And then there were three...

9/19 – Daniel is gone. It doesn’t seem like he actually is. School has continued as normal; it’s been a pretty normal day. But this morning I thought to myself, “I need some more ideas for PE. I’ll ask Daniel when I get to school.” But I can’t. He’s on a plane headed for England. Just now I was thinking about the after school shopping we’re going to do. We’re gonna make a list of supplies and go out shopping. We always need paper and our PE equipment is a wreck. Anyway, I thought to myself, “This’ll be fun. It’s always fun when the four of us go out and do something outside of school.” But there are just three of us. Daniel, if you ever read this, know that you are missed.

9/21 - Yesterday was Talk Like A Pirate Day and I missed it! Again!!! I'm so disappointed. Oh well. Next year. We got a new soccer ball and a bunch of supplies for the school thanks to the generosity of Nate and Calle's parentals. It was like Christmas!!! The other day, I learned to make fresco. Yummm. Fresco is the best type of drink ever. It's like a non-dairy smoothie. Water, fruit, sugar. Nothing more. It's the best! Kindria has also promised to teach me to cook. I'm excited to get good at teaching Gallo Pinto. I know in theory, but not in practice.

So, my hardest class (for me personally) is PE. I teach PE to the 1st graders and then to the 3rd and 4th graders. We play a lot of soccer and floor hockey with 3rd and 4th grade. I never really liked PE much as a child so if anyone has any ideas, let me know. 

Make a difference

Dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?" (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an Ipod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

"I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make Mr. CEO?"


This is not to judge anyone that is going to make money in life. This is just my way of showing you how excited I am to be teaching and to know that even though I will never make a lot of money doing what I love, I am making a difference and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Whatever you do, whether you make money at it or not, make a difference.

Bet

9/11 – I totally forgot to mention 2 totally awesome things that happened on Friday!!! Christopher, the 3 year-old punk that I love very much, said the word pig! Thursday’s Letter of the Day was P and so I drew a pig on the board and it got left up on Friday because we didn’t have classes. We had an end of the trimester party. He accidentally got hit in the head with a soccer ball so he was bawling and I brought him inside, let him cry on my lap and then we looked at his favorite book. It’s a picture book of farm animals. Every page has a pig. I always try to get him to say new words but he never will repeat what I say. I decided to focus on just one word, pig. I pointed to the picture on the board and then to the picture in the book and said pig. Even though he didn’t respond the first couple times, I kept at it. And finally, he pointed at the board, pointed at the page and then said pig. I was so happy I squealed a little bit. He got lots of high-fives. I’m just thrilled about this beyond all belief. This is a big deal because his vocab consists of about 5 words.

Cristopher’s vocabulary:

Eh – Most common word. More like a sound. Can mean anything.

Tea – Short for teacher. Usually used when he’s upset and wants us to get other kids to play with him.

Tras- Short for atrás (back). Used when he wants you to back up when he’s kicking a ball.

Aquí – (Here) I think this is his only full word.

Second awesome thing that happened was that I got to hold a 10 day-old baby. Kindria, Aileen, Sofía and I went to the clínica to get Sofía her 4 year-old shots (which didn’t end up happening because they weren’t giving them out that day) and while we were waiting, Kindria saw one of her friends with her new baby at the clinic. While her friend was filling out paperwork, Kindria and I got to hold the baby. His name is Joshua (pronounced Yoshua). He was so precious. He was all wrapped up so he couldn’t move and his big baby eyes wouldn’t focus so he just looked cross-eyed most of the time. Kindria and I wanted to steal him. But we didn’t. =]

9/12 – Dean, if you ever read this, I find it extremely important to tell you that one of my students, Fernando, has a backpack of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. It has a picture of Mac and Bloo on the front.

Yesterday, I got to skype Kindra. She just got back from Europe. What a lucky duck. I miss her very much. Sofía wanted to talk to her. It was really funny because Kindra knows virtually no Spanish. This morning, I woke up to the sound of Sofía singing Jesus’ Love is a’Bubblin’ Over. She knows all the words and motions! It’s quite impressive. Kindria was really worried that I was going to be late to school today, but I arrived at the same time as Nate, 7:45. We didn’t even start morning worship until 8:10 because Yolanda was late. Ah, the joys of Costa Rican time. Jeison gave me a ride to school on the moto. It put me in a very good mood. Motos are just really exciting to ride on.

Aileen just drew me a picture of the family…and I’m in it! It’s so cute. She even included the puppies. It’s so precious. I feel loved. 

9/13 - This is the morning that I win half my bet. Nate bet me a sock that I wouldn't be addicted to coffee after one month. Today is the morning of evaluation. I don't have a headache so I win! Only 15 more days until I win Calle's half of the bet and complete my pair of socks. Today should be a pretty standard day. At 7:30 tonight, there's game night with the youth group. 

Really fun, random thing: My lunch gets packed in Hello Kitty and Tinkerbell tupperware. How cool am I?

