Santa Elena Public School

"Welcome"

This week we were able to visit the public elementary school in Santa Elena. The first time we went, we arrived at the school and all of the children were being dropped off by their parents or siblings in cars, motorcycles, or just by walking. The kids were running around in the entrance to the school with not a worry in the world. The principal was the only one who was there to supervise the children. This is so different in comparison to my own elementary school and those that I have visited. Normally students arrive at school and go straight to their classroom and start some morning work or activity. Also, there are more faculty members monitoring the children as they arrive. It seems like back home if there was only one person, it would be a huge liability issue.

When we arrived in the 6^th grade class and all of the students immediately sat down and got quiet. We all introduced ourselves and they all said in unison a little greeting for us, the teachers. Then we separated into small groups of students and I took three girls and began the leaf lesson. This group didn’t know as much English as the students in Heredia, but I was able to work through it. Using gestures and context clues really helped me and the students out. I explained the lesson in Spanish as best as I could and then translated the key words in English for them. Then I asked them to only use English words when categorizing the leaves by characteristics. It was definitely a struggle on both ends. The sixth graders sometimes looked at me like I was stupid which was discouraging at times, but I had to tell myself that I was capable of teaching the lesson. It gave me insight on how ESL students would feel in an English classroom. It is such a struggle to understand a new language, let alone a lesson being taught in another language. It is going to be my job to make those students feel comfortable enough to learn the language and the content.

The next time we went to the school we were able to observe the 1^st and 2^nd grade English classes. She was teaching all of the grades about creating a family tree. In first grade titled the lesson The Dynamic Family. In the US that means your parents and siblings, but she listed the family members to include parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and cousins. She wrote the word in English and drew the corresponding picture next to it. After each one she would have the students repeat her. After drawing the whole chart she had them repeat her and then try it on their own. They were incapable of saying most of the words without her help. I felt that they way she taught the words was not very effective. She was not giving any significance to the word other than a picture, but I think the students would have benefitted if they knew the Spanish word that corresponded to the English word. It is hard to comprehend something when there is no meaning, context, or importance behind a word. Of course anyone can repeat a word after someone has said it, but the point of teaching new words in another language is for a student to know the meaning behind it and to say it on their own. I took away a lot from watching this teacher teach this lesson plan. It left a lasting impression on me the way the students were incapable of saying the words because they were clueless about the meaning. In my classroom I plan to give significance to everything I teach, especially new words, whether in English or in Spanish.

The English teacher moved classrooms from first to second grade, rather than all of the students moving classrooms. I appreciated that technique because getting students to move locations is such a hassle in the US; the children lose focus, the play with other students and it is hard to bring them back to the reality of the classroom setting. When the teacher moves instead, the children are already in a focus mind set and ready to learn. She started her lesson on The Dynamic Family by drawing a huge tree and splitting it in half. Then she made the mistake of putting two parents on each side instead of one on each so the rest of the tree was incorrect. The students didn’t know any better and because it was a subject they were not familiar with, they most likely would not correct the teacher if they thought something didn’t seem right. It was a struggle for me to watch the teacher teach incorrect content. For me, it reiterated the importance of a teacher needing to know their content before they teach it. Without reviewing the material the teacher won’t be able to teach comfortably causing the students to feel uncomfortable with the new material too. Something similar happened in my “casa tico”. The eight year old son Allen told me that he had an English test and needed to study and I told him I would help. He brought out his English notebook and eventually we got to shapes. He had to color shapes according to a color key, the problem was that there were pentagons and the teacher had labeled them as hexagons and there were ovals that the teacher labeled circles. That same English teacher had taught her students more incorrect information. I didn’t correct him because it would just have confused him. After I helped him study him mom said something along the lines of how I had the qualities of a teacher and she has high hopes for me in my future. It was so amazing to hear that and to have someone else pick on my teaching skills.

We had a class discussion today about the English classes and I developed a new outlook on the English teacher. Before I was disappointed and I felt aggravated that the students were learning incorrect information. But after discussing our experience someone else brought up the point that the English teacher must have felt so much pressure with thirteen English speaking people staring at her as she taught our language. That is a very intimidating situation and I give her a lot of credit for what she was able to teach to those students.

