when he is walking them. They walk on either side of him and stay in their place. If he stops they stop. The do not bark or growl at other dogs. It is very fascinating to watch him and his unique skill.

Babee pausing for a picture!

Beach Bums

Last Friday afternoon my teacher decided that she wanted to take the students to the beach for their creative arts lesson. The students were instructed to bring their shovels and buckets after lunch. The students lined up after lunch and we took them to the beach to play in the sand. Some took this opportunity more seriously than others. Many students were very into making sand castles and constructing masterpieces and others tried climbing the palm trees to get coconuts the minute you turned your back. It very interesting to me to see the level of excitement these children have for the water and the beach. You might think that this is a regular thing for them. Although you do see many of your students playing in the water (full clothed usually) most students do not have the luxury to enjoy their beautiful country in every aspect very often. When I talk to my students on Monday mornings about their weekends and what activities they did etc. most of them respond with stories about cleaning and helping their mom or dad (madre y padre). Even though it was a simple thing to just go to the beach and play in the sand, these students were overjoyed and were almost in tears they were so excited. It warmed my heart to be a part of this experience with the children and this very positive moment in their day.

Resume Update

A couple days have gone by and it is time to update my resume as it is rapidly growing. The longer I stay in Belize the more occupations I experience. This time it is an Infant I teacher. The other day the principal of R.C. came asked me to sub for an Infant I teacher whose Aunt passed away. The way the grades work here there is preschool (for those who attend) and then Infant I so this is a combination of our Kindergarten and First Grade. I had the pleasure of teaching 37 Infant I students. The age range was 4-6 years old. At first I was a little nervous to sub for this age group simply because for those students who come to elementary school with no prior school experience regular behaviors that would be expected of a student in school are foreign to these kids. This can be anything from sitting in a desk, not talking when a teacher is talking, to completing their work and keeping their hands to themselves. I had a great experience though and thoroughly enjoyed teaching these little munchkins. Luckily the class I was subbing in was so excited to have a new "teacher" and "miss teacher" as you are called here that they were very eager to please and complete their work. These are some pictures of the little ones hard at work practicing their letters, studying community workers, and practicing reading!

A Furry Little Friend

On our way to the health fair we passed one of the many jewelry stands along the beach. This furry little friend was tied to the stand. I guess raccoons and dogs aren't the only household pets in Belize.

These are some pictures of my students concentrating hard on the information they are being told. The students learned about diabetes, kidney function and disease, as well as keeping animals healthy and HIV.

Health Fair Here We Come

I was in the grocery one night last week and caught part of a conversation about a health fair in town. The clerk behind the counter knows us now as we are frequent visitors and news of the teachers being in town has spread to both ends of the island by now. I asked the gentlemen some questions about the health fair and that I was teaching standard I and would the fair be appropriate for that age. He was surprised the school did not know about the health fair. When I reached school in the morning I told Ms. Rubio about the fair and she too had heard about it. We decided to take two of the classes in Standard I to the fair in the afternoon. This is a picture of the group of girls that was in charge off at the fair. Nothing like walking on the beach to an afternoon fair in San Pedro!

Salsa Salsa

After you have been on one island for over month you begin to find routines and favorite places to eat. You wake up some mornings thinking about what you know you want to eat that day. For me it has been a smoothie from Latitudes or the calypso shrimp from Wild Mangos. Shrimp Nachos and a fresh caesar salad are also favorites of mine from Hurricanes. Last week when we were trying to decide what we were going to eat for dinner we found we were in the mood for something quick and and casual but none of our usual meals fit the mood we were in. We went wondering down to our favorite grocery store on the island La Isla Grocery and found some yummy homemade tortilla chips and this sparked an idea. What if we made our own salsa. I brought a plate and cup as well as utensils and there was a vegetable stand up the street that sold a fresh tomato based salsa. We went to the stand and purchased a small tub of salsa and then went back to the grocery store where we had purchased our chips and got a can of black beans and a can of corn. Oh boy did we hit a jackpot. With the fresh tomatoes and cilantro from the stand and then our American twist with corn and black beans this has become a favorite meal of ours. This is a picture from our salsa picnic the other night on my beach towel on the floor of my room. We plan to try to make the tomato salsa from the stand back home and have studied the ingredients as well as watched the lady make it carefully. Although it will never be the same as it is here we are up for the challenge and look forward to the result back in the states.

