International Student Teaching Spring 2009

I retired after more than 15 years working for a ministry serving children who have been severely sexually traumatized. This retirement at such a young age gave me the opportunity to consider a new call. I always enjoyed school, but my husband and siblings had experienced school as a place that created a feeling of being less than acceptable, less than smart, less than sufficient. I am also aware that many people go through their lives without being celebrated as gifted and valuable. Teaching will give me an opportunity to fill this gap. Consequently, I chose to add a teaching license to the degree in English that I already hold.

I am currently student teaching at Ashe County High School, in West Jefferson, NC. My assignment includes teaching one 12th-grade and two 11th-grade English classes. Although my cooperating teachers and the remarkably cooperative students have made this a very positive experience, I continue to learn from challenges and mistakes.

I will miss being with the students at Ashe, but I am looking forward to meeting my host family and the students, teachers, and staff at D'Amicis in Puebla, Mexico. I have traveled all my life, within the U.S., throughout North America, and recently in Europe. I chose to student teach in Mexico because many of the students who immigrate to North Carolina are from Mexico. I hope that my experiences at D'Amicis will enhance my ability to teach these students and to connect with their families. In addition to improving my facility with Spanish, I expect to learn more about the Mexican culture, particularly the culture from the region around Mexico City. Furthermore, I will have the benefit of being with additional seasoned teachers from whom I can learn how to be a better teacher.

I cannot name a single specific reason I decided to get a degree in education. I don't have that one 'magic' teacher that I credit for my inspiration. I did not have an extremely great or extremely miserable school experience. Nobody in my family is in education. So, why?

I like to help people. I tutored younger students in high school, and I enjoyed the reactions when light-bulb moments happened. I took it almost personally when those moments did not happen. I also enjoy having a specialization in a certain area (math for me) that allows me to aid in others' understanding. With those factors, education made sense.

I am currently Student Teaching at Mabel Elementary in Zionville. I have 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in math. My students range the gamut from happy-go-lucky to the typical moody teenager. They also say some of the funniest things I have ever heard, in addition to having some of the saddest stories that I couldn't imagine. I'm going to miss my kids (and yes, for some unknown reason I have been referring to them almost constantly as 'my kids,' and would not change that at all) when I am in Mexico, and I am sure I'll be taking some time to visit them when I get back.

I chose to apply for International Student Teaching because I wanted to expand my personal experiences before beginning a career. I also felt that as an educator in an area in which Hispanics make up the fastest-growing minority, I was ethically bound to learn as much as I could about a culture I would be no doubt interacting with. I think that I will learn a good deal about language and its effects on day-to-day life, as well as non-verbal forms of communication. Also, I hope to learn about gender interactions and certain view-points that may differ from the typical 'American' idea.

We arrived! We were met at the airport by Margarita, then took a bus to Puebla.

Our ride included a snack and a movie. Who knew Nicholas Cage was fluent in Spanish ;-) ?

Pedro met us at the bus station, and we went home to enjoy dinner with our family. Turkey prepared with adobo (for the meat-eaters, not me), corn tortillas, rice, and the most delicious potatoes I´ve had.

We went to the school in the evening for some special seminars for Health Week. We saw the kindergarten center which is for students ages 2 to 6. Some of the students were waiting for their parents to finish at the seminar.

I understood some of the lecture on addiction, and the visual outline helped. I met Lourdes, who coordinates the English programs at D`Amicis school, and she and I discussed the international struggle of all high school students with Beowulf and Shakespeare.

These photos of our home show my bedroom and the courtyard view from my room. The large black barrel on the roof of the other building is a rain barrel. Most homes have two reservoirs (one a rain barrel, the other a cistern under the house) to collect water for washing and showers and such.

¡Hasta Luego!

Wow! Ireland is even better than I imagined it to be! I arrived just a couple days ago on my very first flight. The plane ride was absolutely glorious. I loved the seeing the clouds below me. I felt like I was floating over Antarctica because all that could be seen was vast, billowing, white mountains. Absolutely beautiful!

