It has been almost three months since I have been back from my month in Jamaica, and it's been on my mind every day since then. I think about it when I am giving presentations about the experience, when I am using my experiences to better relate to and teach my kiddos, and in everyday life -- I even have dreams about it. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had, and I am so glad that I chose to put myself out there.
I have always been a big family person, and before I started college, I was more of a homebody than I realized. I liked to stay in Janesville and be around my family, and I hadn't traveled much besides going to Disney World and to Mexico once for Spring Break with my family. So when I decided to go to University of Wisconsin - La Crosse after graduation, it was more of a leap than I had originally thought.
I had wanted to be a teacher since I was 4 years old, but decided during my junior year that maybe I would like to be a pediatrician -- that way I could work in science and with kids, but it would be a little (okay, a lot) more money. I had heard good things about the pre-med program at UW-La Crosse, so I applied there and got in. I was excited for new experiences and being a little ways away from home, but "not too far".
Boy, was I wrong. The first few days after moving into my dorm room, I was having a terrible time. I couldn't eat, I didn't sleep, and I was constantly calling my boyfriend, friends, and parents. Needless to say, I didn't make it very long. I left after the third day so that I could transfer to UW-Whitewater which was closer to home, closer to where my friends were, and to regain my sanity. For a few weeks I felt like maybe I had made a terrible decision in leaving and that I had no idea what I was doing with my life -- I was depressed. In the end, it all turned out okay because I ended up going back to my original decision of being a teacher, and one thing Whitewater is known for is its education program. I also met lots of awesome people, and became very close with some people that were already in my life. There was just a bit of a rough patch getting to where I wanted and needed to be, but that's true of anything in life.
The reason I am telling you all this is not to make you feel bad for me, but to help you understand why going to Jamaica for a month to student teach was such a big deal for me. I had obviously matured since my first few days of freshman year, but I still wasn't sure if being away from family, friends, and home for that month was something I could do.
But I did. I was in Jamaica for 28 days, and not once did I have a sleepless night or call someone crying about missing home. Not only did I make it away from home for a month, I lived in a very rural part of a developing country for that month and taught mostly poor students in a school that had very little resources compared to what I was used to. That isn't to say there weren't times that I was frustrated, or missed home -- my family and the schools -- but I powered through those moments and came out with so much more confidence, experience, and awareness.
Since I have been back, I was offered a long-term substitute position right off the bat at the school where I had done the bulk of my student teaching, and I am now doing day-to-day sub jobs in all sorts of areas -- including music and physical education. (Teaching P.E. in Jamaica definitely helped with that last one!)
In Jamaica, I had stepped into a classroom in a different country, with some difficulty with communication and with no teacher expectations for the students, and I had effectively put classroom management and positive reward systems into place. The students wanted to learn from me, and they were anxious to be read to and explore new things. It was amazing to see what I could accomplish in just 3 weeks with those students, and it helped me to feel confident in my abilities to make a difference and to be in control of a classroom in the United States. I still sometimes have a hard time believing that I am a "real teacher" now, but I am so happy to be doing the job that I always dreamed of!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Last Day in the Schools
Although I am home now, there is so much that I still want to share about my trip now that I have the time. The first thing I want to share with you is about my last day in the schools -- last Wednesday, January 30th.
We decided as a group that we wanted to be able to see some of the other classes in the school that did not have any of the Whitewater teachers placed in their classrooms. We saw each class on one of the two days that we taught P.E., but other than that, they really only got to see us at lunch time. We decided to do an activity with as many classes as we could. We had teachers sign up for 20-minute time slots where their students could come to us. Unfortunately, not all of the classes were able to be fit in, but we got the majority of the school. We played a game with them that we decided to call Musical Squares, since we did it outside and didn't have any chairs to use.
To play the game, we drew 30 squares in a circle on the ground with chalk. We wrote the numbers 1-30 above random squares around the circle. We played some music (Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, One Direction, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus - turns out they knew more of the songs than we thought they would!) and the students walked around the circle. Sometimes we could have them hop or skip around the circle, and we always encouraged dancing and singing along! When the music stopped, the students found a square. There were always enough squares for each student to have one because no squares were removed, so students never got out!