Meat Pies Anyone?

At R.C. there are many fundraisers to help raise money for supplies and to help keep up the grounds of the school. One of the fundraisers is to sell food during breaks. Boxes of food are delivered to the school and teachers are required to sell the goods for a designated price deemed by the principal. One of the local favorites is meat pies. These are a hot ticket item at break. They look like a mini pot pie and have a meat filling inside. This filling consists of ground beef and a dark sauce. I have heard that some meat pies can be spicy although the ones sold at R.C. are not. I have enjoyed a couple meat pies while I have been here and have helped my teacher sell them as well. Each meat pie is sold for a dollar and a shilling, which is $1.25 Belize or $.75 American. This picture is what a box of meat pies looks like. The teachers are required to sell all the meat pies in their box before the break is over. The break lasts 15 minutes and there are three layers of meat pies in one box.

Who I Am Now

I knew when I applied for this internship abroad that if accepted I would change as a teacher and individual as a result of my experience but you really can not anticipate just how much, or in what ways, you will change until you go through this experience. I have been teaching in the schools for three weeks now and I stand with my eyes wide open. My eyes are wide open now to a different education system, the roles of my students here in Belize and the differences between my student's roles back home and here in San Pedro. I would say that through my years in the Watson program I have been fortunate enough to have unique experiences, fantastic professors, and a detailed education in the sense that I feel prepared for my future in education. I knew without a doubt that before I arrived in Belize I was as prepared as I could be to teach abroad. This experience that Watson offers has only bettered my educational experience and has even further prepared me for a diverse classroom in the 21st century. While I have been teaching in San Pedro I have learned that there are many different meanings to behavior management. Teaching in the schools here has allowed me to experience a classroom that lacked a defined behavior management system. Students interrupt the teachers when they are talking. Students have become accustomed to walking around the classroom and not completing a task when asked the first time. Students know how to interact in an aggressive and physical way with one another before they know how to carry on a conversation and interact in partners or groups. From day 1 I have learned that although I started this experience feeling very confident in my behavior management skills, I have continued to grow in that aspect here in San Pedro, Belize. The belief that I came into this experience with, that no matter how many degrees I have, observation hours I have acquired, number of classes I have taken, or challenging classroom experiences I have endured in my internship, the beauty of education is that learning continues, has only become more true as each day passes. I have learned that the world beyond education is the states is much grander and more complex than I could have ever imagined without having this experience. Going through this experience has also allowed me to learn patience. I have learned patience in the sense that the students can be exerting all energy bottled up all weekend first thing Monday morning, and I have the patience and strength to not let my heart beat even one second faster. I have learned how to teach them to read me as their teacher. They are learning and have come a long way in knowing that I will wait until they are ready. They have learned that what I have to say not only is important but also matters to them. A lot of my students come to school not only because they "have to" but also for a positive experience in their life. These students come to school to be loved and cared for. My lessons are not about what I know will go smoothly the first time, or what is comfortable and easy to me. My lessons in Belize are about providing experiences for my students that they would otherwise not experience. Teaching lessons that include group work and differentiated small groups has given them an experience that will help them not only in classrooms to come but also in their life. At the same time I have been fortunate enough to learn from these lessons as well. Patience is something that I have undoubtedly learned while I have been here. A skill that I did not think I was ever going to fully acquire was the ability to care for my students, try my absolute best everyday, have all my students best interest at heart, and not take every experience in the classroom personally. I know there will be experiences in the future that make me upset and frustrate me, but I have grown in the sense that I have been able to go through this experience with the mindset that whatever I can do for my students is one step beyond what they would have had. Every positive experience I can share with my students is one more experience in their life that was not negative. I am not superwoman and unfortunately life is real and is not perfect for better and for worse. I am so proud of the fact that I have learned to do everything I can and know that it is leaving a positive impression on my students even if I can't mend the broken relationship among their parents or stop their family from being tight on money. This skill is something that I anticipate taking me far in my career. The ability to have a positive outlook even when all that you see and hear is negative is something that will rub off on my students in various ways and I am more than excited for this. No matter the extent to which I try to elaborate more on this thought, it still would not even begin to touch on the meaning, so I will finish with this: in every aspect possible I have learned how to be thankful even more so than I was when I began this journey.

