A teaching opportunity

Hola! These past few days have been full of great educational observations. This week our group is in Monteverde. Monteverde is in the mountains and the weather here is very different from Heredia. We are literally in the clouds so a normal day would be full of various moments of misty air from clouds passing by. But the past 3 days have been not so normal, so in addition to the misty cloud cover, we have been rained on quite a bit. This would probably have an effect on our mood, but we are having so many valuable experiences, we’re all staying upbeat. Yesterday we had a tour at the Trapiche farm and it POURED the entire time, but we all agreed that, despite this rain, it was an amazing experience. This week we have had the opportunity to interact many times with students at a local elementary, or primary, school. On Tuesday we read with the students in small groups using our English/Spanish children’s books. We also did a science lesson in our small groups. While in these small groups I was able to utilize the strategies I’ve seen in my own Spanish classes. I tried to use as much Spanish as possible but made sure that some key words were in English. I felt it was important that these students receive some English, but not be overwhelmed by it. This strategy was difficult to initiate because I would lose my words in Spanish. In these moments I found that knowing the keywords in Spanish benefited me. It was almost a reverse realization. The strategy I was sure would benefit them, was a benefit to me. Today I had a different and even more rewarding experience in the school. We were able to teach today to the whole group. I was able to stand before a 1st grade class on my own to instruct on a lesson about colors in English and Spanish. It was interesting because I did my instruction in Spanish. I relied on a script I created last night but was able to inject the vocabulary from my classes whenever necessary. It was exciting to be in front of the class, and nerve-wrecking that I was unable to use my first language to assist them. I wanted to bad to be able to explain better or phrase differently for them, but I lacked the words. The experience made me see how frustrating it could be for a student to have the knowledge, the ideas, or the solutions to a problem, but no way to display this. How many students are assumed to be “behind” or “slow-learners” because they cannot verbalize their true knowledge? I feel as though this morning I was able to briefly experience this frustration. But I had 6 others in the room to assist me when I needed it. I was able to look to Sonia and ask her how to say something or to help me by saying it herself. In a classroom environment that student may be alone, with no other Spanish speakers. Or a teacher may not want them to help each other by conferencing in Spanish. I see now how helpful it can be to have another student there who understands so that children can help each other. Instead of being completely lost with no reference, students could help each other. I’m reminded of how affective small groups can be, for example in the case of “Jigsaw”, students accumulate information and then pass this on to other students. This assists students in their own comprehension because they find the most effective way to pass the information on to others. When ELL students can assist each other, they are creating more concrete knowledge in themselves as well as teaching their companion.

Week One Finished!

What an amazing experience I have had. I am excited to think that I have 2 more weeks of experiences to come. My spanish classes have been very difficult. Profesora Martinez made each class uncomfortable.  Which I have to say was a good think for me.  She pushed me each classs to move forward.  At the start of the week we were learning phrases.  By the end of the week we had aquired enough vocabulary, including nouns and verbs, analyzed enough verb conjugation, including ir, er, and ar verbs, and examined enough sentence structure to create our own sentences of varying lengths.  Profesora Martinez always smiled at our groans when she would ask a question, receive a brief answer, and then add to the question to force us to create a longer answer.  By the end of the end of the week we were expecting this push, but still groaned and smiled.  Even though it was strenuous to remember the correct vocabulary and structure to use, it was rewarding.  At the end of each class I left with sentences I felt I could use with my family.  She was not asking us to pretend or make up sentences.  Our profesora asked us about our day, or the night before, etc.  I found that after leaving class and sitting with my mama tica, I could use those example sentences to tell her about my day.  After realizing this, I was more motivated the next day to create my sentences.  This technique created a purpose for my classwork.  I was being pushed to improve, but also to make my work useful.  I could apply this knowledge, and this application occured just hours after learning it.  So Rewarding!  I noticed mid-week that Profesora Martinez was altering her style to match the class personality.  We liked to make jokes and laugh. She began to joke back and allowed us time to play games.  These games were (for the most part) a chance for us to use our new knowledge and to joke with each other.  She even let us make a suggestion for a game to play which used our spanish vocabulary.  I think this flexibility helped us all feel more comfortable, even if we were sitting for a long time.  I find that I am now much more comfortable talking with spanish speakers.  I realize each time I attempt this, however, that I am in need of more vocabulary.  I am ready to interact with our teachers in Monte Verde, to become more confident in my spanish speaking, and to learn more about Costa Rica.

My first 48 hours in my homestay

Tuesday, May 18, 2010. 8 pm in San Joaquin, Heredia, Costa Rica.



