First Full Week Completed!

Ah, I've made it through a whole week. Well, I shouldn't say I've made it through. I should say I've gotten to enjoy a whole week student teaching. Because really, that's how it's been! I've loved it! Getting to know the kids is a ton of fun. Children really are so multidimensional. There's so much to learn about each of them... And it's amazing how when you spend enough time with them, you actually can remember tiny details.

My cooperating teacher continues to be amazingly supportive. She gives me control of the class during morning meeting every day and during the end of the daily math lesson. Next week I take over teaching math, which will mean that the whole class will be mine from the time they walk in until 11! Yes, that's scary. However, I'm very glad that my teacher is willing to let me jump right in so early because that truly is the only way for me to learn.

I can feel the stress monster rearing its ugly head deep down inside, but I'm praying a lot and hoping to keep it at a healthy level. A little bit of stress keeps me motivated and moving. Too much stress paralyzes me and makes all my work low quality.

Hmmm... Other things I want to tell about this week...

On Fridays I only have 12 students because the rest go to the gifted and talented program. So I taught them about Freedom Quilts (Thanks to Emily, who gave me the idea!!). They were so interested in them! We made our own freedom quilt squares and I used them to decorate the door for the Black History Month door decorating contest. It sure would be fun if we won!

I think the students are really starting to accept me as their other REAL teacher and not just some young lady who helps out! This is huge, and if you're student teaching too then you know that. Sometimes they come to ME to ask a question before they even go to my cooperating teacher. Yayyyy!

My cooperating teacher is just so helpful. And she's helpful in a lot of different ways. Not only does she give me thorough, specific instructional and management advice, she also keeps me laughing throughout the day. There's never a dull moment with her. She's hysterical, very intelligent, and quite competent in her job. I'm so grateful to learn from her!

Make no mistake-- This is exhausting. It's 8:48 on a Friday night and the idea of being anywhere but in bed wearing sweatpants sounds horrendous to me. It's so worth it, though... I really am loving it!

I just hope and pray that when I actually do start teaching, I keep this optimistic, naive attitude I have now. I am too young to be jaded and I intend to stay un-jaded as long as possible. :)

Student Teaching Beginnings

So far, student teaching is going great! My cooperating teacher is supportive and gives thorough, constructive advice. There is no way I can explain how important that is! I need every bit I can get because I want to be totally prepared as I assume more responsibilities.

Next week I take over teaching math. They follow the Everyday Math curriculum, which is a solid program that makes it easier for teachers to follow.

I'm working hard on establishing myself as an authority in the classroom (and not just a "fake" teacher). This is hard for me because I don't have a very authoritative personality. I'm learning, though.

Funny story: Yesterday was the hundredth day of school. I talked to them about inventions that were not around 100 years ago, like Lucky Charms, wrenches, stethoscopes, cell phones, and other interesting ones. Then we thought about things that may be around in 2112 that are not around now. I asked them to do a quick pencil sketch of something that they believe may be invented in the next 100 years.

One sweet girl drew and labeled "HAMBURGER."

I'm loving every minute of it!!

I guess I'll just have to do short little posts like this when I can, because there are not enough hours in the day!

Father Abraham Prevents a Fist Fight

We visited the local nursing home while we were in Monjas. First off, let me say that I would never put anyone I love there. It needs serious work and updating, and the elderly of Monjas deserve SO much better. Besides the fact that the concrete walls and faded paint make it completely visually unappealing, the residents also have to live about 10 or so to a room (in beds that look like dorm beds) and it didn't look like it was sufficiently medically equipped at all. It's run completely on donations and the workers volunteer. They're saints.

The old ladies were ready to greet us at the door. In Guatemala, or at least in Monjas, the elderly ladies don't just greet you with a kiss-- they kind of give you a strawberry behind your ear. It's cute and hilarious. So after a few strawberries, we went into the main room where everyone was gathering.

Then Rosita came in.

Oh my heavens you've never seen anyone so cute.

3'10". TOPS. 90 lbs sopping wet with bricks in her pockets. Probably 231 years old or thereabouts.

When she sat in the chair her feet were miles from the ground and when she hugged us we bent in half to reach her.