Teaching Pictures

Sunday Snorkeling

I am smiling just thinking about our snorkeling trip on Sunday. After our second week in the schools and an eventful Friday and Saturday evening filled with many volunteer hours at the various schools, our snorkeling trip was much needed. We met at the Belize Yacht Club at 8:00 am and boarded our first boat and drove over to Serious Adventures, a water sport/activity company on the water across from R.C. and there we met our crew for the day. Wayne, Willy and Ernest were the men that were on the 40 foot catamaran boat that we took to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. They were extremely nice and had snacks for us on the boat that includes fresh pineapple, fresh watermelon, homemade coconut cakes, and chips and salsa that included black beans and corn. The snacks were almost as amazing as the snorkeling and very much appreciated by all of us. While at both snorkeling stops the crew helped up get on our gear, and properly jump off the boat into the water. We had guided tours that enabled us to see the prime spots at these locations. I saw sea turtles, sharks, LARGE sting rays, baracudas feeding, along with many tropical fish and colorful coral and anemones. I took pictures with my underwater camera and am looking forward to getting them developed when I return to the states! After snorkeling we sailed to Caye Caulker and ate lunch on the island, walked around exploring the town, and sailed back. On our way back we took a detour and we are able to see dolphins that swam with our boat and were feet from us! This was the icing to the cake! By far an amazing day!!!

Me And Starfish

Wayne, one of the crew members from our snorkeling trip, brought a starfish into the Rainbow Bar and Grille where we had lunch on Caye Caulker. We passed him around quickly taking pictures before releasing him back into the water. This added to the great experience and sensational food we had at lunch.

Welcome to Caye Caulker

I went into this art gallery when we took our day trip excursion to Caye Caulker. I found some beautiful pieces and was able to meet the artist herself. She works in her gallery right in front of you while you shop and also paints the frames that her larger works are displayed in. This was a very cool shop and I picked up a small piece of a school bus and children that she did and am saving it for my future classroom. I plan to hang it by my desk as a reminder of my journey and experiences here in Belize!

Futbol

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend my schools futbol tournament. All the grades have at least two teams. The teams have been competing against one another for the past two weeks now and will continue to play for the championship title through the end of next week. One of my students is quite a talented futbol player and this is a shot I took from where I was selling concessions to help raise money for the school. His name is Gavin and is a stellar student, individual, and as I saw this weekend, futbol player. I look forward to my student's game this weekend as well as the UNCW interns at R.C. vs the parents game that will take place on Saturday. Stay tuned for an update on our progress this week as we practice after school and prepare for the big game!

Choosy Moms Can't Be Choosy in San Pedro

As to be expected in a foreign country prices on American brands can increase due to the cost to export them into the country. I have always been a fan of Jiff peanut butter but have decided that "when in Belize" (a common phrase used by the cohort here) choosy moms can't be so choosy in San Pedro. This is some pretty pricey peanut butter. Thanks to the grocery store down the street an off brand Creamosa peanut butter tastes great and does the trick!

Mrs. Rubio

Throughout this experience I have expanded my horizons in many ways. I anticipated that I would change as a teacher, individual, and student through this experience but was unable to predict just how much this experience would effect me. To say that the experience in the schools has been a learning experience filled with new situations, new challenges, and even a new form of communication is putting it lightly. My placement at San Pedro Roman Catholic school has been an exhilarating one so far. My partnership teacher's name is Mrs. Alva Rubio and she is an extraordinary teacher. I have learned so many things from here that go beyond the classroom. As a mother and role model to many other teachers I feel extremely fortunate to be placed with such a smart, and talented woman for this experience. As far as teaching strategies go I have learned truly how to modify lessons for a whole class and circumstance. I had experience in the states with making modifications for certain groups of students, those students with IEP's and special needs students. Here in San Pedro I have learned how to modify my teaching in both a new environment with limited resources as well as for a whole class. Although independent work is common in the teaching practices I have seen, Mrs. Rubio does a fabulous job with varying her lessons, relating the lessons to the children's home life experiences and making sure all students are involved. This is a difficult challenge seeing as the age range in our classroom is 7-12 years and academic levels from not being able to read and write a complete sentence, to writing sentences fluently with correct punctuation and spelling use for the most part. This is something I have learned from Mrs. Rubio. My time with Mrs. Rubio has taught me things about this city and country that you do not get from tour or magazine, includes discussions about life, faith, and where you come from in relationship to who are, as well as many new experiences ranging from eating meat pies to discussing her experiences through life with family, and education, both her own, her childrens' and her students'. This experience in Belize has been a richer one because of Mrs. Rubio and I am thankful everyday for all that I learn from her. Without her kindness, generosity, and love for teaching that you feel through her conversations with her students I would not have been able to grow as much as I have both as a teacher and individual.

