Yesterday I had one of those class periods that never ends. I was teaching 1st grade PE. It was the last period of the day and it was hot outside. The kids were not listening, following directions, and participating. It was so frustrating. One boy named Franz, the name itself conjures images of a spoiled brat, was the worst behaving student of all. He has absolutely no regard for authority or respect for people. During class he was misbehaving, and I told him to behave during class. He threw up his arm/elbow to get away from me and hit me in the face. It didn't hurt, but it's the principle of it. Franz is the typical spoiled rich kid with no discipline at home. Everyday at lunch time, his maid comes to school with his lunch and spoon feeds it to him. He'll be jumping around on the picnic table, and she'll hold out a spoonful of food waiting for him to stop moving and take a bite. It's hard for me not to really dislike him, but he does have his moments. He's one of the cutest boys, and sometimes he does things that are ridiculously funny. You can't help but smile and laugh The class and I made it to the end of the day without blowing up at the kids. I'm ready to tackle the class again, but I'm going to use reinforcement. I am going to combine the 11th and 12th grade PE class with the 1st grade class. I am hoping that the class will be more under control. I guess I'll find out on Tuesday.
Typical Day:
6:00am Wake up, Get ready for school, and pack lunch
6:30am Get into van to go to school
7:00am Faculty devotions
7:25am Homeroom with the 10th grade girls
7:40-8:30am Teach 8th grade Bible class
9:00-11:30am Teach 2-3 elementary PE classes
11:30-12:00pm Eat lunch with high school students
12:15-12:45pm Eat lunch again with elementary students
12:50-2:30pm Teach 1-3 elementary PE classes
3:00pm Walk home from school
3:15-5:00pm-Wind down from the school by reading, watching a movie, playing tennis, or taking a nap
5:00-6:30pm-Making dinner and eating
6:30-10:00pm-Lesson plans, bible study, hanging out with other teachers
10:00pm Bed Time
This is my life right now...it's good, but sometimes it's strange to see how scheduled my life it already. I guess this will prepare me when I have a job.
Sometimes, my morning goes a little different on days when I'm really tired.....
6:30am Wake up, Get ready for school
7:00am Walk to school
7:15-7:45 Check email
11:25-11:35 Stand in line at the cafetine for my lunch
This doesn't happen all the time, I promise.
Today in PE class, I tried something new. I had the 9th and 10th grade boys help teach the Pre-K 1 class (3 and 4 year olds). We did very simple activities like kicking and throwing the ball to each other. At first the students seemed uneasy with each other, but by the end of the class they were having fun. It was funny to see how they interacted with one another. One boy in Pre-K has an attention span of 2 seconds and just runs around all over, and his 10th grade partner didn't know what to do and just stared at the Pre-K student. One 10th grade boy kept throwing the ball at a pre-k student, but the ball kept hitting the pre-k student in the face. I instructed the 10th grader to bounce pass the ball to give the younger student more time to catch the ball. Some of the pre-k girls decided that they weren't going to talk or participate, and it was cute to see how the older boys tried to get them to participate. We ended the class with a big game of duck duck goose, which was very funny at times (Many of the pre-k students were clueless to the rules of the game, even though we had played it numerous times before). I think that each student walked away with a special experience. The pre-k students were so excited to play with the “big kids,” and the high school boys got to experience being 3 and 4 years old again.
I am learning how to surf while I am in Nicaragua. I wish that I was really good at surfing, but sadly I am not. Each time, I go out I feel like I'm getting better or learn something new. Also each time I go surfing my body gets eaten alive by the bugs, and the next day or two it's hard to rotate my shoulders. I also start to notice new bruises on my legs and arms, but I guess that is the price you have to pay to surf. On Sunday, I caught one of the best waves in my short and slightly pathetic surfing career. I stood up right away, and even started surfing to the left (usually I just surf straight-it's the easiest). I felt on top of the world, and as the wave died out I jumped off my board. When I came up for air, a small wave rammed my board right into my forehead. Needless to say, I got a big bump and a nice cut on my forehead. I asked the surfers if it was noticible....yeah it was. I continued to surf the rest of the afternoon. Luckily it has gone down quite a bit these last 2 days, and it doesn't hurt. The nice thing about having a cut on your head, it's a great conversations starter with students.
