Forest Hills and Isla Bonita

One of the major differences between my student teaching in America and San Pedro was my relationship with my partnership teachers. In America I had a partnership teacher that helped me phase into becoming the students' full time teacher. She showed me how to write lesson plans and helped me get acclimated into the classroom and the whole school. When I arrived at school in San Pedro I instantly became the students' full time teacher and didn't receive any guidance from my partnership teacher. The only time I saw my partnership teacher in Belize was when I had to give her the lesson plans I wrote. I really enjoyed teaching at Isla Bonita and I really felt like I had my own classroom there. However, I still had to teach specific topics that my partnership teacher requested I do with the students. It was a challenge designing lessons that included student-directed and hands-on activities, since I was working with a small amount of supplies. At Forest Hills Elementary I had access to a variety of school supplies and a copy machine.

Something else that made my two experiences different was the amount of students I had in my classrooms. At Forest Hills I had 32 students and in San Pedro I had 9 students. Also, at Forest Hills my students left the classroom at various times throughout the day to go to things like itinerants or resource classrooms. At Isla Bonita I taught the students all day and taught them art and Physical Education. I was able to give my students at Isla Bonita more attention and time because there were so few of them.

Obviously my student teaching experiences were extremely different. I discussed a lot of the differences throughout my blog. I believe that there are many advantages to having two completely different experiences. One disappointing similarity was my students' attitude toward school. At both Forest Hills and Isla Bonita I had a lot of students that didn't believe school was important and they lacked all motivation to be in school and complete the work. When writing my lesson plans I always tried to include hands-on activities and things that would make the students excited to learn and be at school. During both internships, I learned the importance of never giving up and always showing the students that you care about them.

One More Night

I can’t believe how fast the last week of school has gone by. One highlight from the school week was on Tuesday when I had my class do the Oh Deer simulation, but changed it to Oh Jaguar. We are discussing wildlife conservation in my class and this activity went along with that topic perfectly. The interactive session showed the importance of habitats on the survival and reproductive success of a population. After the simulation, students were able to identify factors necessary for animals to survive and reproduce. My students loved the activity so much that they wanted to do it again during P.E. time.

Wednesday was a special day because all of the Isla Bonita teachers attended an all day program held by Dr. C and Dr. K. The program discussed various language arts and science strategies and techniques that can be used in the classroom. All of the student teachers prepared a short presentation on a different language art activity that can be done in the classroom. My presentation was based on reading in small groups with children that are on similar reading levels. I taught them one reading comprehension strategy using clouds on popsicle sticks. The clouds say one of the following: Who? What? When? Where? Why? or Author’s Purpose. Each student is given the same book and one of the clouds. Throughout the reading you can check for comprehension by asking one of the students to create a question using the word on their cloud. The teachers from Isla Bonita loved the idea and I was happy with their reaction to my presentation.

Wednesday night a group of the student teachers and Dr. C went out to dinner to have a discussion on the poverty simulation that we attended at UNCW before we left for Belize. Living in Belize and being surrounded by poverty everyday made the experience I had in the simulation real. A lot of people in San Pedro are in survival mode and do what they have to do just to make it to the next day. With the power going out several times and the water being turned off many times, living at Pedro’s Inn for six weeks also gave me a feel of what it’s like to live in poverty.

Thursday and Friday were my last two days of student teaching. Friday ended up being a half-day because the power went out and it was too hot in the classrooms. The few hours that we were at school were spent exchanging contact information, saying goodbyes, and playing video games. Most of the boys in my class brought in their video games for my last day celebration so that’s all they really wanted to do. A few of my students gave me apples. I wrote each one of my students a special message and gave it to them at the end of the day. I didn’t have to say my final goodbyes until the campfire that was held Friday night at the park on the beach. I hope the best for each one of those boys and look forward to the possibility of seeing them again one day.

This is Heaven

As usual, this past weekend

was filled with new and exciting Belizean adventur

es. On Saturday, Natalie, Tess, Anna, Keri, Brianna, Stephanie

and I decided to go parasailing. I went up in the air with Natalie and enjoyed the breathtaking

views of the island and ocean.

Parasailing is the most relaxing activity and I wish I could have done it for hours. With all its

shades of blue, the

ocean water in Belize is tr

uly spectacular.

On Sunday, the whole group

woke up early and went to Ramon’s Dock to rent scuba diving gear. We piled onto the Seaducer catamaran and sailed to two different locations on the reef. The first spot is called Hol Chan Marine. I was really nervous to get into the water. I finally faced my fear of scuba diving and being surrounded by fish. My first time scuba diving and it was a success! There were so many colorful fish and fascinating sea life. The second spot that we got in the water is called Shark Ray Alley. All I saw at this location were stingrays and nurse sharks. I never got too close to a shark, but the stingrays were all around me. Surprisingly, I stayed in the water for about 25 minutes.

