Back in action...
I have been back in Honduras for just 2 days (side note this is written over a few days worth of time) and although it was difficult to come back it was good. I had an amazing time at home, just spending time with my family and friends. I’m so appreciative of the fact that it just feels like home to be with them. Everything felt so natural. It seemed easy to be myself and I simply felt loved. Although it was very hard to leave an environment where I feel so loved, it filled me so that I could come back ready to love my students again. Although in some ways I know teaching will still be difficult, I feel much more encouraged and ready to love them. I can look back on the past four months and see that although they were difficult I grew in many ways. I have so many things I need to tell you all about already!
First of all, I didn’t get a chance to do my New Year’s Blog. So I’m going to quickly explain my new year’s “resolution” now. Instead of doing regular old resolutions, I am choosing one word on which to focus for the year. I suppose a lens to see my life through. After thinking and praying about this for a while, the word that God has put on my heart is Risk. Now I don’t think that this means I am supposed to be reckless, but God is asking me to take risks. Now, some of you might say I am already taking risks simply living where I do, but there are a few things in specific God has asked me to take risks on.
1. Risk to truly trust. So often we say we trust God, but we never are willing to risk anything in that trust. We trust God, as long as we can play it safe.
2. Risk to truly offer my full self. Obviously there are boundaries to this, but so often I am afraid to truly care about people or truly be myself because it’s scary. Particularly here in a new setting.
3. Risk by doing what God prompts me to do. Whether it’s to say something to someone next to me or give money to someone I see on the street, I want to be willing to do it without arguing. While I have been working on this, there is always room to be more willing to go out on a limb for God.
Moving onward to my first week or so of school! I’ve been back here in Honduras for about a week, but it feels like a month already. I feel so into the routine already. School is still a lot of work, but after being refreshed at home I feel much more equipped to deal with my students. First, a few random quotes etc.
1. “You can answer any of the questions up on the board for your free write, or you can come up with your own.”
“Can I write about what the scariest thing that ever happened to me was?”
“Yes, that is up on the board.”
A few minutes later the same student raises his hand and I go to his desk.
“Does it count when I came out of my mom?”
“What?!”
“ You know when I was borned?”
“ I think it should be something your remember.
2. My students wrote their goals for the New Year down on notecards. Here are two of my favorites:
- To be more friendful.
- To be more concentrat (this particular one was found without any punctuation, without the second goal they were supposed to have, and on the floor…. So much for being more concentrated)
3. This morning one of my students asked me how I was doing. I replied,
“I’m doing pretty well. Thank you for asking.”
“ Not very well?”
“ Hmmm. Maybe not quite. I kind of miss my friends and family right now because they are so far away.”
“It’s ok Miss, we are your family.”
This was so sweet and she also gave me a huge hug. What a sweet child!
My students have been doing well, although they are starting to get back to their normal selves again. =) The first day back we had “Orange Triangle Day”. This was an exercise to illustrate the way that the Nazis treated the Jews (since we are starting a unit on the Holocaust). I gave 5 students orange triangles that they had to wear on the outside of their clothes. Then, I treated them progressively worse throughout the day. I started by just making a few comments about being orange triangles. Then, I began to blame them for everything that went wrong. I laughed at their answers. I would call on them and then tell them they were wrong and count someone else with the same answer as right. Next I made them sit in the back of the class. I gave them all numbers instead of names. I told the other students they were not allowed to talk to or play with the orange triangles at recess or they would also become orange triangles. When asked why they were orange triangles, I would tell them that some people just aren’t as good as others. During health we talked about how special everyone is and I made sure to tell them that this applied to everyone except the orange triangles. We put up propaganda in the hallway. Eventually, I said I was tired of them and didn’t want them in my class so I just sent them to the principal. After all of this happened, we had a class discussion and I explained to them why this had happened and how we really should treat each other and told the students that I loved them very much. I was surprised by how well the students handled it all and really seemed to understand the concept! Although a few of them definitely told me that they didn’t care what happened to other people as long as it wasn’t happening to them. Several of the students told me they would remember the lesson forever. Overall, it turned out really great! My kids are a lot of fun even though they are at times difficult. Many of them seem to be making a great effort to try and do better this semester.