Instead of removing a student each round, we just drew a number out of a container. The student who was standing at that number got to go over and pick a prize, then return to the game. We did as many rounds as we were able, which was about 10 on average. We had a bunch of glue sticks and sharpeners and other supplies left, even donating some to our own classrooms and to all of the remaining classrooms in the school. We decided to hand the remaining supplies out as prizes, and used the bigger prizes (puzzles, a frisbee, bigger boxes of crayons, etc.) for 2 raffle prizes for each class.
This all worked out great because the students loved the game and they were enjoying the music. On top of that, we kept them moving and they got to spend some time with us before we left. All of the supplies were handed out by the end of the day, and we really enjoyed getting to know some of the other students a little more. We danced around the circle, and sang Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars and some Michael Jackson with them. It was so great to connect with the students through similar music interests.
For the last 20 minutes of the day, we were supposed to do our Musical Squares activity with some of the grade 4 students, but they were running late getting back from their field trip. Although we were sad to not have the time with them, my teacher friends and I were blessed with a little more time with our own classes before the day ended. I told my students that I would have a surprise for them if every single student completed their math homework, since many of them just don't do their homework. It turned out they all got their homework finished, so I let them use the skipping ropes for that last 20 minutes. It was a great way to incorporate physical activity into a reward system, especially because of how much they love to use the skipping ropes.
Some of the students wanted to perform a dance they had made for me, and they also sang me a song to the tune of "Someone Like You" by Adele - one of their favorite songs. Some of the students even started to cry, which made me cry. Other students drew me pictures or wrote me letters, and one student even gave me a book. On top of this, I got lots and lots of really great hugs. What a great class I had! Although we were sad to leave, it was the perfect day to end our time at the school.
We decided as a group that we wanted to be able to see some of the other classes in the school that did not have any of the Whitewater teachers placed in their classrooms. We saw each class on one of the two days that we taught P.E., but other than that, they really only got to see us at lunch time. We decided to do an activity with as many classes as we could. We had teachers sign up for 20-minute time slots where their students could come to us. Unfortunately, not all of the classes were able to be fit in, but we got the majority of the school. We played a game with them that we decided to call Musical Squares, since we did it outside and didn't have any chairs to use.
To play the game, we drew 30 squares in a circle on the ground with chalk. We wrote the numbers 1-30 above random squares around the circle. We played some music (Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, One Direction, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus - turns out they knew more of the songs than we thought they would!) and the students walked around the circle. Sometimes we could have them hop or skip around the circle, and we always encouraged dancing and singing along! When the music stopped, the students found a square. There were always enough squares for each student to have one because no squares were removed, so students never got out! 
My teacher asked if I could go into my classroom for a little while that day. At first I thought that maybe she wanted me to teach, so I asked what she would like for me to do. Then she said I would see when I got there, and I realized they had something to give me. This worked out because I had gifts for Mrs. Skeffery -- a UW-Whitewater College of Education bookmark, a College of Education travel coffee mug, and some chocolate-covered espresso beans. The students and Mrs. Skeffery gave me a Jamaica photo album, a coffee mug, and a bracelet. The students also thanked me for teaching them and bringing them supplies.
Here is a picture I took with them.
Then we took a silly one, of course!
For the last 20 minutes of the day, we were supposed to do our Musical Squares activity with some of the grade 4 students, but they were running late getting back from their field trip. Although we were sad to not have the time with them, my teacher friends and I were blessed with a little more time with our own classes before the day ended. I told my students that I would have a surprise for them if every single student completed their math homework, since many of them just don't do their homework. It turned out they all got their homework finished, so I let them use the skipping ropes for that last 20 minutes. It was a great way to incorporate physical activity into a reward system, especially because of how much they love to use the skipping ropes.
Some of the students wanted to perform a dance they had made for me, and they also sang me a song to the tune of "Someone Like You" by Adele - one of their favorite songs. Some of the students even started to cry, which made me cry. Other students drew me pictures or wrote me letters, and one student even gave me a book. On top of this, I got lots and lots of really great hugs. What a great class I had! Although we were sad to leave, it was the perfect day to end our time at the school.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
More Questions from Cambridge
Two days ago I answered all of the questions my 4th grade students in Cambridge asked me. I got an email from Deanna with even more questions for me to answer, and they may even be better than the last batch. 4th graders, I am glad you are thinking of great things for me to tell everyone about Jamaica!
