International Week

We have kicked off International Week, and it is a big success. During Monday's opening assembly, the students were divided into four continents for the week. During the three assemblies this week, there will be international games, presentations and relevant announcements. See some of the fun below!

Portfolio Cover fun

Susan Roth is a famous illustrator who uses collage cutouts for her work. She illustrated a moving book we just finished called Leon's Story by Leon Walter Tillage. The boys in 215 are creating new portfolio covers using her techniques and also showing important themes or messages from the story. See some superb examples above!

Back with the boys

It has been so much fun seeing the boys, hearing about last week and sharing the pen pal letters and videos. The whole class at Holy Cross participated in making a video for our fifth grade, but I believe it is too big to share on the blog. We are sending it around to each homeroom for viewing. It is so great for our students to see their friends in action and in their own settings.

In the meantime, the boys also opened their letters and have watched some shorter clips that I took. An example below is of Antu and Noe. You would be so proud of your boys, as they are so interested, empathetic and and kind.

Saying Goodbyes....

The last day was a blast! The coaches and Liza scrimmaged the boys' team. The sidelines were packed, and there was much anticipation leading up to it all week. Sadly, the Holy Cross coach would not include the girls and told them they needed to rest up for their game the next day. We tried to change that plan, but had to be careful about stepping on toes. The inequity between the boys and girls was one of our biggest issues. If and when I go back, continuing to spend time with the girls will be a main focus again.

Also, Mr. Bood and Mrs. Williams presented me with their video and pen pal letters. The teachers said this was the happiest they had seen these children. They truly wish they could meet their pen pals in person and show such joy when making the cards and video. I will work hard to keep this relationship up and look forward to sharing so many personal stories with our fifth graders about their friends.


Phew, that is a lot of travelling, but we are back safe and sound. It was so great to see Scott, Maclean and Tahoe, but not the cold and ice. I am sad today because I wish we had had more time with the wonderful people in Belize. Maclean made fun of us at breakfast because she said we acted like we knew the whole town of San Pedro, but by the end, we felt that way. So many of them are connected, and everyone is so kind, welcoming (maybe too much so at times) and grateful for our visit. The kids seemed truly sad to say good bye, especially Geariel, Lizbeth, Calvin, Elsner, Antu, Paulina, Cruz, and Mr. Bood. They are all so full of love and in search of friends, help and opportunity. They do not take anything for granted. Perhaps the more each of us has, the more we forget to appreciate it. Anyway, I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to meet such amazing people, see a beautiful place and be with Liza for a whole week straight, even without plumbing, TV and American food. Ali, Justin and Geoff were greater people than I could have imagined to travel with. They were awesome to let a mother and an eighth grader tag along with the fun twenty some year olds. They were all three so impressive, motivated, fun and honest people. Often people asked if I was everyone's mother, and I would have been proud to claim them all. In fact, they were such a terrific example for Liza to be around all week. I miss them already and look forward to keeping up with them.

Although I am a bit sad today that it is all over (and to deal with all this laundry), I am so so happy to see Maclean and Scott and my fabulous fifth graders tomorrow! I missed you guys! Thanks for taking the time to read these accounts.

Go Ravens!

XO

Thursday

The week seems so slow in some ways, yet it is flying by in others. It seems like just yesterday that Liza and I boarded the little plane to fly over to this surreal place. However, we both agreed that we are tired and are missing home, family, friends and my students! Liza seems a little sick; maybe too much sun, dehydration, or something she ate/drank. Her eyes are always bloodshot; she is quite tired; and has been somewhat nauseous. Nevertheless, she has been a trooper and is taking everything in. Sometimes we come back to the room, shower, and I tell her to do homework. Yet I find her resting on the bed quietly thinking. I do really think she is digesting how different her life is than so many other people's. She told me tonight that no matter how many times someone were to preach that we are all so lucky, that you don't truly understand until you see it first hand. You do not have to come all this way to see your good fortune, but it seems it is so important to do so in some way.

Today Mr. Bood's class spent the day making a video for me to take back to our fifth grade. They were working all day and even took a field trip across the bridge to sing a Belize song on the beach for us. They sung the song in Spanish, Creole and Garifun. They are so excited, and Mr. Bood seems like a fantastic teacher.