La Carpio

Today was the hardest day for me in Costa Rica... We all went to La Carpio which is a "neighborhood" that is located outside of Heredia. We were given a number of warnings the day before because the town is known to be kind of dangerous. We didn’t want to stand out more than we already would. We were told to wear long pants, no jewelry, not to carry purses, and only carry a camera if it could fit in a pocket. Also, to only wear sneakers because the ground is filled with trash and sewage water. It was intimidating hearing all of the warnings and it made me hesitant to go.

On our way into La Carpio I think we passed over ten dump trucks because it is located in between a landfill and the city, so the only traffic they receive is dump trucks back and forth all day long. We arrived in the town and I didn’t get much of a chance to look around before we were rushed into the building that was our destination. I was able to smell the awful smell of trash and gasoline before going in. And got a glance of what seemed to be houses made of tin sheets and heaps of trash on every corner. We went upstairs and walked into the Montessori School of La Carpio. It was a very large room with bare walls, shelves scarce with toys and games, harshly used furniture and what seemed to be over 100 degrees.

Then we turned the corner and saw all of the children with their smiling faces. They brightened up the room and the mood immediately for me. They were just starting their day at the Montessori School so the leader asked everyone to take their seats at circle time. There were two other women that were helping out with the children. We all sat down in the circle and they greeted us in English. I could tell that some children were kind of giddy and antsy that we were there and other children didn’t even notice a difference. They sang a lot of songs that we all know, like The Itsy Bitsy Spider. They did it Spanish first and asked us to help them do it English. I couldn’t believe that those children were already learning English, especially in a town that I had only heard and seen negative stuff about. The students were actually participating in both languages and seemed eager to continue. It was so great to see how happy these children were in such an unfortunate situation. After circle time they asked us to pair up with one of the students to assist them with their morning work. I got together with a girl named Rebecca who was 4 years old. She was absolutely beautiful and never stopped smiling. We went to the tables and the teacher handed out a worksheet of garden animals. The assignment for the students was to fill in the dotted lines and then color the pictures. Rebecca had a little bit of a hard time, but when I encouraged her to continue she completed her worksheet. It was a good feeling to know that my encouragement helped her to finish. After she was finished she took my hand and brought me over to a table and we did a few puzzles. She didn’t want much help from me which came as a shock. But then I thought harder about it and realized that they probably don’t get much assistance other than from the one teacher who has to share her help with the rest of the children. So it was a different experience for them to have someone offering to help. Later Debbie gave us Popsicle sticks to build with and Rebecca and a few other children were ecstatic when they saw me un-wrap them. To me they were just simple sticks that were not anything special. But to them it was something new that they had probably never seen before. When I compared that to the US it really hit me how much those children didn’t have. They didn’t put the sticks down for over 40 minutes. I don’t think a child back in the US would stay occupied more than 4 minutes. I felt happy that we were able to provide them with some new materials, but at the same time it was hard for me to see how little they have.

-This was the wall of games and activities for the children

-Me and Rebecca, my buddy for the day

Even though they have scarce materials, I was very happy to see that the teacher at the Montessori school didn’t lower her expectations because they have a rough lifestyle. When I become a teacher I need to remember that just because children might have a rough home life, I should have the same expectations of them. If I don’t treat them equally among the other students then they will feel different and then they will retract and stop trying. It is my job to make them feel comfortable and encourage them to learn.

After a while the children started warming up to us and I could feel a sense that they were so happy to have us there. It was an amazing feeling to know that just us playing with them for a couple hours was something they may remember for the rest of their lives. Even if they don’t remember this day, I know that I will absolutely never forget this experience, ever. I personally had never seen or been in a situation anything remotely close to what I experienced today. I think that my interaction with those children is going to make me a much better teacher. I was able to teach with limited materials and teach to students who know nothing more than their rough lifestyle. Before this experience I was always one to worry about the little things; how clean things are, if they are in the right spot, how organized everything has to be, etc. You could say I am a perfectionist…But seeing how happy these children were with what little they had made me realize that it is ok if things aren’t perfect or clean. I know that in the future I am going to be able to think back to this experience and remember not to sweat the small stuff because it is the bigger picture that matters; the children and their experience in my classroom. They aren’t going to notice the little things; they are going to be happy with whatever I provide. They aren’t going to remember how clean my classroom is; they’ll remember how I taught them and if I made a lasting impression.