She wore a purple skirt, a pink cardigan, and her hair was long and pulled back into a bun. Also she had on glasses that covered over half of her face.

Imagine you could buy 2 liter glass coke bottles. Imagine you took the bottom of those bottles and put frames around them and wore them as glasses. That's Rosita.

Really though this post isn't totally about Rosita. Them old people was crazy. This is about the whole very funny experience.

So Rosita sits down in her chair as a part of the audience, and an old man sits behind her and says he can't see. As Rosita tries to ask him if he'd like her to move, he proceeds to push her chair forward in an attempt to dump her tiny body out of it, all the while complaining about how she's constantly in the way. Luckily, Victor caught the dump in the nick of time and then caught Rosita in the nick of time. He sat her back down in her chair much like someone sits a baby in a high chair.

Well that old man ended up moving and he sat down by another old man. We'll call them Juan and Tomas just to make it easier to tell. Then we started introducing ourselves. I said, "Hello. We're students from the United States."

Tomas: "USA. We are friends of the USA!"

"We're very glad to be here to meet all..."

Tomas: "Glad you are here, yes, United States" and just generally talking along in agreement to what I was saying.

Juan to Tomas: "DO YOU EVER SHUT UP? IT'S BEEN A THOUSAND YEARS SINCE I'VE HEARD YOU SHUT UP! THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST TRYING TO TALK HERE AND YOU WON'T SHUT UP."

Poor little Tomas just couldn't take getting yelled at for very long and things started to escalate, with Juan standing up and the voices getting louder and louder until Victor caught my eye, and with a mixed look of terror and amusement whispered, "Just start singing! They're really about to fight!"


So we burst into a chorus of Father Abraham, that old Bible School classic, and all was well.


And then Rosita sang us her favorite song just because she wanted to and then so did another lady and then so did Tomas. Our kind-hearted translator had to pretend he knew exactly what they were singing about because they kind of sounded like they were wailing in gibberish, but it was beautiful and precious!

Excerpts from Day 2 Journal Entry

" After lunch we went to the orphanage! The girls divided by house and welcomed us with a chant. I got to hold the new baby, Lilla! It was kind of awkward at first with the girls, but we warmed up to each other fast. Next, we watched some of them to a tae-kwon do performance! They filed in to the Rocky theme and each did a cool kick thing. The whole thing was hilarious. After they did all their individual stuff, they actually fought! One girl was no older than 5, so she couldn't do much, but she's adorable. During the fights, the men joked around and offered to pay the judges to pick their chosen winner.
     When it was done I tried to strike up conversation and a super sweet girl named Jennifer talked to me. (Victor helped translate.) She was so nice and encouraging, which makes me want to try and speak more.
     After that we went on a tour of Monjas. We saw the cemetery, where all the graves were colorfully decorated. Then the dump. Some families were there collecting stuff to use and sell. :( The road had dogs, pigs, ducks, cows, roosters, chickens, and just about everything else. I loved that.
     We went to the transition home afterwards. (This is where the 17 & 18 year old girls from Shadow of His Wings live.) We made necklaces and did a spa night. I want so much to be able to fully talk to the girls, but I'm so thankful for the communication we had. The girls (and us) thought it was hysterical when Tom, Walter, and Santiago got face masks and manicures.
     The house parents have a 3 year old son named Esteban. When I asked him his name, he said "Spiderman." Then he put on a Spiderman suit. Precious.
   
     After team devotion that night, we paired up to pray. I paired up with Victor (our translator.) He started his prayer with "Papito Dios," which is like saying "Daddy God." I know his relationship with God is intimate b/c the light of the Lord shines brightly through Victor! His amazingly positive attitude is only outmatched by his steadfast work ethic.

     Oh, and I forgot to say that at lunch we made homemade guacamole with fresh avacadoes."