We have made so much progress with the girls! We all noticed early on that they are treated differently than the boys, at least with sports. There are technically two soccer teams, but the one soccer coach seems to spend most of his time with the boys. The girls are just told to go stretch and kick around while he works with the boys for over an hour. The coach, Mr. Koba, may come see the girls for twenty minutes or so, but then he sends them home and keeps the boys for an extra hour of practice and fun scrimmaging. The girls have been so excited to learn new moves, play fun games and get to know us. Today Elizabeth (in the green shorts below)told me she wished I were her mother. She brought two hand made necklaces for me and Liza. She is so sweet. When it was time for practice to end at five, they BEGGED to go later. I am not used to seeing that at home. In fact, it is usually the opposite. Our kids at home have so much else to do, so many more obligations and distractions, but these kids have nothing to do and nowhere to go. Think about it: most have no electricity or even running water. This is the highlight of their day. In fact, so many children just come sit and watch us for hours, even if they are not part of this school or any school.

There are some random funny things I haven't mentioned. There are stray dogs everywhere. Our field is also the road out of San Mateo, so there are always people, bikes, cars and dogs passing through. It is just part of the chaos that I have slowly grown accustomed to. Beaten up vans run over our cones. An older lady walking through may get beaned in the head with a ball. Sometimes dogs get jostled, and the kids think it is funny. Many do not seem to feel empathy because they are so angry. This is certainly not the case for everyone. The more we learn, we realize the children and teens who are in the most trouble and seem to misbehave the most have very bad family situations. It is so hard for them to break the mold when they see mom and dad on drugs, drinking, fighting or completely absent. If they are lucky enough to be in school (and many are not), at least they are busy and off the streets in the day. My last random comment is about Greg, the security guard. We have grown to love him, and he has been such a help to us. He sits outside the school all day and reads any novel he can gets his hands on. He also has loose pages of the Bible folded in his book. He keeps watch of the kids, breaks up fights, chases soccer balls, and talks to me when I am tired on the sidelines. Ali bought him a beautiful hand woven bag to hold his books since we often see the loose pages flying away in the wind. I went across the bridge to get him a Gatorade today because he bakes in the heat all day. He just smiles and tells us how grateful he is to meet new friends like us. Meanwhile, he has been the gift to us. He is in the picture below with me and Jeff. I will miss Greg for sure. What a wonderful man.

Bye for now! Can't wait to see you all.

Wednesday in Belize

This morning we split up at first. Liza, Ali and Justin went out to sea to fish while I went to tutor at school. I love getting to know my students' pen pals, and especially getting to work with the children in small groups. As soon as I entered Mr. Bood's room, all of the students jumped up in unison and recited together, "Good morning, Miss Kathy, and welcome to Holy Cross." Then they sat and look eagerly awaited their teacher's next instruction. It is amazing how the students are so well behaved in the classroom, yet seem to fight so often when they are out of school. Many seem so angry and interested in showing their toughness.

Back to my morning. Mr. Bood said thay Japhet and Brady needed the most help. I felt badly since he announced this in front of everyone. Brady wanted to know if Grant was a boy or a girl. I told her that Grant is a boy and even happened to have a picture of Grant (in my camera) dressed up for the recent play. She and Japhet thought that was funny. Brady is so sweet. I had to remind Japhet that Brady needed her time to talk as well. We worked on sounding out words first. They seemed to be at a first/second grade reading level, but remember that English is their second language. I had them practice writing. Mr. Bood wanted me to teach them contractions and some grammar before recess.

At recess everyone ran throughout, and they all wanted to visit. These children are so friendly and sweet. They wanted to know all about where I come from, my family and my students/their pen pals. They are so excited because they are writing a new set of letters for me to carry back and are all making bracelets for their friends as well. Mr. Bood presented me with my bracelet in front of everyone. It is absolutely beautiful! Their genuine joy here reminded me how fullfilling it is to give, even more than receiving. These students and this school no more have the money for the bracelet supplies, but somehow they figured it out so that they could make these special gifts. Now that I see how little they have, I wish I could come again to bring teacher resources, art supplies, books, etc. We have so much. They have so little.

In the late morning I went to meet up with Liza and the fishing crew. Well, Justin was sea sick, but Liza and Ali pulled in with their catch: red snapper and baracuda. Very exciting morning.

We rushed off to school to coach for the rest of the day. It was the hottest one yet, and Liza definitely ended up dehydrated and overheated. We started with the little ones, which was a blast. We did alot of dancing and singing before the older ones came out for practice. It is great that they know us now and look forward to seeing us. I am trying so hard to remember everyone's name. Time to sleep.

I hope all is well at home. Go Ravens!

Tuesday at school

Today was another exciting one. I have so much to share and am not sure where to start.