Kelsie
What are the shoes like and do they have Nike shoes?
I really only see the shoes that my students wear as a part of their uniform to school, and they are all dark shoes. I am sure they can get Nike shoes, but they get brand-name clothes and things in big cities like Kingston. Here is a close-up picture of some of the students' feet with the shoes for their uniform:
Do they have restaurants, like Pizza Hut?
They have lots of different restaurants here, but many of them are local restaurants and not restaurant chains like we have (such as Olive Garden). I know that they have a Taco Bell in Kingston, and there is a Burger King and a KFC here in Mandeville. Otherwise their main food chain is Juici Patties, and that is like their McDonald's.
They have many different kinds of patties: beef, beef & cheese, chicken, lobster, shrimp, and soy. I tried a beef & cheese one the first day that we visited, and we went there for dinner last night and I had the beef & cheese ones again. The inside tastes like a spicy version of the cheeseburger macaroni from Hamburger Helper. I like them.
Are their cars different? Do they have the steering wheel on the other side of the car?
The cars can be the same or different. Wayne, our driver, has a "normal" car, with the steering wheel on the left side of the car. He says that it is hard to drive sometimes because if he needs to see around a car, he can't tell if a car is coming towards him because he is on the outside of the road rather than in the middle. All of the other cars that we have ridden in have had the steering wheel on the right side. When they are like that, it feels weird to sit on the left side of the car and be in the passenger seat, not driving.
Kylie
How does your class do Math?
We do math every day in the morning, and they learn math the same ways that you do. They learned the "shortcut" way to multiply large numbers yesterday, so today I taught them about the partial products method that we learned in the math unit at Cambridge before I left for Jamaica. I also have been using plastic plates as dry erase boards for the students since they don't have one for each student like we do in our classrooms. We try lots of problems to practice and then they get problems to work on alone.
Have you seen any donkeys yet?
I have seen a few donkeys on the side of the road and on farms that we have driven past, but that is about it. The majority of animals that we see when we drive to school are goats and cows.
The cows almost always have a bird called an egret by them. These birds eat the bugs and other small animals that the cows stir up, so they are friends. The small white dots in the picture below are the egrets.
Spencer D.
Have you been in every classroom in the school?
I have looked in every classroom in the primary school, just to see the similarities and differences and say hi to each of the teachers. I haven't taught in every classroom, though - only my own. I did observe a lesson in a Grade 1 class, a Grade 6 class, and two Grade 4 classes. The Grade 4 students are learning similar topics that you are learning about.
What grades are their high school and middle school?
They don't have middle school here. They have three types of schools in Jamaica - basic schools, primary schools, and high schools. The basic schools have three, four, and five-year-olds. The primary schools have grades 1 through 6. The high schools have grades 7 through 12. After grade 12, the students have the option of going to a University. The most popular one is the University of the West Indies, or UWI. We talked to a few senior high school students today that plan to go there when they graduate.
Landin
Are you going to go hiking in the mountains?
We had planned to go hiking in the mountains up to a church that is 150 years old, but unfortunately we never made it. We had so many things that we wanted to do, we couldn't fit them all in. We do walk a lot, though. We walk to the grocery store, the post office, nearby restaurants, and more. We also walk from the Primary School to the High School after our day is done to meet the woman that drives us home each day.
Was the bill really $13,000?
Yes, it was! But remember, the Jamaican dollar is worth less than the United States dollar. The exchange rate is usually about 89 JMD (Jamaican dollars) to every 1 USD (U.S. dollar). That means that our $13,000 bill here for our large group was about $146 in American money.
Rachel
How warm is it in the day?
It gets up to between 80 and 85 degrees every day. They use Celsius here when they talk about temperature, so 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit would be about 27-30 degrees Celsius. (I'm doing a lot of math here just to answer your questions!)
Cooper
Have you seen any new animals?
We haven't seen any new animals lately, but I have been trying some new foods.
We tried a naseberry yesterday (pictured on the left). It is a type of fruit that one of my teacher friends got from the teacher that she is working with. I did not like it very much, because it tasted too bitter to me.
