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.