Gayle, the founder of the school took time out of her day to explain her methods and the history of La Carpio. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to listen to. The suffering of the women that were from Nicaragua now living in La Carpio was so terrible. On the other hand it was great to hear that Gayle had helped them out so much by giving the women jobs and a place for the women’s organization to sell their products. Gayle’s outlook on life was amazing and I strive to be so humble. She moved her family from US down here and has lived here for over 20 years in a town outside of La Carpio because she didn’t like how materialistic people back in the states were. People always complain or give teachers a hard time because of how little money they make, but to see what Gayle has accomplished and how happy she is made me comfortable in knowing that I don’t need money to feel happy, rather the experience I provide for others as an educator.

-Dreams

Forgot to mention

I didn't have internet all weekend, the hotels internet didn't work for me, so I had to post them as soon as I got to school at CPI! :)

Gracias, Adios!

Busiest week of my life

Wow, what a week I have had, I can’t even believe it. To be honest I don’t know where to start so here it goes… I absolutely love CPI and my Spanish teacher, Judith Salazar. Having four hours of Spanish everyday seemed so crazy to me, but it went by so fast. She is one of the best teachers I have ever had. We all agreed that we never actually felt like we were learning, we just had such a wonderful time and by the end of it we know the basics of Spanish. She taught me more in one week than I had learned in three years back in high school. It was so great to watch her teaching skills as inspiration for when I become a teacher. She does not let us speak in English for the most part, but that nice enforcement and positive encouragement made me feel like I could do anything and learn as much as there is to learn. She asked about our families, our experiences here, what things are important to us, etc. Getting to know your students on a personal level is so important in teaching. I will make it a goal to know all of my students very well. She was very curious and that made me eager to tell her, but it was a struggle because I had to respond in Spanish. This is exactly what we were told that was going to happen. We are going to experience how it feels to be the one who can’t talk the language of the place they are in. Sometimes it made me feel really stupid and it made me discouraged, but I forced myself to try as hard as I could. I will have students who will try hard to learn, but I think those that stay quiet and pretend they are learning are going to be the majority, rather than the minority. It is so tough to feel out of place and just because you don’t know the language it makes you feel so much less intelligent. I want to do everything in my power for those students who are not English speakers to feel just like I felt in my class. I felt silly at times when I didn’t know what to say, but I was comfortable with my teacher and that made all the difference. I knew she would help me when I needed it and I knew she had faith in me, more than I had for myself. Setting high standards are so important because when you don’t expect much out of a student you are not going to get much out of them, but when you set goals that they can achieve with a little bit of a challenge they will be amazing students and learners.

To immerse ourselves in the culture even more, we got to take a Latin cooking class at CPI. It was cool to be able to cook they way they do here with all of the fresh ingredients and to make a beautiful meal that everyone enjoyed.

We were supposed to go to teach in the school on Tuesday, but there was a miscommunication so we taught on Wednesday instead. We planned two lessons; one was a science one that had the students categorize different types of leaves according to size, texture, shape, etc. The other one was a letter writing activity that was for the students to send notes to a pen pal back in the states. On Wednesday we got there and were told that we wouldn’t be able to teach our lesson, instead we were going to observe kindergarten and special ed. I went to first grade and played with a few girls. We did some puzzles, I read books to them in Spanish and I read them an English book that I translated into Spanish. I could tell that they really appreciated me spending time with them and interacting with them. I felt very foolish at times because they would talk to me in Spanish, but I would not know how to respond or even know what they were saying. I did my best, but after a while I was exhausted. It really gave me an insight on how Spanish speaking students will feel when they enter into my classroom not knowing much English. It will be a struggle for them, but like I have said before I am really going to strive to make them feel very comfortable in my class. Obviously they aren’t going to learn right away, but they need to feel ok with making mistakes and not knowing everything. We all need to feel that way in our life and I am honestly appreciative that I got that experience today.