I am happy that I have tried so many new things while being here. I also have had "drops" and sugar cane. Drops are pieces of coconut baked in sugar, and they taste very good. Sugar cane grows in stalks (first picture below), and you can bite into them and suck the juice out of them. It is a little sweet, but mostly is just a very refreshing snack. My teacher has given the sugar cane to me in bags just like they are in the second picture below.
Cody
Do the students like having visitors?
The students really like when we come. It is a new experience for some of the younger students. They know that we bring skipping ropes and other things when we come. We have been recording some of the students answering questions about what they like when we come, and we are going to put them into a video to convince other Whitewater students to come to Jamaica.
Noah
Did you go swimming in the pool at the hotel?
We have been able to spend time next to the pool, but I had not gone in until this past weekend. We had the weekend free to relax, so that is when I went in the pool.
Do they have art class?
They don't have art class here, or an art teacher. The teachers can do art in their own classrooms if they choose to. On Wednesdays, students can stay after for different clubs, and one of them is arts and crafts. That is when they can do art.
Olivia
What is your favorite thing that you did?
My favorite thing that I have done so far is teaching P.E. I like how excited the students get for us to teach them, and they get to use the equipment that we brought for them, so we like seeing them happy. I got some exercise in while I was teaching them, too.
Would you want to go again?
Yes!! I hope to visit again sometime within the next few years. It is expensive, but I have had such a great experience here so far and learned a lot from the teachers, students, and people that live here. I'm happy that I get to share it with you!
Zoey
What is your favorite game that you played with the kids?
I like using the jump ropes with the kids. They have shown me some fancy tricks, and they even tried to show me how to double dutch. That looks very hard, though.
Dominick
What is your favorite time of day?
My favorite time of the day is after lunch because I have been reading Charlotte's Web out loud to my class. I really like that book and the movie, and my students are really liking it too. We've had lots of good discussions about it, and they really like when the goose talks because she talks funny, so then I sound funny.
Erika
Are their math books like ours?
They look different than our math books, and they are not Everyday Math. They are split up a little differently, but they still learn about the same things that 5th grade students at Cambridge would learn about. They have to buy the textbooks from the store. Here is what they look like:
Derek
Do the students have homework?
They do get homework, but a lot of the time they get seatwork to do. This work is to be finished in class time. My students here have not been doing well at turning in their homework, so I hope you are doing a much better job of turning your homework in there!
Krista
Why do the kids there say prayers all of the time?
The students here say prayers all the time because the majority of the people in Jamaica are Christians. The children go to church every Saturday or Sunday. Christianity came to Jamaica with the Spanish settlers when they first arrived in 1504, and it has stuck for a long time.
Stone
Have you played their version of baseball?
I have not played cricket, but I would love to try it some day. It seems a little confusing, but I'm sure with practice I could figure it out eventually.
In this video, there are some students playing cricket, but it is hard to see. I know it isn't the best video, but you can see the students playing from :22 until :30. Earlier in the video they are playing football, and this video was taken while a head girl and head boy were giving us a tour of Coley Mountain Primary School.
Katie
Have you been to all of the restaurants?
I have not been to all of them, but we have tried a lot of different places since being here. I haven't gone to Burger King or KFC while I have been here, so I haven't really had any American food.
Spencer W.
Have you been to a jungle? If you have, have you seen any cool animals?
We have not been to a jungle, but I'm sure there are plenty of cool animals in the jungles here. I felt like I was in the middle of a jungle when we went to YS Falls because there were a lot of trees around us and the waterfall was right in the middle of them all.
Deanna :) (my cooperating teacher)
How come you didn't take me?
I wanted to bring everyone with me, and I wish I could have! I think Wisconsin has gotten some of the warm weather that I sent your way, but it doesn't want to stay. Maybe it will follow me when I come home a week from today!
Time has flown by these past 3 weeks, but I am excited for one last week here. I'm glad I can share this experience with all of you in Cambridge and with my family and friends. I will be bringing your pen pal letters and coming to visit at some point when I get home, but I'm not sure when yet. I love being here, but I am excited to see everyone soon.
Kelsie
What are the shoes like and do they have Nike shoes?
