Public transportation is not as available or convenient as I thought it might be down here; it really consists of taxis that are far too expensive, and less than a handful of buses that run up and down one of the many main roads. The buses are old, rundown school buses, painted in different colors, usually packed with people to the door. Though you may flag them down on the side of the road and they open the door for you, they do not come to a complete stop; the ‘conductor’ hops out, running alongside the bus, waiting for you as you run to the door, he gives you a boost, and on they go...
On Wednesday, a few volunteers and I had missed the bus that we needed to take around 9:00 and instead, hitch-hiked. Often times, because of the lack of public transportation, you’ll find that people are flagging down random pick-up trucks so that they can hop in the back and get a free ride. Here we were, five gringos in the back of this young man’s truck... what a lucky ‘Nica’ (the slang word that is often used instead of Nicaraguan). After arriving at school at 9:00, we hung around in the school yard for nearly an hour before they rang the bell and kids were supposed to head to their classes. Since the kids don’t listen well, this time becomes absolute chaos; literally having chase kids down to grab their arms and drag them to their classrooms, pulling kids out of the closet in the tutoring room- as they try and steal all of the stickers and art supplies, and finding the others who have found various hiding spots around the school so that they don’t have to go to class. It takes at least ten minutes before things are ‘settled’ and class actually begins.
Wednesday was my first day for tutoring. I have five children who I’ll be taking every day, or every other day, to try and get them up to speed with the rest of the children in their class.
Harbi, the cutest little first grade boy.. but the poor guy doesn’t know any of the alphabet or his numbers. I spent an hour with him on the first 5 or 6 letters of the alphabet, trying to get him to memorize them and be able to pick them out when not in order. I would go back and forth between a and b several times, asking ‘what letter is this’ ‘a is for? arbol, etc.’ ‘a makes this sound..’, etc. and he continuously would get other letters in the alphabet: ‘u!’ ‘s!’. It was sad, and I realized within that first hour of school, that I was truly going to have my work cut out for me.
Angela is in second grade and though her teacher told me that she could read, write and do math, she doesn’t even know how to spell her own name. She has been placed in 2nd grade because she is 8, but she is at a pre-school or kindergarten level. Along with Harbi, she hardly knows the alphabet and only knows numbers 0-9, beyond that she is completely lost. Because she is so shy, she gets to attention from the teacher and therefore sits back in class and doesn’t learn anything. Part of my goal with her is to, not only have her learn the alphabet and her numbers, but to bring her out of her shell a little bit, as she is an incredibly sweet little girl.
Oreste, also in second grade. He is my one student who is so eager to learn and always comes to me with the biggest smile on his face. When doing something good, he loves to give me a high-five, and is always up for a challenge. His attention span is bigger than the other children, and so it is easy to get a lot done with him. I’m sure that i’ll see the biggest improvement with him by the time I leave here... or so I’m hoping!
Rosa Esmerelda also called hell child #2, by the other volunteers and the audante. She was pawned off on me in hopes that I’d be able to get through to her. Her ADHD is out of control, she hardly listens, has no real desire to sit down and learn for even an hour, and could really care less about school. She comes from one of the poorer communities around the school, and is always showing up with dirt all over her face, with ripped and dirty clothing, and yesterday she came to me with a full bloody leg after she had itched her bug bites to death (and of course with so little first aid stuff at the school, I had to clean it all up with one small cotton ball.. and afterwards was not able to wash my hands because there is no water at the school!!). She’ll be a challenge, but I’m ready to take her on and be the first volunteer to really get through to her. Wish me luck!!
And my last student has refused to come to school this week, so we’ll see what happens when Monday rolls around. Should be interesting!!
Those are my children that I’ve taken under my wing thus far, and that is my life every day from 9-2. It is so much fun, but I face new challenges with each of the kids every day. For the next several months it will be rewarding to see progress with them, and fun to get to know each of the children at this school a little better.
WOW! If you want any advice, don't hesitate to ask. Trust your instincts and you will do wonderful. Again, just being there to show them you care is going to make an enourmous impact on their ability to learn and their desire to learn. It is so amazing to read about the school parts of your adventure. So very different from my own daily experiences. You have a HUGE challenge ahead of you but I know you'll be successful. Remember lots of repitition! I'm thinking of you and sending you tons of love! xoxoxox
ReplyDeleteHuge challenges (and children) respond to simple victories. One simple recognized change means the world when a child's world is so full of "failure". A great place to start is in an area of strength or interest. Once the child and you select an area of interest or potential change, pick a way to measure the change so when you tell the child he or she is successful, they will believe it is true. Your natural love and presence will be like the sun and water for a new plant. Picking and measuring one change or point of growth that you know the child can achieve makes the process all about the child knowing he or she can achieve and that is the key to his or her untapped potential. They are very fortunate to have you. I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteBill Elberty