I arrived in Ireland early Thursday morning. I experienced the transportation system of Dublin, the buses. I have come to realize that they are never on time. In fact I never saw the Patton Flyer drive by the first time at the airport, so I had to catch it later on to make it to my next destination. However, I made it to mum Eileen, my host mother's mother, who graciously picked me up at the bus station and drove me to my new home.

I was able to unpack some of my things and get settled. Mum Eileen made me some tea and we just chatted and relaxed for most of the morning. She drove me down to the local convenient store called Tescos. I explored the store and noticed that many of the same brands were here as they are in the United States, just with different packaging. Some popular brands include Kelloggs and Nestle.

One little thing I did notice about the grocery store that I thought was interesting was the bagging system. You must pay for every plastic bag you use, which encourages the citizens to have cloth bags to help the environment. Such a wonderful idea! You also have to pay one Euro to use a buggy. The Euro is returned if you return the buggy. So interesting.

Anyways...I spent the rest of the day meeting with my new family. We had dinner together and just chatted about all the great things for me to do and see while in the country. Nola, my host mother, drove me around the area to show me where to walk to catch the bus and the Dart train. She has been very helpful through this whole experience thus far. And the three girls are just lovely! I am really going to enjoy my stay with the Lamberts.

After finally getting settled in with the family I decided to make a trip the following day out to my school, just to get an idea of the train and bus routes I would be taking everyday. I met up with Nick, who is also going to the same school: Powerscourt National School. We walked to the nearest Dart station and bought a pass to and from Bray. At the Bray station we got off and jumped on a bus out to Enniskerry. The bus dropped us off right in front of the school.

The school itself is very quaint and small. There are 65 students spread across three classrooms. I will be working in the junior and senior infant classroom, which is similar to kindergarten. I am looking forward to seeing how the classrooms operate with so many grade levels in each room.

After visiting in Enniskerry, Nick and I decided to meet up with another international student teacher from Indiana. She has been in Ireland for almost two weeks, so she was able to show us around town in Dalkey and Dun Laoghaire. We met in a local bookstore and walked around the shopping area searching for a mobile service station to get phones for our trip.

It was fun walking the along the cobblestone streets window shopping. The town is very close to the harbor, so after shopping for a bit, we walked along the harbor. Kathleen, the other student teacher, and I went for a walk down the pier to get a better view of the surrounding area. While out along the pier, the most beautiful rainbow appeared. It was probably the most vividly colored rainbow I have ever seen. Of course, I just had to take about a million pictures to capture this moment.

As we walked back to Dun Laoghaire to catch the bus, we arranged some plans for the weekend in Dublin. I must say that this trip is going to be extremely exciting. There is so much to do and see in the area. I came with very few plans as far as sightseeing and traveling, and am now having a hard time trying to cram everything in during my short stay. I can't wait for my next adventure!

These next pictures are for my students back at Blue Ridge Elementary. I was in the train station at Bray and found this lonely pigeon! I'll call him Nipper, in honor of our story, Wringer. I miss you all!

Yesterday was a long day but a very good day. After many hours on a plane I finally arrived in Dublin. I was greeted with cool weather and sunny skies, most unexpected. Everything went well at the airport except missing or not seeing the bus I needed to take, but everything worked out. I had forgotten that here in Ireland everyone drives on the other side of the road; I am still trying to adjust to this. Let’s just crossing the road is a challenge. I could never drive here as I do not know how to drive a stick plus the fact that the shifter is on the left side.

The family I am staying with is very nice. They are a family of five, Frank (Dad), Natalie (Mum), Jessica (Daughter), Rachel (Daughter), and Alfie (Son). Rachel was the first one that I meet. She showed me around the house and helped me get acclimated. Their house is within a mile or two of Bono's, as in the lead singer of U2. I meet Natalie shortly after that and Alfie when he finished up with school and Frank when he came home from work.