I really only see the shoes that my students wear as a part of their uniform to school, and they are all dark shoes. I am sure they can get Nike shoes, but they get brand-name clothes and things in big cities like Kingston. Here is a close-up picture of some of the students' feet with the shoes for their uniform:
Do they have restaurants, like Pizza Hut?
They have lots of different restaurants here, but many of them are local restaurants and not restaurant chains like we have (such as Olive Garden). I know that they have a Taco Bell in Kingston, and there is a Burger King and a KFC here in Mandeville. Otherwise their main food chain is Juici Patties, and that is like their McDonald's.
They have many different kinds of patties: beef, beef & cheese, chicken, lobster, shrimp, and soy. I tried a beef & cheese one the first day that we visited, and we went there for dinner last night and I had the beef & cheese ones again. The inside tastes like a spicy version of the cheeseburger macaroni from Hamburger Helper. I like them.
Are their cars different? Do they have the steering wheel on the other side of the car?
The cars can be the same or different. Wayne, our driver, has a "normal" car, with the steering wheel on the left side of the car. He says that it is hard to drive sometimes because if he needs to see around a car, he can't tell if a car is coming towards him because he is on the outside of the road rather than in the middle. All of the other cars that we have ridden in have had the steering wheel on the right side. When they are like that, it feels weird to sit on the left side of the car and be in the passenger seat, not driving.
Kylie
How does your class do Math?
I have seen a few donkeys on the side of the road and on farms that we have driven past, but that is about it. The majority of animals that we see when we drive to school are goats and cows.
The cows almost always have a bird called an egret by them. These birds eat the bugs and other small animals that the cows stir up, so they are friends. The small white dots in the picture below are the egrets.
Have you been in every classroom in the school?
I have looked in every classroom in the primary school, just to see the similarities and differences and say hi to each of the teachers. I haven't taught in every classroom, though - only my own. I did observe a lesson in a Grade 1 class, a Grade 6 class, and two Grade 4 classes. The Grade 4 students are learning similar topics that you are learning about.
What grades are their high school and middle school?
They don't have middle school here. They have three types of schools in Jamaica - basic schools, primary schools, and high schools. The basic schools have three, four, and five-year-olds. The primary schools have grades 1 through 6. The high schools have grades 7 through 12. After grade 12, the students have the option of going to a University. The most popular one is the University of the West Indies, or UWI. We talked to a few senior high school students today that plan to go there when they graduate.
Landin
Are you going to go hiking in the mountains?
We had planned to go hiking in the mountains up to a church that is 150 years old, but unfortunately we never made it. We had so many things that we wanted to do, we couldn't fit them all in. We do walk a lot, though. We walk to the grocery store, the post office, nearby restaurants, and more. We also walk from the Primary School to the High School after our day is done to meet the woman that drives us home each day.
Was the bill really $13,000?
Yes, it was! But remember, the Jamaican dollar is worth less than the United States dollar. The exchange rate is usually about 89 JMD (Jamaican dollars) to every 1 USD (U.S. dollar). That means that our $13,000 bill here for our large group was about $146 in American money.
Rachel
How warm is it in the day?
It gets up to between 80 and 85 degrees every day. They use Celsius here when they talk about temperature, so 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit would be about 27-30 degrees Celsius. (I'm doing a lot of math here just to answer your questions!)
Cooper
Have you seen any new animals?
We haven't seen any new animals lately, but I have been trying some new foods.
I am happy that I have tried so many new things while being here. I also have had "drops" and sugar cane. Drops are pieces of coconut baked in sugar, and they taste very good. Sugar cane grows in stalks (first picture below), and you can bite into them and suck the juice out of them. It is a little sweet, but mostly is just a very refreshing snack. My teacher has given the sugar cane to me in bags just like they are in the second picture below.
Cody
Do the students like having visitors?
The students really like when we come. It is a new experience for some of the younger students. They know that we bring skipping ropes and other things when we come. We have been recording some of the students answering questions about what they like when we come, and we are going to put them into a video to convince other Whitewater students to come to Jamaica.
Noah
Did you go swimming in the pool at the hotel?
We have been able to spend time next to the pool, but I had not gone in until this past weekend. We had the weekend free to relax, so that is when I went in the pool.
Do they have art class?
