At school, finally!

One of the things we do here at Whitworth South is a lot of internship credits. Pretty much every student has some sort of internship in the area, and in my opinion it is a fantastic way to see yet another side of the culture. Three students are working on different ecology projects with a Cuban neighbor of ours, and they are starting some pretty facinating projects. Other internships are: an afterschool program for a group of our neighbor kids, Habitat for Humanity, local restaurants, or ministries for children.

The school I go to, called Roblealto, is a Christian program with houses on sight for some of the students, and other students from the surrounding area also come in to school there. The classes are very small, between 8 and 15 I would guess, and they teach grades kinder through 6th. If you would like to see more about it, this is the link to Roblealto's website.

Since I am a secondary ed major, the volunteer coordinator thought he would put me in 4th, 5th or 6th grade. We when I finally got to Roblealto on Monday, he wasn't there so I talked with the principal of the school. She didn't have much time, so basically she just told Joanne (the other Whitworth student there) and I to come with her and she would introduce us. At this point I still had no clue what I was doing. That is, until she said, "This is Anne, and she will be helping in first grade" Really?! So that is were I spent my Monday morning (it was only a half day of class). In first grade. The last time I spent a significant amount of time with first graders, I was bitten. No joke. That level is not exactly my cup of tea. Add to that the fact that the last class I was in was a fabulous AP senior lit class, and now you have a better idea of my apprehensions.

Do you remember these guys from Recess? 

Not gonna lie, kind of what I was expecting. 

There were only 8 students in the class, but oh my where those boogers crazy! Yes, they are probably still getting into the swing of things since it is just the beginning of the school year, but they certainly have a mind of there own. Mostly I just tried to keep the students doing what they were supposed to be doing, but I certainly didn't feel like I added to their education at all. My dad told me this was a good experience to make sure I don't want to teach younger grades. I replied that now I am certain I wouldn't even teach first grade at gunpoint. Don't get me wrong, the school is great, the teachers really care for their students, and the program as a whole really helps a lot of people. And I can survive anything, even first grade, if its only for a semester. Besides that, the volunteer coordinator said next week I will probably be moved to an older class.

!Gracias a Dios!

 

(brief disclaimer: the Whitworth Education department is fabulous and prepares us very well. Really)