Wow. What an amazing experience the last 48 hours has been. I met my host family on Sunday evening. Cecilia and Jaqui were very inviting. Jaqui (who is 20) knew some English; she had studied English high school and learned from the television. Cecelia, however, knew none. I am shy sometimes around people I have just met. I realized quickly that even if I stayed quiet, Cecelia had many questions for me. I understood very few questions. I found myself staring hard at her as I talked as if I would see in her eyes some key to unlocking the meaning of these words. I was lucky to have Jaqui to attempt a translation if I got very lost in the conversation, which I did often. Cecelia went to bed soon after dinner (cena) so I felt like I’d failed to create a bond with her. It is awkward to be a guest in someone’s home. And when that someone doesn’t understand what I’m trying to convey, it makes it even more awkward. I worried that I would do something wrong because I couldn’t understand Cecelia’s instructions. Jaqui stayed with me and talked in mostly English about her life in Costa Rica. She just returned recently from a trip abroad in Europe. So she had many insights about how things are different in Costa Rica than in other places of the world.


After dinner, Jaqui walked with me to the church (iglesia) where I was going to be walking in the morning to meet our group. It is just a few blocks from my mama tica’s home. In front of the church is a soccer field and then a school. I have been told this layout is typical of Costa Rican towns. When we got to the plaza (what they call the area around the soccer field) we met some of Jaqui’s friends. They did not know English but tried to talk to me as well as they could. We all walked together back to my mama tica’s home and they sat up talking long after I excused myself for bed. It was interesting to hear the casual Spanish being used and try to decipher their jokes. Jaqui was very helpful in translating but I tried hard to see what I could pick up myself.


The next morning Jaqui was not awake for breakfast. I said Buenos Dias to Cecelia but was extra nervous. This was my first attempt at a conversation with a Spanish speaker without anyone to interpret. She made me a thin omelet which had peppers in it. We also had papaya and plums with our meal. And of course, we had coffee. Cecelia brought hot milk to the table and sugar. It was very good. She asked me questions which I had trouble with but we had a break through when she noticed my wedding ring. Suddenly there was a context for our discussion and understanding the words she spoke was much easier. We talked about how long I’d been married, and what job my husband did. She was interested to know where he was stationed and commented that her niece’s son was in the military in the United States as well. She said she would pray for my husband. This was a perfect transition to the photo book I brought. In it I had put pictures of my house, my family, a visit to the lighthouse at Ocracoke Island, my dog, and my Mother’s wedding. She helped me when I lost the words for who the people were. She was very interested in knowing which of my siblings were step-sisters/ brothers and which belonged to my mom or to my step dad. When she saw my nieces and nephews she cooed and wanted to know their names and who their parents were. It was wonderful to find a common ground. After we finished with my pictures she took me around the house to look at her pictures. She explained who each person was and their ages. It was so nice. Then I gave her the gift I brought. It was an ornamental plate with a picture of North Carolina and the lighthouses. She was so excited and gave me a hug and a kiss. (Typical of Tico appreciation) She went around the house finding the right location to place it. Cecelia has many ornaments and trinkets in her house, some from other CPI students. After placing my gift on the coffee table (it is the first thing you see when you walk in the house) she showed me the other gifts she has received (from students in Texas, Philadelphia and West Virginia). It was an exciting morning.


I met our group at the Church that morning and we went by a shop with office supplies. I was able to get a Spanish-English dictionary and had my first attempt at purchasing an item without the help of Sonia. It went well! I was excited and proud of myself. The excitement I get about things which seemed so simple back home often makes me laugh. Each day so far has been full of little victories. We next went to CPI (Centro Panamericano de Idiomas). We had a meeting and then I went with Emily, Rich, and Teresa to the “Soda” down the street from CPI. All four of us ordered a “hamburguesa” with a Coke. Very American. It was a nice break from the beans and rice, but was not the same as a hamburger back home.


Monday afternoon we had our first Spanish classes. I have had some Spanish courses in high school and one in college, but the trouble I have is with vocabulary. I understand rules and pronunciation but forget the meanings of words. That is something I will need to focus on. We have 4 hours of Spanish classes each week day. We have a coffee break half way through, which is very nice. I was sent home with mucho tarea y vocabulario. (homework and vocabulary) When I returned to my mama tica’s home she had a friend visiting who had a young boy, Daniel. Daniel followed me into my room and asked me lots of questions. He told me he was 4 years old and he could count in English. He began counting everything in the room. I showed him my photo album and he counted the people in each picture in English. He then borrowed my notebook to write his name, and several other scribbles until his mom called him to leave. It was interesting to talk with a young Spanish speaker. It also prepared me somewhat for Tuesday.


Tuesday morning we went to the Calle Viquez Primary School. It is a low income school. We were able to meet and interact with some of the students there. The English teacher showed us around and let us take part in his lessons. In the 6th grade we worked with students to write to a pen pal in North Carolina. The students had an English phrase book and were able to create a letter with a lot of information. It took some work to process what they were saying to us in Spanish in order to help when the students asked for it. But luckily they were patient with us. I’ve noticed that, while I may be hard on myself for struggling, others are understanding and try to help me improve.


Again on Tuesday we had Spanish classes, but also a cooking class at CPI. We made Picadillo con pasa. As a group we chopped and mixed our vegetables and pressed our own tortillas. It was a quite an experience. And in the end we ate what we made for our lunch. It was fun. Spanish classes were difficult but we learned so much and used so much. It was good to have an idea of how to organize my sentences for use in my home-stay. I ate dinner Tuesday night with just Jaqui so a lot of the conversation was in English. She helped me learn the Spanish words for all the items of the table setting and reminded me of some important Costa Rican phrases to know.