They don't have art class here, or an art teacher. The teachers can do art in their own classrooms if they choose to. On Wednesdays, students can stay after for different clubs, and one of them is arts and crafts. That is when they can do art.
Olivia
What is your favorite thing that you did?
My favorite thing that I have done so far is teaching P.E. I like how excited the students get for us to teach them, and they get to use the equipment that we brought for them, so we like seeing them happy. I got some exercise in while I was teaching them, too.
Would you want to go again?
Yes!! I hope to visit again sometime within the next few years. It is expensive, but I have had such a great experience here so far and learned a lot from the teachers, students, and people that live here. I'm happy that I get to share it with you!
Zoey
What is your favorite game that you played with the kids?
I like using the jump ropes with the kids. They have shown me some fancy tricks, and they even tried to show me how to double dutch. That looks very hard, though.
Dominick
What is your favorite time of day?
My favorite time of the day is after lunch because I have been reading Charlotte's Web out loud to my class. I really like that book and the movie, and my students are really liking it too. We've had lots of good discussions about it, and they really like when the goose talks because she talks funny, so then I sound funny.
Erika
Are their math books like ours?
They look different than our math books, and they are not Everyday Math. They are split up a little differently, but they still learn about the same things that 5th grade students at Cambridge would learn about. They have to buy the textbooks from the store. Here is what they look like:
Derek
Do the students have homework?
They do get homework, but a lot of the time they get seatwork to do. This work is to be finished in class time. My students here have not been doing well at turning in their homework, so I hope you are doing a much better job of turning your homework in there!
Krista
Why do the kids there say prayers all of the time?
The students here say prayers all the time because the majority of the people in Jamaica are Christians. The children go to church every Saturday or Sunday. Christianity came to Jamaica with the Spanish settlers when they first arrived in 1504, and it has stuck for a long time.
Stone
Have you played their version of baseball?
I have not played cricket, but I would love to try it some day. It seems a little confusing, but I'm sure with practice I could figure it out eventually.
In this video, there are some students playing cricket, but it is hard to see. I know it isn't the best video, but you can see the students playing from :22 until :30. Earlier in the video they are playing football, and this video was taken while a head girl and head boy were giving us a tour of Coley Mountain Primary School.
Katie
Have you been to all of the restaurants?
I have not been to all of them, but we have tried a lot of different places since being here. I haven't gone to Burger King or KFC while I have been here, so I haven't really had any American food.
Spencer W.
Have you been to a jungle? If you have, have you seen any cool animals?
We have not been to a jungle, but I'm sure there are plenty of cool animals in the jungles here. I felt like I was in the middle of a jungle when we went to YS Falls because there were a lot of trees around us and the waterfall was right in the middle of them all.
Deanna :) (my cooperating teacher)
How come you didn't take me?
I wanted to bring everyone with me, and I wish I could have! I think Wisconsin has gotten some of the warm weather that I sent your way, but it doesn't want to stay. Maybe it will follow me when I come home a week from today!
Time has flown by these past 3 weeks, but I am excited for one last week here. I'm glad I can share this experience with all of you in Cambridge and with my family and friends. I will be bringing your pen pal letters and coming to visit at some point when I get home, but I'm not sure when yet. I love being here, but I am excited to see everyone soon.
Monday, January 28, 2013
A Usual Day
I realized that I have talked a lot about my school and experiences here, but still have not talked about what a normal day might look like in my classroom at Mile Gully Primary, so here we go!
Here is the view in the morning from the door of the main office:
Here is the view in the morning from the door of the main office:
Beautiful, isn't it?
From 8:00 to 8:15, all students participate in morning devotion. On Mondays and Fridays, the whole school lines up in the courtyard to have devotion with the principal, Mrs. Brackett.
From 8:00 to 8:15, all students participate in morning devotion. On Mondays and Fridays, the whole school lines up in the courtyard to have devotion with the principal, Mrs. Brackett.
Some students show up late, so this is not everyone in the school, but it is many of them. Here is a video of part of morning devotion, and I hope to upload more videos when I get the chance.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students have devotion in their own classroom led by students, and on Wednesdays the students go to the houses they belong to - either red, yellow, or green. The houses are a mixture of the grades, and the devotion is usually led by a head girl or head boy from sixth grade. The head girl and head boy also walk around during school-wide devotion to make sure younger students are standing how they should and paying attention.