On Friday afternoon, there were 2 boys varsity basketball games scheduled to be played. My future as a basketball coach and refereed officially died that day. The athletic director, NCA boys' varsity basketball coach, and the Director of NCA were gone on a junior high field trip until Sunday. I was left in charge of making sure that the things went smoothly. In Nicaragua, things often don't turn out how you planned...Friday was one of the cases. The first game was between San Luis and Cedro Galan. These schools are very poor with too many students crammed into a very small room. There are no books or couple of very out of date books, and students have to stand around the room because there are not enough desks. San Luis didn't show up and didn't call, so I had to discuss with the Cedro Galan coach what he wanted to do. Did I mention he didn't speak any English, and I don't speak any Spanish? So I was talking through a student translator, luckily the coach was nice and agree to accept a win by forfeit. The problem was there were no referees because they didn't remember to show up or no one called them to remind them to come that day. The forfeit couldn't be legal because there was no official to sign it....that's where I had to step in. I was the official because there was no one else around, and that meant I had to referee the next boys game. I haven't been around basketball for at least 4 years! I never went to any Dordt basketball games in college, and I hadn't played competitive, organized basketball since 9th grade. So I was a little rusty for sure! I was nervous and stressed, and I felt constant pressure from the NCA coach and the students. I had mentioned before that the game is not much more organized than barnyard basketball. I had to constantly tell players where they had to line up for three throws. I handed the ball to a player to throw the ball in, but he forgot that I handed to him and dribbled the ball inbounds. He responded, “I forgot, I thought that she passed the ball to me...” The game ended with a score of NCA 8 and Covanic 66; luckily it wasn't a close game otherwise the refereeing could have been disputed by either team. After the game had ended, some NCA players, the coaches, spectators, and Covanic players got together and played a friendly game together. It was cool to see how the game of basketball bringing people from all over with different backgrounds together.
I don't like to have favorites, but the 5th grade class is one of my favorites. Most the school and teachers have labeled the class as unmotivated and out of hand. My first day of teaching them was hard because they didn't listen or respect me. After the class ended, I was pretty discouraged, but I went to talk to ther previous 4th grade teacher for advice. She gave me some very helpful tips like try teaching them something totally new, give them a lot of structure, and let them know when they are doing a good job. She and I decided that I would teach them hockey, since most of them had never touched a hockey stick before. One of the Canadian CRC missionaries had a mission team bring down 20+ hockey sticks to Nicaragua to teach kids how to play.
Since the first class period the 5th graders have been amazing, I started off the hockey unit telling them that I trusted them that they could handle playing hockey. One of the boys in the class has epilepsy, and if he gets hit in the head he could start having violent seizures. This made it very important for the students to follow directions and safety precautions. All of the students were excited to play and promised to behave in class. I look forward to each class period. They listen to directions, encourage one another, and display good sportsmanship when they didn't in the past. This class has been a blessing to me to see how drastic attitudes and actions can change so positivily.
This week I am teaching full time. I am teaching 18 PE classes and 3 Bible classes each week. I'm really enjoying elementary PE because the kids are so excited to participate in class. In my pre-k 1 to third grade, the students are learning simple catching and throwing with koosh balls, and hopefully activities will lay the ground work to teach the students to juggle. In my fifth and six grade classes, I am going to start a hockey unit. I am excited to introduce this new sport to many of the students, but I am a little worried that they could get hurt. The sticks that we have are real wooden hockey sticks, and the kids do not yet have the skills to properly use them. I remember in junior high and high school; we used little plastic sticks that didn't allow us to hit the ball very hard. My 8th grade girls Bible class is going okay. I am teaching the book of Revelation, and I am struggling to find a balance in the class. I am used to teaching Bible to older students, and I have to make adjustments for their ability levels. I can't ask the same questions that I would ask to a 10th or 12th grade class, but I still want to challenge them. I have 8 classes to teach the whole book, so I need to pick and choose which parts I want to emphasize. Most of the materials that I have received from other teachers and a pastor are very dispensationalist. It reminds a little of last summer teaching at Rift Valley Academy because most of the students believed the “Left Behind” theology. I want to present the book objectively to the students and not present strongly one side, especially if I don't agree with the theology. The materials I used to teach the class last summer are at home, but I'm getting by in class and working off of some of my memory.