During the afternoon I experienced an Irish grocery store. First off you have to pay one Euro to get a trolley (shopping cart), you get your Euro back when you return the trolley. The store was a lot smaller than the ones in the states. It was interesting to see different familiar cereals, snacks, and what not’s, but in different packaging and with different names. Back home when you go to buy meat it is all prepackaged. Here in Ireland you go to the butcher and let them know what you want. They then take your meet and put it in a plastic bag, weight it, and slap a sticker on it. I also learned that everyone brings their own bags for groceries because they charge 15 cents per plastic bag used. Perhaps they should try this out back in the states.

Today I went out to Enniskerry (see picture below) via train and bus. It takes about 45 minutes to get there from the house. This was a very quaint picturesque village near the mountains. I went to Enniskerry to visit the Powerscourt National School, the school I will be teaching at starting Monday. It is a tiny school (see picture below) of 65 students and 3 teachers. The school building is the oldest building (built 1818) used as a school in all of Ireland. Classes are divided up into three classes. First class is junior and senior infants (similar to kindergarten) ,2nd class is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, followed by the 3rd class of 4th,5th, and 6th graders. I do not see how they do it, but they make it work. I will be working with the 4th through 6th grades.

I left Enniskerry for Dun Laoghaire to do a bit of shopping and sightseeing. I walked back home along the coastal road and was greeted by some rain. These rains produce a very beautiful rainbow that stretched across part of the bay.

I was in a bit of a hurry to get back because I was going to watch Alfie play hockey. I have never seen a field hockey game before and was excited. Alfie’s school was playing a team from England; the match resulted in a draw despite the boys from England being two or three years older. The family is very sport inclined. Alfie plays numerous sports, rugby, hockey, and hurling. Everyone in the house loves rugby; I even got to watch my first rugby game. I might even be able to see a live match this Sunday.

Tomorrow I have made plans to meet up with fellow Appalachian student Rachel Warriner and an Indiana University student named Kathleen to go tour downtown Dublin. It is late here as it is a quarter past eleven, night night.

What can I say?? I got off the plane and finally felt warm for the first time since summer. It was a perfect day, but very hot! Costa Rica is pura vida which means living the good life. It is so different and relaxed here.

At my school, San Ambrosio, students have lots of freedom. They have a break during each class,at which time they go and get snacks at the cafteria and hang out. Some of the classes have alot more structure than the others; it just depends on the class and teacher. But, many times students are paying attention to the English lesson. I have learned that these students are understanding English, but sometimes what they are learning is over their heads.

I hope to make a difference here! We are only allowed to speak in English at the school with the students. Everyone is hoping that this English-only effort will help perfect their English speaking. The teachers are so sweet here! There are two nuns at the school, the PE teacher and the Principal. Everyone is beautiful!

(the SCHOOL!)

(my classroom)

(Kirbi at Field Day or Sports Day)

My family is very young! Maria is 27 and Diego is 28. They have two children, Diego and Jose. Diego is 2 and Jose is 8. They are wonderful! Their house is very nice and upscale even though it is small. We might move to downtown next week or that is what they said.

(my house)
Maria´s parents love to teach me Spanish, which has been great! Her father helps out with Special Olympic's and has goning to the United States. He knows a little English and always wants me to teach him. I love love love her father! He likes to call me his daughter and play soccer with me. Her madre always cooks for me.

Today we are going to the beach and I can't wait. Also, I went to a soccer game that Diego (husband) played in! Maria's brother also played professional soccer Soccer is a HUGE thing in their family. When we watched the Costa Rican vs. Mexico game, we had a fiesta. We lost, but everyone was having a good time.

Life here is similar and different from life in the U.S. It is just so chilled and laid back here. Driving is another story. They do what they want and there aren't many lined roads and people just go all over. That might just be in Nicoya though. There is probably so much more to say, but my mind is on overload. I'm trying to learn so much Spanish and comphrend everything. It is overwhelming. I've been exhausted from everything, but it is wonderful!

That is it for now. PURA VIDA!

Sarah

The first week, or half of a week was a lot of fun. When we arrived at the house we had our first meal with Margarita and her husband, Pedro Pablo. The first day we were able to go with Margarita to the school and take a tour and meet many of the staff and teachers.
We started with students right away on Thursday morning. I was placed with the fourth grade English teacher, Valerie. The fourth graders were very welcoming and I had a lot of fun just observing the lessons. The students speak English very well, much better than I speak Spanish. In the English lessons the students are not allowed to speak Spanish unless they do not know a word in English. I was quite amazed at their English skills. On Friday, I observed the class in the morning and then the students went to a conference/seminar for the rest of the day.