Thursday we got to actually teach our lessons. First I went to a sixth grade class and taught the lessons about leaves in a small group of five students. I absolutely loved it! Somehow all of the Spanish I had ever learned came rushing back and my students understood most of everything I had to say to them. The exceeded my expectations and they did really well with the lesson. I challenged them a little by saying some things only in English which forced them to recall what they had learned in English class and eventually everyone got it and finished up the lesson. They were some of the nicest children I had ever worked with. They knew exactly how to behave, they didn’t fuss about anything and they were very willing and eager to learn. All I could think about was how they are so much different than the students in the US. I personally feel that they students are very whiny and they don’t want to learn as much as they do here. I also noticed that it is such a process to transition in classes back home. For example, if they need to rearrange desks to complete a project or assignment the students make it a game and they get very loud and rambunctious. But here it was entirely different; the students picked up their desks with very little talking and they sat down ready to learn. I think that the problem is that a lot of teachers back home don’t get the same amount of respect as here just because they take education very seriously in CR. I plan to establish my classroom rules in the beginning so that my students understand how my class works. You can’t be lenient in the beginning and then try to be strict, it works the other way.

Then we went to third grade and taught our letter writing lesson. It went pretty well, but I think it was much harder to teach in comparison to the leaf lesson. We had to teach give them a lot of extra help because they were creating sentences, but creating a sentence takes a lot. Most of the students just copied the templates we created and filled in the blank. They were very proud of their letters, but it was a struggle for me. I liked that we were able to just know the vocabulary of the science lesson and just use those words, but having to do a lesson plan in English about English is very tough. But that is the whole point of this trip, understanding how it feels to not speak the common language. It gets so overwhelming, but I have to push through it so that I know what it is like.

Today is Friday and we are planning on going to La Carpio which is a city of severe poverty. I am very nervous because I have never really seen much poverty or spent any significant amount of time in a city with a lot of poverty. We are supposed to make beds for people in the area that are in need of them, but there has been some murmurs that that might not be happening. We are also planning on spending time in the Montessori school which will be an amazing experience. I’ll write soon about the trip and more about my week!

Way too much to talk about...

So much has happened since I have arrived in Costa Rica. On the first day we were there, Friday, we landed and met our tour guides Meggie and Sierra who are both from the US and our driver Roy who is from Costa Rica. Then we went to our first stop which was the bank to exchange our American dollars to Colones, the Costa Rican money. Then we went to lunch at Super Snacks and it was the most amazing meal ever. I ordered a “mango en agua” and a chicken chalupa. In CR they have these fruit drinks that are basically a fruit, water and a little bit of ice that is blended and served. I can already tell how fresh everything is going to be here. After lunch we went to the Feria which is a market that has fresh fruits and vegetables. I got to taste so many free samples and of things that I had never even heard of before. The vendors were so friendly and welcoming to us silly looking, clueless Americans and you can just feel a sense of happiness from everyone. We were all practicing and attempting to speak with our rusty Spanish words and it was a blast. I didn’t think that I was going to be able to say anything, but in the moment it somehow sounds fine and I was very capable of communicating with most of the people.

As we were walking around town a man stopped us and asked if we could give him some of our time to listen to him… of course we listened. He spoke English very well and he went on to tell us that Costa Rica is obviously an amazing place, but there are problems that are unspoken and he wanted us to be aware of them. He said there are two major problems: money going to the wrong places and drugs. He said that the money that they pay for taxes should be going to improving schools and medical centers, but instead it’s going elsewhere. He also said that very young children about the age of middle schoolers are starting to do drugs and hang out in the streets. It was kind of a shock that he shared that with us, but just hearing him talk and telling us the problems of Costa Rica while having a proud smile on his face made my day. He was very intelligent and it was so neat that he got to talk to us. I like that people are not naive about problems in their country, even if the authorities ignore them. It is different from the US in the sense that everyone complains and takes it upon themselves if they don’t like something. For example, creating a group that has some kind of belief behind it and trying to make a difference. Here it seems that people stay quieter about things and just go on living their life as happy as can be and I think that is something that we can all soak in and take back home with us. Live happily in the present because who knows what is to come next.

