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!