I am still undecided on what I am doing in the fall. I am trying decide between teaching in school, going to seminary, or something totally that isn't related to teaching. The last two weeks I have been praying for guidance and a sign from God to direct me. I have applied to different teaching jobs in Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri, and I am still waiting to hear back from them. I finished my application to Western Seminary, and I am waiting to hear back from them. Today, I received a very encouraging email from Dr. Neil Plantinga, the president of Calvin Seminary. At first the email wasn't good news, he sad to inform me that I was not chosen to be a Presidential Scholar (which qualified me to receive a $5,000+ scholarship). He said hat my profile of my grades, references, and essays were very good, but he had a limited amount of Presidential Scholarships to give. Dr. Plantinga went on to say that he talked the VP of Academic Affairs and told him to make sure that I would receive scholarships that would put me in the Presidential Scholarship bracket. I do not believe that this means that I am going to Calvin Seminary for sure in the fall. More things have to fall into place, I still have to receive enough loans and other aid to pay for the rest of tuition. I have been throwing around the idea, if I don't get any teaching offers, I could get a office job in Sioux Falls or Des Moines. This would definitely be my last choice because I want to make the most of my college education, but maybe God is leading me there. I am just praying a lot and trusting that God will show me in His time.
This week, I am teaching half of each elementary physical education class. I am really enjoying teaching the elementary children because they are so excited to participate. I am teaching the students how to play basketball, and this week we are focusing on dribbling and passing. They are doing a great job, even though some of them have never played basketball before. I am excited to see them improve on their hand eye coordination and fine motor movements. I will be teaching for 4 weeks. I want to teach different sports and skills like American football and hockey that the students do not usually learn in the PE classes. The students in the classes are responding very positively to me; although, they still have trouble remembering and pronouncing my name. I also have trouble remembering and pronouncing their names too! As I look forward to the weeks, ahead I get more and more excited. I can't believe that I only have 6 more weeks here in Nicaragua. It's going so fast!
I have been observing the elementary students for almost a week. They are so cute and lively, which makes a teacher stay on his or her toes. One child may decide to run away from the group and within 3 seconds 5 or 6 children are running after them. It is crazy how you can loose almost total control of your class within a couple of seconds. I am slowly learning the kid's names during class. I have a clipboard with their names and pictures; it's neat to connect the names with personalities. I hope to start teaching next week. I am also helping teach 8th grade girls' Bible class. I am going to teach a unit on Revelations in 2 weeks. The teacher was a little uncomfortable teaching the book, and I have had a college class on Revelations and taught it last summer. The only problem is that I don't have all of my notes and resources here because they are home. I am going to ask some pastors to borrow their commentaries on Revelations.
I'm involved in 2 Bible studies, which are a blessing to get to know others on a deeper level and grow in my faith. The first one 6 ladies (mostly teachers at NCA) are doing a Beth Moore Bible study on John the Beloved Disciple. The other Bible study is co-ed with some young teachers at NCA and other college age students, and we are studying a "Survey in Basic Christianity." We are going through the basics of the Christian faith and discussing and challenging each other.
I am sorry that I haven't written in a long time. Last week, I started observing elementary PE classes. The kids are full of energy and want to participate in class. The elementary PE teacher is very patient and kind to the kids, but he lacks direction and discipline in his classroom. The school is working with him to develop his talents and gifts, and he seems very open to suggestions. I am very excited because there is a physical education teacher from Canada that is going to help with classes. He will be able to give advice and suggestions about activities and teaching methods from his teaching experience. In a week, I'm going to start to teaching classes next week, and I'm really excited to startt teaching again.
Each semester the junior high and high school students have a field day. I spent the day with the 7
th and 8
th graders, and we traveled to Rancho Ebenezer. I was excited to return to the ranch after spending time there on AMOR. The walls that we helped slap concrete on were finished and painted. The fences and gates that we painted looked very nice. The kids had a good time and learned a lot about farming and conservation.
This weekend the school had a fundraiser call Festival 2006. The day was full of games, good food, sports activities, and venders. It's a great opportunity for parents and teachers to interact, and families of the school to get to know each other at the festival. This is a picture with some of my Korean students. It is fun to interact with them, and they are very forgiving when I mispronounce their names.
These are 2 other teachers at NCA. The teacher on the left is Leah De Nooy. She is the 3rd grade teacher and graduate of Dordt College. The teacher on the right is Rachel Pontier. She is my roommate and my cooperating teacher. She is the high school PE teacher, and also a Dordt grad.
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