When scuba diving was over, the catamaran sailed for another hour to the island of Caye Caulker. Caye Caulker is the most laid back island in the world. The first thing we did when we arrived at the island was get lunch. Lunch took a really long time, but it was worth it because I ordered chickpea delight, which was a stir-fry of chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and a lot of spices. After lunch, everyone walked around the island and did some souvenir shopping. The ride home on the Seaducer felt amazing. Lying on the boat, soaking up the sun, and listening to the sound of the waves made me sad that I only have a short time left here.

Fan the Master

On Friday the principal of Isla Bonita Elementary School came up to me and told me she needed to congratulate me. She explained that I was doing an excellent job teaching her boys and she was impressed with the amount of work the students completed throughout the week. It feels like last week flew by. I love teaching at Isla Bonita, especially since my students put a smile on my face everyday. One of my students (Andre) was absent for the entire week because he was very sick with chicken pox. Sam was also sick for two days and then skipped school for work on Friday. For the most part, there were only seven students in the classroom all week. One of my favorite activities that I did with my students involved M&M’s. I bought each student a bag of M&M’s and we made ratios and graphs using the candy. It's not often that the students get to do hands-on-activities in school, so this was a special lesson.

In the beginning of the week, Teacher Eiden came into the classroom and announced all of the students’ grades from the previous term. One of the students is failing every subject and the teacher said, “we just don’t know what to do with BJ.” I was shocked and felt terrible when I heard him say those words. I spent extra time helping BJ with his work during the week. I am worried about BJ and what will happen when he gets to high school. The students in Belize like BJ that need extra help don't have the privilege of having a tutor or extra help from a teacher aid during school.

I observed a few social studies lessons this week and found them really interesting. The class is learning about the history of Belize. Also, they are discussing natural disasters and evacuation plans. The teacher told the class a story about a small earthquake that occurred a couple of years ago. There aren’t many earthquakes in Belize, so many people haven’t experienced one before. Anyway, there was a funeral/wake going on and people screamed and ran away when they saw the dead body move and shake and didn’t know it was because of the earthquake.

The power in Belize continues to randomly go out. When we were at school the power went out so the air conditioning turned off. My students immediately made paper fans and fanned me. My students know that I am not used to the extreme heat.

Normal is Boring

Teaching abroad has been an incredibly positive experience. I could sit in a classroom and be lectured on Belize and what teaching in another country is like, but would that tell the truth? Would that really be enough? Actually being in a different country has made me extremely more knowledgeable and the experiences that I have here will stay with me forever. Not only do I know what it is like to teach in America, but also I now know what it is like to be a teacher in a completely different country. Now I understand two education systems. Can you believe that only a three-hour plane ride from North Carolina and people are living so differently than we do? I feel extremely passionate about this whole experience and I would highly encourage every teacher to teach abroad. My students and I are learning so much from each other everyday. This past week I saw the students’ regular teacher one time. The one time I saw her she asked me if I could write up another copy of my lesson plans and hand them to her at some point. Looking back on this week I feel very proud of myself. When I first stepped into my classroom in Belize, I didn’t really know what to expect. I instantly became the students’ teacher and was put in a situation where I needed to think outside my idea of normal. Back home I was in a school that was able to provide me with any school supply I needed. Here I am working with a very limited amount of school supplies and it has been a challenge. I would like to be an inspiration to all of the people out there that are scared to step outside their normal lifestyle and experience another culture. Honestly, I think that it will be very difficult for me to go back to America and become a teacher. I hope to travel and immerse myself in different cultures. If I do teach abroad, I will learn much more than I ever would if I taught in an area I am already so familiar with. I could talk about how positive the teaching abroad experience is for hours, and I would love to talk to someone that believes otherwise. Could anyone possibly not think that teaching in another country and learning about another culture is a positive experience?