VBS in Monjas

•    So, on Sunday, we drove up to the mountain community and passed out invitations for VBS. We had to walk up to strangers’ houses, which was scary for me. 
• We were separated in 3 groups... In one of the other groups, 2 little girls received the invitation and started HUGGING and JUMPING UP AND DOWN because they were so excited. (VBS used to happen here but it hasn't in the past few years.) Gah, I wish I would have seen that! 
• VBS was held in a little one-room church that the James Project had helped plant a few years back. There were about 50 or 60 kids each day. 
• Monday we talked about how God listens to us and we read a Psalm and painted reminder rocks with the kids. 
• Tuesday we talked about how we need to listen to God and we acted out the story of Jonah and the fish and made pipe cleaner fish. 
• Wednesday we told the story of Jesus dying on the cross and made Juan 3:16 bracelets. 

NNo, the crafts we made were not special or fancy by any means. But those little angels took their time and worked hard on them! Tell an American kid to put beads on a pipe cleaner and bend it to look like a fish and he'll ask you when it's time for snack. I mean, I vividly remember thinking that the best part of VBS by far was those ring cookies that you could put on your fingers. 

And they played! They played and played without reservation. Whether they were 5 or 12, girl or boy, they didn't care. They wanted to have fun and enjoy themselves. It made my heart very glad to see children still being children. I hate when little ones think they're too grown to be kids. A lot of children I know are so hurried now. They want to look like adults and act like adults and it breaks my heart. So I praised God when I saw the older boys and girls singing the song and actively doing the motions to the song about the Frog who has a Frog friend who has a friend named Jesus. 

It reminded me of camp worship! Because basically, for 3 days straight, we got to do worship with a stinking hot room full of kids! And I wanted to tell them a thousand million zillion times how much God loves them and how very valuable they are. 

Funny Story

When we made the Juan 3:16 bracelets, one boy, probably about 5 years old, asked me to write his little brother's name for him. We'll call the big brother Herman. I asked Herman what his little brother's name was and he said Guillermo. Or at least that's how I think it's spelled. So, I wrote Guillermo on the bracelet. Herman took it from my hand, looked at it, and laughed. I said, "No correcto?" He shook his head, giggled, handed it to Guillermo, and said, "Ingles, hermano. Ingles." 

Also Guillermo wiped at least 16 boogers on me earlier in the day. 

Shadow of His Wings and Monjas 2012

If I’ve ever told you a story, then you know I tell it as the information comes to my mind, and not necessarily in any logical order. It’s a pretty good reflection of the general disarray of my scattered brain. Keep in mind that I am starting this while my brother is teaching himself the piano in the other room, my dog is whining at the squirrels in our attic, and the TV is on nearby. Oh, and I just realized the Star Wars theme is quietly humming in the speakers of the computer. That's off now. Bear with me. Soooooo, that being said, I think I’ll just start telling about Guatemala by using my old friends, bullet points.

·         Seeing Monjas showed me one promise I want to make to myself: that I’ll never believe I need anything that I don’t. I’ve never seen poverty like that before in my life, and I’ve seen poverty. Most of the people there don’t have running water and many of the houses I saw had dirt floors. They smelled awful. They had walls of tin or cardboard. They lived with their chickens and their dogs, that I’m positive had no shots. One house sat by a small river of sewage. One had exposed electrical wires everywhere… in a house where children lived. My college dorm room looks like a palace now.

·         We delivered food baskets to about 10 families, which is how I got to see so many houses. First of all, know that money goes on forever there because everything is so cheap. For $50 a basket, money that amazing people had generously donated to our team, we were able to purchase several pounds of rice and beans, 3 bags of flour, tomatoes, pineapples, consume, toilet paper, candy (for the kids), oil, a flat of eggs, and a TON more for each family. Once we had spent that money, we wondered how on Earth we were going to spend the rest. One American dollar equals about 8 Quetzales, so we had to get creative.

·         We ended up stumbling upon a house where the mother used to work for our translator. We got talking to the dad and he told us we couldn’t have come at a better time. He was out of steady work, but he really wanted to build a room for his 7 year old daughter before the rainy season. The main room in their house floods in the rain and he wanted a place for her to stay dry. So, we were able to buy him the building supplies he needed to get the project done.

o   He invited us to have chicken soup at his house one day. No thank you, kind sir.

o   He also told us that since Monjas is so rural, and his house is even in the rural part of Monjas, the international community is from whom they receive most of their help. They’re kind of forgotten.

·         Hmmmm… I’ll get back to food baskets later. My mind wants to talk about Vacation Bible School now. Eeeeek!