Belize schedule is quite relaxed, and most things do not occur according to plan. It is just the way it is, and people in this area are not bothered easily. Justin and I are the punctual ones, so we have had to adjust a tad. For instance, this morning Justin and Ali were signed up to go out on a dive, and Liza and I were going to join them on the boat. Perhaps Liza was going to snorkle. Once we got to the dock to meet Keidel, the boat driver, he had us sit down and relax (once again) while he organized the boat. As usual, we chatted and chatted. A few workers on the dock came to talk to us and usually would kid Ali about how they could beat her in Futbol. Finally after over an hour, they informed us the boat engine wasn't working, and there would be no dive today. I was secretly happy because it was a rough day on the ocean, and I knew I would be seasick. So Liza wished she had stayed in bed. It was good though. We went back and relaxed; I located cough medicine; and Liza tackled some Latin .

Then we walked up the beach to school. It was so fun to arrive and hear the little ones squeal hello and run with hugs. The older boys would give some subtle smirks, showing their happiness to see Ali and Justin. The 12 and 13 year old girls have really taken to Liza. A sweet girl named Elizabeth came running to her asking when class would start. I have made special friends with Mr. Boods' and Mrs. Williams' kids, as they are my fifth graders' pen pals. They were hanging out over their wooden class edge announcing their hard work on letters for me to take back. These students really struggle with reading and writing, so this pen pal project is fabulous for them. I will try to download some video clips from those students to mine. Tomorrow I will spend the morning in the classroom with them helping Mr. Bood. I am so excited. It sounds like they want me to spend some time with Japhet, as he is very bright, but has a really hard family life. His teacher tells me he has so much potential, but odds are with his family situation, he will become another Belize teenage statistic: school drop out and wanderer of the streets.

So we started with Standard 3 and 4 PE classes (10 and 11 yr olds). Then they also tell all the primary kids they are welcome to come play too. So it ends up as organized chaos: Ali with a group of 30, Justin with a group of 30, Liza helping both of them, and me with all of the little ones (ages 4-8) who do not listen well, just surround me screaming and grabbing for a pinney, ready to go. Eventually I had cousins and other neighborhood people arriving as well. If we are not watching the ball bags closely, our balls are quickly scattered in every street and swamp in full action. So we worked hard today to get better control. Clearly they do not have organized after school activities, or even balls and cones, so they are all going crazy to be part of the action. The older kids learned some moves and had some mini competitions, which seemed to work well. My group had a srimmage going on. I was sad to see that alot of the boys would pick on each other. There are no parents around, and they just roam until they make their way home. It seems to be survival of the fittest. I had been noticing one particular bully, Lazaro, for two days. He has a constant scowl, seems to dislike everyone, and is extremely defiant. One of the teachers explained to me today that his father fell off an open cargo truck recently, and another vehicle ran over his head and killed him. It sounds unreal, but there are random half finished dirt roads everywhere, and no real rules about who and what goes where and when. For instance, our sandy soccer field is a throughway for bikers, walkers and vehicles. Literally, mid game, mid drill, beat up cars, pedestrians, grandmothers, anything goes right through. It is just the way it is. No other route.

The official older team practices started at 3. Justin and Liza took the girls, while Ali took the boys. I spent some time on the periphery chatting with some teachers who were leaving, talking to the many little kids who are just there alone, and observing with nothing else to do. It is interesting to see how they play. (See picture of the little one above hanging below the wooden house on stilts right by the sewage water). Marbles are big. They really just want attention though. Our one particular special friend is Geariell. He is the adorable boy sitting in the picture above with his back pack. We have noticed he has been hanging around us alot, with no adults to be found. He is seven, very sweet and for some reason is picked on by the others. When I asked one teacher why he is picked on, he said maybe because he has "mental disabilities" and that kids will be kids. I did not see any mental disability....He walked home with us yesterday and stays right by our sides all afternoon. I had heard that his mother has throat cancer, and there is not money to pay for the medical attention she needs. We just talked for awhile. He says so many kids are mean to him. He explained that he lives with his 18 year old sister because his mom and dad are at the doctor. He talked about his mom's "neck being cut and a big ball being taken out". He is hoping she will come back soon. So I assume his mom has had the operation. He waits until we leave to walk back towards town with us. Both days we got him a drink at a local store and get hugs as he veers off down his sister's street. I will say some prayers for his mom. He told me his teacher sometimes gives him money and am thinking we should sneak him a little too at some point. That is how he gets some food on the way home.

Anyway, I will have alot more after spending time in the classroom tomorrow. Miss you all!

First Day In School

Well, we are settled in an into a routine. All four of us are wiped after a long day at school, and Liza is struggling to get through some math homework on the bed next to me. I fear a full week of work will have to take place on the plane trip home, as she is fried.

We arrived at school with our piles of gear at 9. All of the students were eagerly peeking over the sides of the walkway as we arrived with our duffels. It was obvious how excited they are when volunteers arrive. Most were so well behaved walking in lines, but a few snuck into the cafeteria to see what we were unpacking. One little boy asked Liza for her running shoes. Withing minutes I saw my first cockroach scurrying across the cafeteria floor.