Well, that’s most of what’s been going on. This week has been incredibly busy, but eventually things will calm down. Until next time!
Jennifer
First of all, I didn’t get a chance to do my New Year’s Blog. So I’m going to quickly explain my new year’s “resolution” now. Instead of doing regular old resolutions, I am choosing one word on which to focus for the year. I suppose a lens to see my life through. After thinking and praying about this for a while, the word that God has put on my heart is Risk. Now I don’t think that this means I am supposed to be reckless, but God is asking me to take risks. Now, some of you might say I am already taking risks simply living where I do, but there are a few things in specific God has asked me to take risks on.
1. Risk to truly trust. So often we say we trust God, but we never are willing to risk anything in that trust. We trust God, as long as we can play it safe.
2. Risk to truly offer my full self. Obviously there are boundaries to this, but so often I am afraid to truly care about people or truly be myself because it’s scary. Particularly here in a new setting.
3. Risk by doing what God prompts me to do. Whether it’s to say something to someone next to me or give money to someone I see on the street, I want to be willing to do it without arguing. While I have been working on this, there is always room to be more willing to go out on a limb for God.
Moving onward to my first week or so of school! I’ve been back here in Honduras for about a week, but it feels like a month already. I feel so into the routine already. School is still a lot of work, but after being refreshed at home I feel much more equipped to deal with my students. First, a few random quotes etc.
1. “You can answer any of the questions up on the board for your free write, or you can come up with your own.”
“Can I write about what the scariest thing that ever happened to me was?”
“Yes, that is up on the board.”
A few minutes later the same student raises his hand and I go to his desk.
“Does it count when I came out of my mom?”
“What?!”
“ You know when I was borned?”
“ I think it should be something your remember.
2. My students wrote their goals for the New Year down on notecards. Here are two of my favorites:
- To be more friendful.
- To be more concentrat (this particular one was found without any punctuation, without the second goal they were supposed to have, and on the floor…. So much for being more concentrated)
3. This morning one of my students asked me how I was doing. I replied,
“I’m doing pretty well. Thank you for asking.”
“ Not very well?”
“ Hmmm. Maybe not quite. I kind of miss my friends and family right now because they are so far away.”
“It’s ok Miss, we are your family.”
This was so sweet and she also gave me a huge hug. What a sweet child!
My students have been doing well, although they are starting to get back to their normal selves again. =) The first day back we had “Orange Triangle Day”. This was an exercise to illustrate the way that the Nazis treated the Jews (since we are starting a unit on the Holocaust). I gave 5 students orange triangles that they had to wear on the outside of their clothes. Then, I treated them progressively worse throughout the day. I started by just making a few comments about being orange triangles. Then, I began to blame them for everything that went wrong. I laughed at their answers. I would call on them and then tell them they were wrong and count someone else with the same answer as right. Next I made them sit in the back of the class. I gave them all numbers instead of names. I told the other students they were not allowed to talk to or play with the orange triangles at recess or they would also become orange triangles. When asked why they were orange triangles, I would tell them that some people just aren’t as good as others. During health we talked about how special everyone is and I made sure to tell them that this applied to everyone except the orange triangles. We put up propaganda in the hallway. Eventually, I said I was tired of them and didn’t want them in my class so I just sent them to the principal. After all of this happened, we had a class discussion and I explained to them why this had happened and how we really should treat each other and told the students that I loved them very much. I was surprised by how well the students handled it all and really seemed to understand the concept! Although a few of them definitely told me that they didn’t care what happened to other people as long as it wasn’t happening to them. Several of the students told me they would remember the lesson forever. Overall, it turned out really great! My kids are a lot of fun even though they are at times difficult. Many of them seem to be making a great effort to try and do better this semester.
Well, that’s most of what’s been going on. This week has been incredibly busy, but eventually things will calm down. Until next time!
Jennifer
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