Then we all experienced an earthquake! We didn’t realize at first that it was an earthquake because we were on the bus and then we could not believe it once we were told that it was an earthquake. On our first day in CR we go to feel a 6.0 earthquake and we made it through. It was scary, but the people on the streets seemed so calm. Like I said before, we should take some pointers and enforce them in the US.

The town is definitely different from back home, the homes are connected with one another, there are gates at the front of most houses, and there are bars on the windows. It seems like high security, but I think that it is just a part of their community and they probably think nothing of it. These little things about a culture are what make it so special. To be honest I was judgmental at first about how it looked because it is intimidating, but after a while it became used to it.

Saturday we met another tour guide Javier and he took us to La Paz which was kind of like a park and it had different places that had wild animals that we could watch. It had toucans, parrots, a butterfly house, monkeys, pumas, snakes, and frogs and a lot more. Javier walked around with us and he knows everything and more about every single plant and animal that is here in CR. Then we got to see the waterfalls which were so amazing, I had never seen anything like that before.

Today, Sunday, Javier took us back up the mountain near La Paz and we were headed to the volcano named Poas. We took a hike and saw the crater of the volcano and it was so neat to be able to see straight down the middle of a volcano. On our way out we got the privilege of actually seeing the volcano erupt. It was not a big one but who really gets to say that they saw a volcano erupt? Not many people…I feel pretty lucky. We met our host families tonight! I got picked up early because my family had a family get together and I got to be a part of it. Julio, my hermano tico, or my brother, picked me up with his American wife Sarah and they took me the party which was a celebration of life for a few death anniversaries. My mama tica greeted me with the biggest hug and kiss and I could already tell that she was going to be great. The party consisted of eating and a lot of talking and spending time with the family. They did perform a rosary which was very interesting to watch and I am not very religious but I really appreciated the ceremony that they did. The family dynamics that I watched tonight were so similar to my own family. Everyone interacts so happily with each other, they help each other out, and the talk so very loud. Everyone was very welcoming to me, which I was very nervous about. There were about 50 people there and I think I got a hug, kiss or handshake from everyone of them. I was so nervous about everything, but they made me feel like I was right at home with my own family. I am still really nervous about everything for a lot of reasons, but I feel very at ease tonight and I can’t wait to see what has is to come after such an eventful weekend! My first day of classes at CPI start tomorrow so hopefully that goes well.

Hasta la vista familia y amigos!

Hola!


Tomorrow marks the day that I will be leaving the country for the first time and heading to Costa Rica! I am wayyy excited, but full of anxiety... Will the plane ride be ok? Am i going to like the food? What will I say to my host family? So many things to be concerned about, but I cant wait to do all of the great things we have planned. The rainforest hikes, waterfalls, volcanoes, ziplining, ah so much! I really have absolutely no idea what to expect for the actual cities or towns that well be staying in. We go to San Joaquin first for a week which is a province of Heredia. Then we go to Monteverde for the second and third weeks. I cant wait to see the atmosphere and how the people interact. 


Dr. Powell keeps warning us about how much of a struggle it is going to be to communicate with the people because you are going to want to say something so badly, but you may not know the word for it or how to express how your feeling. That makes me pretty nervous, but I think it will be so fun trying to talk back and forth. My first host family has a mom and 21 year old daughter so I think I am really going to like it and relate to them well because Im about her age and live with just my mom unless Im in school. But talking to them is definitely going to be tough. The second host family which I will get in Monteverde has a mom, dad, and two kids about 7 and 9, one boy and one girl. That will be SO much fun because I absolutely adore kids.


This whole trip, everything included, is going to be such a learning experience and really open my eyes about a lot of things. I have never been out of the country and I have never really been that far from home for a long period of time. Granted, this is only about a month trip, but its a big deal for me. I cant describe how excited I am, but everyone wish me the best of luck and send me your addresses if you want a pretty postcard! 


xoxo Bri


Ps- The blog site was down before I left so I typed this in word and just posted it when the site was working