Oh my goodness! I have so much respect for teachers of days gone by who taught in one room schools, and this includes my grandmother. How did they survive?
Today's tutoring session was boisterous to say the least. The kids were all excited about their field trip today. Apparently the plumbing/septic problem at school was not completely resolved so they were treated to another field trip. They talked over one another as they joyfully told me about their visit to the Blue Harbor Arboretum today. They saw tomatoes growing, said Oscar!! And lettuce, said Victor! They saw ducks, a waterfall, parrots, pretty flowers, a tree that was 100 years old (after considerable quizzing, we agreed that it was a hog plum tree). They are getting such a wonderful enrichment to their education and learning more about their island. Their enthusiasm delights me!!
Susan wisely chose to work with the four 8th graders which left the the rest to me... four sixth graders, two using 5th grade books, and a brand new 7th-grade student who spoke no English (she got slighted and I'm so sorry about that!). Honduran kids do not know the meaning of "just a minute" or "wait until I finish here;" they just kept calling me. Sigh. They were working on their English workbooks, reading stories and then answering questions. So many questions. One story involved using a map and writing sentences with prepositions - a hard concept for them. I did the best I could, but you all know that I am NOT a teacher. At least I didn't lose my cool.
It was difficult to hear because the workshop men were hard at it just outside our classroom. It will only get worse as the team from up north begins work on the church building roof. This is why we will not be having extra classes for the next two weeks. Leidy and Tanya asked about homework help, and I said that Miss Susan might be able to help just a few at her house.
Julissa was wearing her new glasses, and I saw her showing them to the 8th graders and explaining their purpose. She looks adorable and reports that they do make her eyes feel better. Hurrah!
Regular classes will begin tomorrow. Hurrah! Leidy said the 6th graders needed their Spanish books. I told her that if they had been delivered to the store, then we would pick them up and pass them out, but if they were not there....there was nothing we could do. We had NO control. Hard for me to understand as well. These books were ordered a couple of weeks ago and still have not arrived. Such is life here.
Today was Nelson's 11th birthday. We can't believe he's that old! He's so small! Susan baked cupcakes for the kids and had a candle on Nelson's. She took a photo for Nelson's Canadian sponsor. After the cupcakes, Susan invited all the kids to come down and play soccer on the beach below her condo. Girls and boys love this game, and they need the physical outlet. They just don't have open areas in the Colonia where they can play. I went and watched them play for awhile but then needed to get home for a Skype visit with my little grandson. Awesome day!!! Thank you, Lord!!
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