Marco Gonzales

On Saturday we rode our bikes five miles to the South end of the island to an archaeological dig site. In the 1970’s Mayan ruins were discovered there and ever since then groups of archaeologists have been working to uncover the remains that lay beneath the soil’s surface. UNCW students came last summer to help work on this process and although forty years have passed, the puzzle has only just begun to be solved. Jan, our tour guide, took us to a couple different sites that make up the Marco Gonzales Ruins. The site is named after the archaeologist that lead the first group to the area that discovered the first remains. Already six human skeletons have been discovered as well as thousands of pottery shards, stone stair steps leading to higher areas of elevation where more remains have been found, as well as what they believe to be a small village or town. There are designated housing structures as well as looters pits. Obsidian pieces lay among the hundreds of thousands of conk shells that surround the site. The significance of this site not only lies in the years of history, some remains dating back as far as 700 A.D. but also in the beginning steps of this process. In my experience traveling to other countries and visiting National Geographic exhibits back home in Washington, D.C. I have always experienced the big picture of the remains of mummies or Roman architecture. Although they are breath taking, and great learning experiences, I have rarely been part of the process of these exhibits or historically significant sites. I have been the visitor reading the literature and pamphlets on how the site was discovered, when it was discovered, who made it, who the skeleton belongs to, and studying these places and marks in history in school. This is the first time I have had a chance to go visit a ruins site that is still in the making. Pieces and remains are still being discovered today and very few people have had the chance to visit this new site. It is this aspect of the trip to the Marco Gonzales that was truly fascinating to me.

Roller Coasters at R.C.

I became a celebrity on Monday. The news might not have reached home yet but it will come shortly I am sure. For my science lesson on Monday I taught a lesson on friction and energy. Using insulation tubing, masking tape, and marbles, we created roller coasters. The first part of my lesson consisted of a whole group discussion of the vocabulary terms potential energy, kinetic energy, acceleration, and friction. We went over what each word meant and I asked for volunteers to raise their hands and give examples. Friction was the most familiar and popular across the group. I then explained that the students needed to have three criteria in their coaster. They must have a hill, loop, and a turn. I modeled each criteria. I then divided the students into groups and handed out the materials. The students jumped at the opportunity for a hands on lesson outside of the classroom. We had science under the thatched gazebo in the courtyard of the school grounds.
I had anticipated chaos and enjoyment on the students part but not to the extent to which it occurred. To say the students loved this activity would be putting it lightly. The hour long lesson flew by and the students were eager to show me their progress and success. The majority of the students were able to accomplish the task with little help and prompting on my part. Some groups even extended the requirements further and tried to add 2 loops and 2 turns to their coaster. I taught this lesson to the whole Standard I group along with Kathleen who is in another Standard I class. I think this was both of our first times teaching a lesson to 120 students. We survived and passed with flying colors according to Dr. Kubasko and Dr. Catapano.
I came into school Tuesday morning and handed the Science lessons I planned for the grade to the other teachers. When I walked into the other classrooms the students attacked me with hugs and all I could hear was "miss," "teacher teacher." All the students wanted to know if we were doing roller coasters again and I broke their hearts when I responded no. Little to they know their large smiles and extreme enjoyment from Monday's lesson has my brain turning and planning more interactive science lessons for next week! Stay tuned for fun with dominoes and the transfer of energy which will come their way next week! Until then we are exploring differentiated language arts lessons and small reading groups along with decimals and transportation in Spanish! So much to do and expose them to and so little time!