Jean of the Jungle

Friday morning, Natalie and I packed up our stuff and walked into town to buy some snacks before the bus ride to Caves Branch. When everyone was at the bus station, we decided to pay a little extra money to rent a van, rather than taking the bus. 16 people squeezed in the 14 person van, which didn’t have any air conditioning. It was a rough ride for the people sitting in the back, but it was only an hour drive. Caves Branch is a beautiful hotel located in the jungle and surrounded by all different types of flowers, plants and trees. Natalie and I were in love with this place. We walked around and took hundreds of pictures.
Everyone had to sign a paper from the hotel, which basically said that we were in the middle of the jungle and the hotel wouldn’t be responsible if we died. We were given a little tour of the area and were told that we should be careful of certain jungle things, like snakes.
I walked around a little more and then was told I had to go up to the restaurant where my professor was having people pick their room assignment. This was the first time that we weren’t allowed to pick our roommates. I was one of the last people to pick out a number, but I picked lucky number one. At the time I didn’t know how lucky I was to pick the number one. Stephanie, Brianna, Jessie, Tess, Keri, and I walked to our cabana. I was really excited about the setup of the cabana and one of my favorite things was the outdoor shower. I wasn’t expecting Caves Branch to be so luxurious. Some of the people in our group weren’t as excited as me, but maybe I just love the jungle more than them. Anyway, after spending some time in our cabana, Tess and I walked up to the restaurant with big smiles on our face. I saw Natalie and a few of the girls at the restaurant, but they didn’t look very happy. Later on, I found out that they were put in the bunkhouse.The bunkhouse consisted of 4 sets of bunk beds, a water jug, bugs, and nothing else.

After everyone got settled into their new rooms, the whole group took a short hike to the blue hole. Everyone swam in the blue hole (filled with glorious bright blue water) for about an hour and then walked back to hang out at Caves Branch. All of the meals that I ate in the jungle were like a dream. They had so many fresh vegetables, fruits, rice, beans, and ratatouille.

Before heading back to the cabana, I invited Natalie and the other girls to sleep with us so they wouldn’t have to sleep with the bugs in the bunkhouse. They turned down the offer. About twenty minutes later, six girls came running towards our cabana. After killing several cockroaches and seeing a creature that resembled a scorpion, they decided they wanted to squeeze into the cabana and sleep there for the night. We fit 15 girls in a six-bedroom cabana. Everyone talked, laughed, and bonded for a couple of hours and then finally fell asleep.

The next morning, I was pumped and ready to go into the jungle. Tess, Keri, and I decided to do the black hole excursion. Chico, Majeillo, and Pablo were our tour guides. They were really interesting people, and one of the best parts of this day was learning about each of their lives. Pablo spoke English very well, Chico spoke some English, and Majeillo didn’t speak any English. Majeillo was 52 years old and all he did the whole trip was carry a Machete and chop down random tree branches. Pablo led the group through the 2-mile uphill jungle trail and to the black hole. When we arrived at the black hole, Chico helped me put on my repelling gear. The three guides set up the repelling line, as Tess, Keri, and I took pictures and prepared ourselves for the drop. Pablo connected me to the line and told me to start walking down. Those were his only directions. I felt like I was about to fall off the edge of the world. The drop into the black hole was unbelievable. After a while, I was no longer walking down, but simply hanging in the middle of the jungle. I took my time falling into the jungle and soaking up every minute of the experience. Everything around me was so beautiful and it is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. I never want to forget the feeling that I had when I was hanging in the middle of the Belize Jungle.

After Keri, Tess, and the tour guides repelled down, we hiked to a huge cave. Chico, Pablo and Majeillo set up a picnic for us three girls. It was nice seeing three guys making lunch for us. After a lovely lunch, Pablo and Chico took us exploring around the caves.

That night, Natalie, Anna, Keri and I shared a bungalow. The bungalow was a step

below the cabana, but a step above the bunkhouse. I thought it was a great place, but I was definitely scared of the bugs. At 2 in the morning I woke up to go to the bathroom and found that three cockroaches surrounded the toilet. I grabbed a flip-flop and went after them. After waking everyone up and killing some bugs, I was able to go to the bathroom and then back to sleep. I dreamt of cockroaches the rest of the night and didn’t sleep that well.

Sunday morning it was time to start the journey back to our home in San Pedro. After two taxi rides, a bus ride, and a ferry, we were back on the isla

nd, surrounded by the blue water. Sunday afternoon I prepared for Monday’s school day.

A Day in San Ignacio

On Thursday, a group of us spent the day walking around the town of San Ignacio. The town is small and very quiet. It reminded me of the small towns that are in the mountains of North Carolina. Both San Pedro and San Ignacio are laid back places and are filled with friendly people. In San Pedro we are seen as teachers, and in San Ignacio we were seen as tourists. Since we didn’t spend time in the schools at San Ignacio, I’m not sure where I would prefer to teach. San Ignacio seemed poorer than San Pedro and everything in San Ignacio is cheaper. I love the mountains and everything that there is to do there, such as hiking, running and rock climbing. Since San Pedro is a small island, I don’t think there are a lot of different opportunities for the students. Also, San Pedro is a very expensive place. It seems like there is limited job opportunities in both places. I feel I would need to spend more time in San Ignacio and in its schools before I made a decision about where I would rather teach. However, I would love the chance to teach in San Ignacio and have that experience. I believe that teaching abroad anywhere can be a positive experience.