The students got out of school at noon on Friday. After school on Friday, Lindsey, Rainey, Mario, and I went to a plaza and a street market to shop. We also tried some traditional Puebla cookies. On Saturday, we all went to the Aztec pyramid in Cholula. Lindsey, Rainey, and I climbed to the top of one part of the pyramid. We also went to visit a church that is built on the top of the pyramid. On Sunday, Rainey and I went to a local church and then met up with everyone at a local flea market. We had a lot of fun shopping.

The first week was very fun and eventful. We did a lot at school and we were able to do some tourist things. I have been able to practice my Spanish a lot. I already love it here!

A well-manicured lawn spreads out green and even between buildings. Parents drive into the front circle to drop their children off at school. Children play soccer and gather inside teachers' classrooms. Then a bell rings, and children flood out into walkways and head to their respective classrooms. It is not until Spanish words and phrases begin filling the air and one notices the smoking volcano in the background that one begins to realize that they are not in any United States school, but, instead, we are at D'Amicis School in Puebla, Mexico.

The school itself is different in both its physical and pedagogical design. It is surrounded by a brick fence with a security guard at the front. There is a full-sized soccer field, and several basketball courts with the backboards at different heights for different-aged students. The kindergartners have a rabbit cage and garden section, as well as a sandbox and playground. The upper elementary wing of the building (5th and 6th grade) have a full-sized science laboratory with steel lab tables, an anatomy skeleton, and walls of shelving full of science equipment. Also, each class spends half the day in Spanish instruction and the other in English, ensuring all students become familiar with and at the very least conversational in English.

My first few days at school have been very interesting. I am working in the English section of the 6th grade, and have approximately 60 students between the two classes. The similarities between this classroom and my 6th grade classroom in Watauga county are amazing. The class gets rambunctious at times. Students have specific personalities which make some of them more readily identifiable than others: shy Paty, talkative Yamil, hyper Viktor.

My teacher Nelly has been very receptive to me. Within 10 minutes of entering her class, I was reading a part of the textbook aloud to the students and helping to lead a discussion on personalities and self-esteem. She has also included me in a lab exercise in which every student and she used lemon juice in an experiment to determine if the individuals were introverts or extroverts. Nelly made sure that my name and results were also on the list.

The differences are immediately apparent also. The students call all the instructors "Teacher." They have to be reminded to speak in English when in that part of their day. Also, everyone (adults especially) greets one another with a kiss on the cheek. It surprised me when several of my students greeted me in this manner by the second day.

As for our out-of-school activities, we have visited Cholula, an ancient Mayan site with a pyramid and other ruins. At Cholula we found local vendors selling fried grasshoppers, which I discovered taste surprisingly like wood. We have also visited a local zocalo, or central park, and a flea market. Also, we have discovered sweet bread at the local grocery stores, and have made a quick run to the local Walmart-equivalent store. The Ruiz family we are staying with have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome, and I am sure they will make our stay in Puebla as comfortable as they can.

I had the opportunity to work with Miss Violeta. (So far, all teachers are called "Miss" followed by their first names, except for our host, Pedro Pablo, who is called "Profe," short for Profesor.) Miss Violeta has 32 students in each of her 3rd-grade English classes. She has the morning with one class and the afternoon with the other. The children line up in the morning and the girls greet her with a kiss, and the boys greet her by touching palms with her, then touching fists.

She has the class divided in 4 stations or groups, that sit together. These groups change periodically, and the class is often divided into different teams that do not follow the station. By doing this rearranging, Miss Violeta ensures that students learn to work with a variety of their peers. The photo below is of the captains choosing their teams.

Much of the group work is conducted outside, with the team captains responsible for ensuring that the students in their group are actually focusing on their tasks. If someone is playing instead of working, the captain must let Miss Violeta know.