Fish Tail Soup

Seafood soup complete with a whole fish tail to finish it off!

Saturday In The Sun

This past Saturday we went to Palapa Bar and Grille. The Palapa Bar and Grille is located across the bridge on the north end of the island. The bike ride was hot and long but very much worth the hard work and sweat once we got there ... well I have mixed feelings about if it was worth it but you will find out more about that in a minute. Continue reading. We arrived in groups to the Palapa Bar and Grille. The high school students had an event in the morning at the high school so the elementary students all rode up together. Once we arrived we walked around the two floors of the grille and enjoyed the scenic views of the water. This grille is located down a boardwalk out on the water. The restrooms and covered eat in area are downstairs and then there is a staircase that leads upstairs to the bar area, kitchen, and patio. There were light up palm trees and Christmas lights decorating the patio area. A couple of us were anxious to cool off in the water and asked what we thought was an employee if you could just get in the water or whether there was a certain procedure. The grille knew we were coming and had a lunch planned for us so we wanted to make sure there wasn't a pre-established schedule. The owners were not there yet and this gentlemen said no go ahead in. As we found out later he did not work there and the waters were infested with Pica Picas. For all of you that are new to Pica Picas (as I was on Saturday) they look like baby jellyfish minus the tentacles. They are the size of Runtz candy look very interesting and cute. Not so much. If they come in contact with you they leave a severe itch-like sensation/rash on your skin. Although I was the first to discover these little creatures in the water they "got me" before we could escape and climb up the ladder out of the water. Thankfully one of the employees came and told us about the Pica Pica and that they are usually just out in the morning. There are also usually not out on the other side of the dock. Needless to say for the remainder of the afternoon we went to the other side of the dock. Although I do not like vinegar on my potato chips this is the cure-all for the itch sensation. I was very thankful for vinegar on Saturday! The owners arrived and we had a wonderful experience. The food was absolutely delicious and I even tried "seafood soup" which consisted of a whole fish tale, scales and all. A garnish maybe?! The chicken burritos were fabulous and the fresh watermelon juice tasted as though you were biting into an actual watermelon. We played the coconut game with the owners and had a blast. This game consists of throwing coconuts off the top deck with the objective being to get them into the inner tubes that are tied to the dock out below. We all played in hopes of winning a free t-shirt. I did not win but bought a t-shirt to remember my experience by. This was a great way to relax after a tiring, stressful and VERY hot week!

Wayo's

Last night a local eatery had our group for dinner. We all went to Wayo's Bar and Grille and had a fabulous meal. We had barbecue chicken, rice and beans, tortillas, and coleslaw. Although I never have enjoyed coleslaw back in the states I love it here. There is more substance to the coleslaw here and less mayo. To me it is almost like a small side salad here in San Pedro. Wayo's was up past the high school. We all rode our bikes through the streets of San Pedro and then hopped on the beach and biked down the beach. This was an experience. Never having biked on fresh soft sand before it took a couple bumps and slides before I caught on to how to ride on the sand. I mastered it though and did not have a single fall! Success! This picture is of Michelle and myself before we began our ride to Wayo's. I received lots of compliments on my electric orange tank top. Everything from people thinking I wanted to look tanner to being the group's designated flashlight. I think with my head lamp for caving and my light up flip flops I would have been quite a site to see riding down the streets of San Pedro if I had planned accordingly. I thoroughly enjoyed our adventure to Wayo's and planned to attend barbecue Sunday's there before my trip ends!

