First Week of Teaching!

This was the first week in the schools! I am at New Horizon School, which is one of the public schools on the island. There are 520 students ranging from Infant I to Standard 6, which is equivalent to kindergarten through eighth grade in the states. The following pictures show the layout of the school. There are sixteen classrooms, a cafeteria, office, and chapel on site. 

I am working with students in Infant I, Infant II, and Standard 1. These students range from age five to age eight. I am working with different students on reading, writing, math, and social skills. For some of the students, I go into their classroom and help them with their work or give their teachers strategies to help them within the classroom. For some students, I pull them out in small groups, and we do more concentrated math, reading, and social skills instruction. My goal while I am here is to equip teachers with strategies they can continue after we are gone. It is helpful for us to work with students now one-on-one, but it will not continue after we leave because there are not enough teachers to provide small group instruction. I want to show teachers simple ways they can manage behavior and accommodate for students in their classrooms who have special needs. 

The biggest challenge has been the lack of special education. There is no special education in the schools, so the students who are behind do not get the help needed to catch up. There is one student who I am working with who sits in the back of her classroom doing nothing academic because she does not know how to do what her class is doing. It is heart-breaking because no one is teaching her, but her teacher has thirty-five other students in the class to teach. The biggest challenge has been determining how to implement the strategies and techniques I used in school and in my internship back home in a way that the teachers can continue when we leave. I want to be helpful while I am here, but also make an impact after we leave. 

The greatest part of this week is being able to get to know the students and play with them. In the states, everything in the schools is so regulated, so I feel like there is not much room for play. In my school here, I am able to play with my students during lunch and after school. Some of the students I am working with come from poor environments at home, so they love coming to school. I am grateful that during my time here, I am able to give them the attention they are lacking at home. I also to love how the students here are really allowed to be kids. They have breaks throughout their day that allow them to play, run around, and interact with their peers. I feel like this benefits them so much! 

I have loved getting to meet and know my new students this week, and I am excited that I get to be their teacher for the next three weeks. I love getting greeted with a hug every time I see them. I love getting to play fútbol after school. I am thankful for this experience, and how it is molding me as a teacher. It is teaching me that I have to be prepared for anything, the importance of responding quickly and clearly, and reassuring these students that they matter and are loved. These students are keeping me on my toes, that's for sure!