In honor of love

My parents have been married for 34 years and 1 day. I salute them. They're also troopers because their anniversary is September 11th. I miss them a bunch. They're beautiful people. I saw this blog post awhile ago and it reminded me of them. This is their engagement photo. Aren't they gorgeous?

New Family

I wish I could express to you all my level of thanks, relief and happiness at being placed with this new family! They are some of the nicest people I've ever met. My new mom's name is Kindria, my new dad's name is Jeison and my little sisters are Valeria (9) and Sofia (4). They live decently far from the school but the location is really pretty. There is nothing but rolling hills, covered with trees, grass and cows through the back window. It's breathtaking. The house is relatively new from what i can tell. Or else, they just keep it immaculately clean. It really is very clean. And also not mildewy which is a blessing because the mildew aggravates my allergies and asthma. I feel very blessed. There's also internet here and I will have it in my room which means I'll be able to call and skype people with more ease. Which reminds me, if you see me online on Skype or Facebook, don't be a stranger. If I don't have time to talk, I won't be online anyway. Get it, got it? Good. Kindria is very involved in her church and she listens pretty much exclusively to Christian music. I find this a huge blessing. She's even invited me to church with her. She goes on Sabbaths and Sundays. They dance in their church she says. They have streamers and everything. It's really beautiful. I think I might go, just to check it out sometime. I feel very comfortable in this home. I am safe, warm, well-fed, and cared for. It's a beautiful thing. I don't know if it will actually happen, but Kindria says she wants me to learn how to drive their motorcycle so that I can take Sofia to school. Let's all just imagine this for a minute...and laugh. =]

So, It's Sabbath morning. I've been up since 7:30. It's sprinkling outside and is overcast. I'm in my Sabbath dress, freshly showered, freshly fed and wearing socks to keep my feet warm on the cold tile floor. Jason is at work, Aileen is watching the Emperor's New Groove on TV, Sofia and I are eating lemons (they're sweet and watery!) and Kindria is cleaning in the kitchen. She won't let me clean. Yet. It's only day two here so I know I'll be helping out more very soon. All Costa Rican women are like that. They won't let you help if you're a guest. Soon though, I will be very much integrated into this family and I'll be doing more around the house. Kindria is singing to her music and I feel like I've been living here the whole time I've been in Costa Rica. This is my home until June and I'm just thrilled beyond belief. In just a few minutes, I'll be heading to church. After that, who knows. I may come home or I may go to someone's house for lunch. I don't really know. But I'm happy and blessed. I miss my family and my friends back home (and the ones that are scattered across Pohnpei, Spain, Germany and other parts of the world) but I know I'll see them again someday so I'm content where I am. Today is a good day. Happy Sabbath world!

Boletas and Blessings

9/8 – I had to give a Boleta today. It's the second one I’ve given. Boleta’s are the harshest punishment you can impose upon a student here. You can’t really do anything but send them to the office and once they get there, they tell their own side of the story. It’s incredibly difficult to prevent this because you can’t leave your whole class just to escort one student to the office. Boletas entail writing down the incident and checking a box with a corresponding level of gravity and then signing it, getting the signature of the principal and then the signature of the parents. Really, what it comes down to is that the parents delve out the punishment. For instance, one of my students hardly benefits at all from a Boleta because she’s daddy’s little girl. She gets away with anything she wants at home. In fact, she has multiple metal teeth because there is no restraint in her consumption of sweets (her family owns a bakery too). The other girl that got the Boleta will probably get a whoopin’ which is ironic, because she’s one of the most behaved kids I teach. Come to think about it, that’s probably why. Both times that I’ve given the Boleta, it has been for giving the middle finger. And they were both given to 1st graders. Such is growing up.

I also had an answer to prayer today! Yolanda called me into the office after school and told me that I will be moving in with a new family tomorrow after school! Their youngest daughter, Sofia, goes to our school.  She turned 4 today. She has an older sister who is 9 but I don't really know her yet because she doesn't go to our school. The family is really nice and I am really excited to move in with them. Keep me and the family in your prayers as we make this transition! 

Sick

A lot of things have happened in the last 10 days and yet I seem to remember none of it. The biggest detail is that I've moved out of my old house for...reasons...If you REALLY want to know, send me a message and I can give details. Now I'm living with Yolanda (the principal). It looks as though I will be here for the remainder of my time. But that isn't for sure. I also lived with Calle for about 4 days. Yolanda and the family were in San Jose for awhile so I stayed with Calle. It was pretty fun. I almost got over my sickness but then I had a relapse. Not fun. I've been drinking lots of lemon water and tea and taking many naps after school. Being an actual teacher rather than an assistant or sub has been really good too. Everyday as I plan, I become a little bit more organized and I get more accustomed to planning. It's really great. Daniel is leaving this month which is really sad. He's awesome and the kids really like him.
I apologize that this is a really short and undetailed post. When I get over my sickness, I'll be better about writing. I haven't had the time because as soon as I finish planning my classes, I go to sleep. It's kind of a lame excuse, but my health is prettttty important. I promise I'll do better. Scout's honor (even though I've never been a scout).