They All Are My Favorite

Yesterday I was walking along the beach on my way home from school. It was the hottest day yet here in San Pedro and I was exhausted from teaching and the heat. You know it is hot when the locals comment on how hot it is here. As I was walking along the beach I was reflecting on my lessons and thinking over in my head what went well and what I might modify next time. I was in the zone and after taking a couple steps past a jewelry stand something seemed off to me. I glanced back at the jewelry stand only to see a very small girl standing in a plastic chair behind the counter of necklaces. I looked around and couldn't see a parent or sibling anywhere near. To make sure she was ok I turned around and approached her and asked her how she was, what her name was etc. As I get closer I notice she is maybe 3 1/2 years old. She could even be 2 1/2 years old. She starts talking to me about the jewelry as she continues beading the necklace she has started in front of her. As I look at the jewelry she informs me that the necklace she is making is for me and that I should buy it. I was beginning to think she should go into sales and then her answer to my next question convinced me she should go into sales. I asked her which was her favorite necklace thinking I would buy it and bring it back for my younger sister. She replied with "all of them, they all are my favorites." I chuckled and then realized her mom was walking down the beach. She introduced herself and I complemented her on her daughter's skills and how well she was doing trying to sell me some pieces. I told her how cute she was and that I would be back the next day (today) to get a piece of jewelry but I wanted to confirm my little sister's favorite color. I don't think the woman and her daughter believed me. I kept my word and showed up at the stand at lunch today. The little girl recognized me walking down the beach and began waving and getting excited. This warmed my heart! As I approached the stand she was working on a new necklace. I like this one even more!! I asked her mom if when the little girl finished this necklace it could be split into two anklets. I wanted to have one and I wanted my younger sister to have one. It took some explaining with the language barrier but she understood. I proceeded down the beach to my usual lunch place, Latitudes Cafe :), and told the mom and child I would be back shortly. I ate a wrap and drank my usual pineapple pleasure smoothie as I prepared myself for my afternoon lessons. After I finished lunch I went back to the stand and the anklets were ready. The little girl was even more excited this time when I showed again after saying I would. I took this picture with the girl and she is holding the anklets. I am so excited to give my younger sister one and they have so much meaning behind them now after interacting with this young girl. I have a feeling I will be visiting her on my way to Latitudes for lunch in the future. If nothing else giving this little girl the confidence, at her age, to work hard and have an adult buy her jewelry made my trip here in San Pedro a success!

San Pedro Playground

The only playground we have seen on the island. The playground is located in the middle of the town square near the tents where various families and vendors set up food stands starting at 6 pm from Tues-Sat. Some vendors stay open until 4 am. This is a populated area where children and people roam during the evenings and nights.

After walking down the beach on our lunch break we stopped and took an individual picture of each of us so we would have at leas one picture of ourselves on this trip!

Legends!

Michelle and I before our bike ride across the bridge to Legends. We ate tasty burgers and fries and listened to live music!

A gorgeous sunset from our balcony at Pedro's Inn!

Lunch Time

At lunch one day during my first week of teaching with one of my students. Her name is Nayobie and she is always bursting with energy and ready to give hugs. Nayobie comes in every morning and says "good morning teacher Griffin." It is such a warm and welcoming way to start the day.

I had the opportunity to help out with a P.E. lesson yesterday. At RC Standard I has P.E. once a week on Wednesday afternoons. The male students change into their uniform shirts for P.E. when they are at home for lunch and are allowed to keep on their navy blue shorts and pants. The girls change into their uniform shirts during the afternoon break and also change into shorts. The girls are required to wear navy uniform jumpers and white collared blouses throughout the day. The children get excited to change for P.E. and this subject is definitely an activity the students look forward to all week. The students in my class practiced for their futbol (soccer) tournament that is taking place school wide. This weekend is the end of a term and report cards go home so there are no games but the following weekend there are games on Friday evening and all day Saturday. I am planning to go to the games on Friday to support my students and help out as part of my service project.
Today I will stay after school for the Standard I planning meeting. There is a standard wide meeting every Thursday to plan for the following week. I was very intrigued when I learned about this meeting seeing as we have grade level meetings back home. I was able to attend a couple of them while in my internship at Eaton and am anxious to compare and contrast the differences this afternoon. I will be sure to update you on these similarities and differences later this afternoon!

Fractions! Fractions! Fractions!

On Tuesday for math we reviewed fractions and the difference between improper and proper fractions as well as mixed numbers. Each student was required to write one of the three on a slip of paper given to them. The students then switched papers in hopes of them getting a slip of paper with a fraction, either in a different format from the one they wrote down, or a fraction that was not familiar to them. This would require them to draw upon their past experiences and interactions with fractions as well as the definitions reviewed to classify the fraction correctly. Having taught fractions back home to my fifth grade class I was very pleased with their knowledge an understanding of fractions as third graders. This objective is part of the Standard I Belizean "standard course of study."