Little by little (Poco a poco, as my Spanish Profesora says) I am gaining the confidence to talk in my home-stay. My Spanish classes are assisting in this, although a big support is the patience and understanding of my host family.

¡Pura Vida!

¡Hola de Costa Rica! We have now been in Costa Rica for 3 days and the experience has been amazing.  On Friday I had my first experience with Costa Rican currency, the colon.  The conversion was difficult at first, approximately 5000 colones = 10 dollars or 500 colones= 1 dollar, but I am slowly catching on. 

Luckily our group has Sonya along to help. She is from our language school, CPI and recently attended classes there so she understands our position. Sonya is going to be with us for the next 3 weeks assisting in any way necessary.  She speaks both Spanish and English, I hope soon to be able to converse with her in Spanish and rely on her less when we are in situations where others only speak spanish.

    For example, on Friday we visited a local market where they were selling fruits and vegetables, many of which I had never seen

or heard of before.  Being immersed in the environment was a bit overwhelming because often a vendor would direct a question, or perhaps statement, at me and I was unsure how to respond. Sonya was there to help, which was good because my mind seemed to freeze as I tried to formulate an answer.  After we walked on to another booth I would think hard and come up with what I SHOULD have said. Usually I was able to come up with an appropriate answer and then felt a bit aggravated that I could not come up with it in the first place.  That experience made me eager for our classes this coming week. I want to be able to converse with locals, I feel like an outsider.  I can only imagine how much more amazing Costa Rica will be when I can take in all there is to offer, including speaking spanish.

 Yesterday we went to LaPaz Waterfall Garden. We had a guide with us, Javiar, who is bilingual and very knowledgable about Costa Rica. He will be with us on some of our other visits around the country as well. At LaPaz we visited the Bird House and Butterfly House.  

Next we entered the Hummingbird Garden, which was beautiful. The birds whizzed around our heads from feeder to feeder, almost as if in a majestic dance.  The picture close up of the hummingbird was a bird which was very protective of his feeder. He sat on this perch for 5 minutes while I watched, leaving only to chase the other hummingbirds away from "his" feeder nearby.

Our group then got to look at a historic Costa Rican home, outside we met a pair of oxen and their beautifully painted cart.  La Paz also had many animals, such as monkeys and big cats. It was also exciting to see the Frog House, where we enjoyed searching and discovering the hiding frogs.   Each different area was interesting because Javiar was very knowledgable about each topic and taught us something new about each plant or animal we came across.

Then we headed to the Waterfalls. They were amazing.  I was able to take a few pictures near the falls.  The entire day was amazing and I learned so much from the whole experience, I cannot wait to learn more and see more. 

One more day to Costa Rica!

My bags are packed and sitting at my front door, which may cause some difficulties seeing as my last bar of soap is somewhere in my suitcase, and I still have 32 hours before I officially leave for Costa Rica. I guess you could say I'm ready to go. But very nervous at the same time.
Last October I visited UNCW's main campus for the first time, although I'd been a student at the university since that May.  My classes were all at the UNCW Extension program in Jacksonville, NC.  It was exciting to visit the School of Education and see all they had to offer. I passed that day, while exploring the building, a large display about a Summer Study Abroad to Costa Rica.  I remember my friend and I studied it for a long time, both remarking on how amazing the experience could be.  I went home and talked with my husband about the opportunity and I believe he was more excited than I was.  Through his encouragement, I decided that I would take part in this experience.  My husband is a Marine, and his job will be moving us soon to southern California, where the demographics of schools will be tilted toward hispanic children.  I hope that this experience will better prepare me for the students I will be teaching in the near future.  It is so important that a teacher considers the point of view of his/her students.  This program, Walking in the Shoes of Your English Language Learner, will allow me not only to consider an alternate point of view, but to be placed in their position.  I believe the next 3 weeks will change my teaching and change how I will be able to assist my future students.  I am thankful to have this opportunity to improve myself and, in the process, improve the quality of the education of the students I will one day teach. 
This experience brings around many emotions; I am thankful, hopeful, and ready to go.  But, as I said before, I am also nervous. I will soon be in a place I've never been, living in a house with people I will barely know, and surrounded by people who speak a language I don't understand.  Yes, I am nervous.  But also very excited. All those points are frightening, but exciting as well.  This trip will be my first out of the country, I will see things with my own two eyes that I've only observed on television or in a book.  I will be meeting new people who have had a life different from my own.  I will gain so much by becoming part of their household. As for the language difference, it will allow me to become immersed in a language I have wanted to learn for many years.  I've taken spanish courses in high school and college but never gained the confidence to use what was presented to me.  For the next 3 weeks, I will have no choice! The Language Immersion will all but force me to use what I already know and what I am learning in my classes. 
Tonight I am nervous, excited, eager, worried, anxious, thankful, hopeful, and ready to go!