We were back at school this week, our break was during a school break as well. It wasn't planned when I first planned my trip, but it all worked out great.
The kids were excited to get back to their classes. They all ran there happily like they have always gone to school here. All the kids shouted their names and grabbed their hands to go into class.
I am helping the secondary English teacher again. His English is probably the best I have heard from a Guatemalan in Guatemala. He lived in the U.S. for 6 years and still works hard to keep studying and improve. Classes here are very different as is the way school is set up, it makes sense why my students always ask me "Am I going to pass my year?" Here they stay in one classroom with the same group of students all day, the teachers change rooms every half hour or so. Their is no individualized education. At Howard students can fail a class but pass their year, they just have to retake that class, here if they fail they have to take the entire year over again.
Class times are short and their is more homework and lots more time spent on grading during class. In my class students usually turn in assignments electronically on google classroom and take quizzes on Google as well, making grading simple and quick. There is zero technology used in the classroom or by the teacher (I think they have a computer class but I never saw it), so grading is time-consuming and tedious. Each student has a little notebook where they do all their class work and homework. With over 200 students it is definitely not an easy process. I spent a few hours grading tests for him and it took forever!
One aspect of the school I love is the relationships between students and teachers, it is very different from the U.S. norm. Teachers ride the school bus with the students, teachers eat the same lunch and with their students, every game of duck-duck-goose had at least 2 teachers playing in their dress clothes, during recess teachers played soccer with the kids or sat and chatted, teachers were regularly joked with and they then dished it right back, and during their 'planning' time I never saw one teacher alone or actually planning, they were hanging out with students. It was great to see but of course it wasn't all buddy-buddy, I saw plenty of chewing out as well. The foundation of trust and love was built though, discipline was much less often and much simpler than what I am used to. I actually saw zero actual behavior problems, just some playfulness. I have leaned so much and am still continuing to learn a lot.
As far as my kids in San Raymundo, they have really impressed me! Food is not readily available or predictable where we are staying, for example, nowhere is open for breakfast so sometimes we didn't eat breakfast and when we were invited for lunch at a family's house we had to wait many hours past lunch time to eat. Sometimes where we ate only had food my kids weren't exactly used to but they haven't complained at all! We have tried almost every street and market stand in this town, no fear to eat street food here! We have also had zero sickness!!! That's almost unheard of for tourists in Central America, we have been really lucky. They also endured many long taxi rides without drinks or meals and just sucked it up. This was the part I was most concerned about for them, they have always had predictable meals and predictable food. Super proud of them.
We also have been washing clothes daily in the pila, the kids even enjoy washing their own clothes. While traveling last weekend we didn't have access to a pila or washer for a few days and some of our clothes got moldy and I threw them out so now we pretty much have to wash every day if we want clean clothes. Sometimes it rains on my almost dry clothes on the clothesline and I get worried about what we will wear but so far we have been okay, of course I could buy more clothes but I am trying to keep our suitcase as empty as possible for room for Guatemalan stuff. Shoes are the only problem, definitely bringing boots next time!
School bus craziness
June's PE class, that's her teacher in dress clothes doing the exercises, this is his planning period
How you spell 'Jackson' in Guatemala
6th grade class, no electricity only windows
I loved seeing this boy braiding the hair of the girl in front of him, my boys do this all the time!
June eating street tacos that have onions!! June hates onions, she is so much less picky here
9th grade class
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