Soon we had a tour of the school. It is amazing. It consists of some wooden rooms attached together with wooden walkways. It sits on a wetland on the island of Ambergris Caye, and sanitation is an enormous issue. The sewage goes directly below the school and houses into the sitting water. They try to compost it, but most of the time people are sick from the bacteria. My boys know that I received a 911 email last week asking for Mosquito Dunks to kill a mosquito infestion. That infestation is actually in the school's "water garden" or sewage compost pond. What a combination- sitting sewage and mosquitos. Our soccer field is actually surrounded by the puddles and ponds. Whenever anyone would kick the ball over into the wetlands, I would cringe. Well, actually, you cannot call this a field. It is a sandy, rocky area surrounded by swampland. We do not realize how lucky we are at home.

Anyhow the school has been funded by volunteers and the Anglican Church. It is a K-8 school. Sadly only 1 in 10 go on to high school beacause they cannot afford it.

We are teaching the PE classes for the week and running an after school soccer practice. I wish we had Mrs. Lears here! Liza, Ali and Justin coached the practice, and I had about 8-10 little kids who showed up after school to be entertained. I tried chain tag and some relays, but they just wanted to play "futbol"! So I did my best at setting up a game for them.

Finally I got a tour of San Mateo, the area behind the school where most of the students live. It was remarkable and so sad to see how little they have. It is so dirty. A hurricane would wipe them out in no time. My eyes are closing, so more tomorrow. Miss you guys!

some photos from Sunday.....

Here At Last

Wow! Yesterday was the longest day ever. We left our house at 5am for a 7am flight. We did spend a few hours in the Dallas airport, grabbed some food, and Liza worked on some homework. That is one huge airport. We then took another plane to Belize City. Upon landing, we saw a great deal of lush green swampy land, mostly open and barren. The few wooden shacks are up on stilts. There were so many friendly natives smiling, ready to help as we climbed down the stairs of the plane. Of course my favorite was the small Raggae band sitting in the middle of the luggage rack with their tip bucket. Liza was wide eyed and smiling, never having been south of Florida.

Then we proceeded to go through customs and find our seven huge duffels, all there safely! I hadn't made plans yet to get over to the island where we are staying, Ambergris Caye, and I knew all boats and flights stop around 5:30. A very nice man in the airport rushed us to Tropic Air, asked for my credit card and told me that was our route. It all happened so fast. Before I knew it, Liza and I were in this little 10 seater plane, and she was up the cockpit with the pilot. I quickly thought of Maclean and Cha Cha and said a quick prayer! :) Actually, it was amazing and only lasted 15 minutes. The deep blue ocean, hundreds of little cayes and the endless reef off in the distance were just some of the gorgeous sights.

The town of San Pedro is bustling with people on bikes, carts, stray dogs, many stands selling food and handmade jewelry items. Anyone and everyone will talk to you, bless you, and ask you if you want to buy something. It is definitely a poor area, and the people seem so nice.

We met up with Ali, and our new friend, Justin, for a quick dinner. Justin had travelled all day as well, so he too was foggy like I felt. We wandered around and stopped at a little place where Justin could get the lobster burritos he had heard about. Liza tried her first papoussa, and I had a yummy shrink kabab.

We are staying in a little place called the Conch Shell Inn. It is a little motel right on the water. It is a little small and rustic,no AC, a corner room next two two bars and a side street that had activity most of the night. Eventually we both put headphones on and dozed from complete exhaustion.

My goal today is to make progress on this lousy cold I brought with me. I will post some pictures later.

Miss everyone!

Ready....

Liza and I are almost finished packing. I am starting to get a little nervous and wondering what we got ourselves into. Maybe cold feet! Ready for a 4am departure. Have a wonderful week at home. We will miss you all. Go Ravens!

Iran

We are studying about Iran in geography. The boys each researched a particular theme of geography and culture as it relates to Iran. We learned about many fascinating aspects of this country's culture.

Wednesday Update

Today Simon shared a fascinating current event about a Dutch artist named Theo Jansen. Jansen is an engineer and artist who makes outstanding sculptures. Simon actually made a sample model of Jansen's work showing the use of lateral movement. This kinetic sculpture is called "Animari" or " Strandbeest". Way to go, Simon!

Count Down

We leave for Belize in five days! The whole fifth grade is finishing up a second set of letters to their penpals, so we can hand deliver them. I know the children there will be so excited. Our fifth graders are also making short video clips for their penpals as well. Examples of topics in the videos are lacrosse, the Ravens, crabs, dancing, singing and more. It is fabulous that our students are taking the time to share parts of our culture.