A Warm Welcome

We walked as a group to RC on Monday for our first day in the schools. There are picnic tables right across from the school grounds and we sat down to wait for the classrooms and office to open and were greeted by a friendly young girl. She told us all about the school and the rules, what class she is in (Infant II) and everything she wanted us to know about the school as well as herself. Each morning she has greeted me with a hug as I arrive in plenty of time to sit on these picnic tables and take in the scene of children arriving in the morning. She was not at school on Tuesday and I was informed in great detail yesterday about her cough and sore throat. She stayed home from school and takes medicine "every 6 o'clock." She is always looking for a hug and to talk for couple minutes. Each day I look forward to getting to school and sitting on those picnic tables and learning more about her and her life as we talk. All the children here are very welcoming and friendly. How can you not have a good day when you receive at least one hundred hugs? Some children are just in need of a positive experience at school or with an adult and if I can be that positive experience and give them a hug, then I am there!

Sara's Kitchen

This past Sunday we went to Sara's Kitchen as a group to eat breakfast/brunch. We walked a couple blocks South to the restaurant and were seated outside on the back patio. There was gorgeous view from our tables. Sara and her husband came out to greet us and were kind enough to arrange a buffet breakfast for us. There were Mayan eggs which consist of scrambled eggs mixed with salsa, diced potatoes with chopped onions, pancakes, fresh coffee and juice and strawberry yogurt with granola. Blueberry bagels and cream cheese too! This breakfast was delicious! Some of us are going back this Sunday and I have the feeling I will be a regular guest on Sunday's for breakfast!

Language Arts Here I Come!

Today I will be teaching a language arts lesson in my classroom. I observed all day yesterday and helped my teacher out with various aspects of her lessons. I will have an hour and fifteen minutes to teach the language arts which includes both a reading and writing component. My students will read "The Frog Who Wanted To Be Tall" by alternating readers throughout the class. Prior to this we will take a look at the pictures in the story and try to anticipate actions and the plot through the use of these images. Upon reading the story we will go over vocabulary words used in the story and review with answering comprehension questions. The writing aspect of my lesson includes a review of what adjectives are and how to use them. We will explore our story and the use of adjectives by looking at three questions that require the students to go back in the text and locate adjectives and how they are being used in the fiction text. We will then record in their language arts note books the definition of an adjective. The last part of the lesson will require the students to draw a scene from the story and write two sentences using adjectives discussed to describe the characters in this fiction text.
I am excited to see how the students handle this lesson. After observing yesterday and looking at my teachers plans and what she ended up having time to do I noticed that not all the activities she planned for made it into the time frame for that given subject. This reminded me of my internship back home and one of the joys of teaching: you never know what questions will come your way or how the students will specifically handle a text. Sometimes if you get through half of what you planned for a difficult concept in a given subject you are thrilled and sometimes you get to the end of your lesson and make use of that extension activity you had planned. I am anxious and excited to teach today.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to look at the Belizean Standards for education. I noticed a lot of similarities among the curriculum as a whole. The presentation of the standards is different from that of the NCSCOS but the general idea of their being an objective to meet, form of assessment, and over all goal of mastery of a concept is similar.
This afternoon we will meet between 5:00 pm and 5:30 to ride our bikes North as a group and go across the bridge to eat dinner. I am looking forward to this activity this evening. After school I am going to come home and put my stuff down and then go to SAGA Humane Society to walk a dog there. We had the chance to do this last Saturday and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. Although it is very hot here and the dogs are not interested in running around forever, they are very energetic and appreciative of the break from their kennel and opportunity to exercise and sniff!
I will be sure to write about how my lesson went as well as what I observed and experience on Day 2. The local newspaper comes to my school this morning to take a picture of the UNCW interns to post in the paper alongside an article about our experience and purpose here in San Pedro. I am hoping to get a copy of this while I am here!

Differences between Belizean and American elementary schools.

The first similarity I noticed about the schools here in Belize compared to those back home is the length of the school day. RC starts at 8:30 and ends for Infant I and Infant II at 2:30 pm and for Standard I-VI at 3:30 pm. Other similarities that I noticed are the structure of the school day, arrangement of furniture in the classroom, and presence of administration and a "office." The structure of the school day consists of a morning routine. Although the routine itself is different from that of a school schedule back home, the idea is the same. The arrangement of furniture is similar in that all students sit in desks, in rows, facing the board. The teacher has a designated area and desk in the classroom and there are windows and doors, book shelves, and student work displayed on the walls. There is an office where you will find the administrative assistant and principal Mrs. K. The day is divided into blocks of time designated for certain subjects. The subjects are different but the daily schedule is similar including a break or snack time, lunch, and curriculum based instruction time. Macmillan makes some of the text books and student books used in schools here which is another similarity to that of elementary schools back home. Schools here have terms similar to that of elementary schools in the states and also final exams and graded work and report cards which was all very familiar to me.
Differences that I noticed include the subjects taught here in Belize, definition of classroom management and various ways of keeping students on task. Punishments for poor behavior are different in the schools here as well as the behavior of the students during instruction time. There is a level of communication that takes place during work time here in the schools that is normal and allowed and that is different from schools back home. Students say prayers multiple times a day in school which is something that I have not found in traditional schools back in North Carolina. The text books and materials are present just as they are in the states, however, the format is slightly different. Each student records what is written on the board during lessons. These sentences, pictures, and phrases are recorded in composition notebooks. Each student has a composition notebook for each subject. Subjects include Religion and H.F.L.E as well as penmanship here in Belize. This is different from what I have observed back in the states as well. Another difference is that students are allowed 1 hour and 30 minutes for lunch here at RC. Students are allowed to leave the school grounds and go home, play on the beach, go to the library, play in the courtyard etc. during lunch time.
These are some similarities and differences I noticed about the school I am assigned to just after the first day. I enjoyed my first day and received many hugs and "I love you's" throughout the day. I am exhausted and anxious for another day. I teach Language Arts to my class tomorrow and I am interested to see how this lesson goes. I will be sure to share my experience tomorrow!

View of RC from the Courtyard in the middle.

First Day of School

Good morning! It is 6:37 a.m. on Monday, March 21^st and our first day of teaching in the schools here in San Pedro, Belize. I am filled will lots of emotions this morning. I am excited to meet my teacher at the Roman Catholic Academy along with all of my 3^rd graders. I am also nervous seeing as it is our first day and I also miss my class of 5^th graders back home at Eaton Elementary.

Class sizes here at this particular school look to range between 35 and 45 students. This is one difference I immediately observed when at the schools last week. My school starts at 8:00 in the morning and goes until 3:30 in the afternoon. Younger grades get out at 2:30. There are three 15 minute break times from 10:00 am until 10:45 divided by grade level. This seems to be similar to that of our recess back in the states. At 11:30 the school disperses for lunch and classes do not resume until 1:00 pm in the afternoon. Students AND teachers are allowed to leave school grounds, go home for lunch, go to the beach, or eat in the school courtyard during this time. From what I observed on Friday this time during the day is a time for the students to see family and release bottle up energy. I saw students on the beach playing, being picked up on golf carts by parents or by parents on foot, some students playing in the courtyard and others doing various activities. When I walked in to the public library, which is directly across the street from my school, I noticed some children taking this opportunity to read books and be tutored by volunteers and parents. This dedication and desire to learn is something that intrigued me and I am looking forward to finding out more about.

Last week RC Academy was taking exams and the students were very focused on their tests when we visited. I noticed in a younger grade that not all students knew English yet and, therefore, the teacher was reading/giving directions in both Spanish and English. Grades here are not called by the names we use back in the states. There is not a Kindergarten in the schools we have visited and Kindergarten does not seem to be a common thing here in Belize. The grades start at Infant I (first grade), then Infant II (second grade), then switches to Standard I (third grade), Standard II (fourth grade), Standard III (fifth grade), Standard IV (sixth grade), Standard V (seventh grade) and Standard VI (eighth grade). Together these make up the elementary school grades here in Belize. The high school here is called San Pedro High. I have also learned that while Elementary School seems to be mandatory here in San Pedro, high school is much easier to get out of compared to dropping out of high school back in the states.

I am off to go back across the street to put away my computer and get my things for school. I look forward to sharing all the exciting and interesting details about my day later this afternoon. We have a meeting with Dr. K and Dr. C at 5:00 pm. Hope everyone back in the states is doing well. Miss you all!

My pesto chicken wrap with cilantro salsa from Latitudes Cafe.