Last weekend and at the beginning of last week, the Associate Dean from the College of Education at UW-Whitewater came to see the area and the program with her son. They visited Mile Gully Primary last Friday for some time to see what the devotion is like and myself and my teacher friends teach a little in our classrooms. They were introduced and welcomed during Friday's morning devotion.
From left to right: Mrs. Brackett-the principal, Mrs. Smith-our advisor, Dr. Agnew-the Dean, and Sandon-the Dean's son.
After devotion, the students return and say their Morning Prayer:
and then welcome everyone with, "Good morning dear teachers and classmates."
Here are some pictures of my classroom and students:
At the start of the day, my class has Maths (what they call mathematics, or math). My teacher does this because they can have a hard time learning math and they are the most fresh and ready to learn in the morning. While I have been here, the students learned about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions, and then I taught them a unit on Algebra. Unfortunately, I think some of it went way over their heads, since it is a pretty difficult subject to try and fathom when you are 10 years old, but they did well. Maybe I'm already dating myself, but we were offered Pre-Algebra in 8th grade, and that was the advanced math for our grade. I still have a hard time believing they are learning about it in 5th grade.
After Maths, the students do Social Studies/Integrated Studies or Science - these subjects alternate days from Monday through Thursday. Here is a picture from the students' Science book that I found interesting because of what the two characters in the picture are saying:
These two subjects lead up to break (like recess) at 10:15 when a teacher rings a hand bell to signal to the whole school that break has begun. The students can buy and eat snacks and play until break ends at 10:30. They wash up and get a drink at a faucet that uses rainwater which drains from the roof into a large tank:
Depending on how long Maths takes, Social Studies or Science may have to come after the break. In my classroom, this can also depend on how loud the classrooms next to us are being. The roof is tin, the floor is cement, and the room dividers are metal. I'm not sure if you can quite imagine how loud it gets with three rooms of two Grade 5 classes and one Grade 6 class, especially with all of the echoing. Sometimes, it can get so loud that my teacher has to stop her lesson or have the students work out of their workbook because she can't teach over the noise. It can get very frustrating and stressful. It definitely took some getting used to, especially for my throat with all of the yelling I have to do to make myself heard. It can also give you quite the headache.
Lunch starts at 12:00. Before the students leave for lunch, they say their Give Thanks prayer:
Once the students have eaten, they get the rest of the hour-long lunch break to play. They have been using the jump ropes that we brought them, and those that don't use them usually kick around a plastic bottle to play football (soccer) with.
"Father, we thank Thee for the night, and for the pleasant morning light
for rest and food and loving care, & all that makes the world so fair.
Help us to do the things we should, to be to others kind & good,
in all we do, in all we say, to grow more loving every day. Amen."
and then welcome everyone with, "Good morning dear teachers and classmates."
Here are some pictures of my classroom and students:
Above: Entire classroom
Below: Each desk group, with six students at each
After Maths, the students do Social Studies/Integrated Studies or Science - these subjects alternate days from Monday through Thursday. Here is a picture from the students' Science book that I found interesting because of what the two characters in the picture are saying:
Depending on how long Maths takes, Social Studies or Science may have to come after the break. In my classroom, this can also depend on how loud the classrooms next to us are being. The roof is tin, the floor is cement, and the room dividers are metal. I'm not sure if you can quite imagine how loud it gets with three rooms of two Grade 5 classes and one Grade 6 class, especially with all of the echoing. Sometimes, it can get so loud that my teacher has to stop her lesson or have the students work out of their workbook because she can't teach over the noise. It can get very frustrating and stressful. It definitely took some getting used to, especially for my throat with all of the yelling I have to do to make myself heard. It can also give you quite the headache.
Lunch starts at 12:00. Before the students leave for lunch, they say their Give Thanks prayer:
"For what we are about to receive, we give Thee thanks, oh Lord. Amen."
The lunch has been cooking all morning. While we were teaching P.E. on Friday, we saw Friday's lunch being prepared:
This fire was started by the kitchen, but that is outside right on the edge of the courtyard area that we were teaching P.E. in. It was a little nerve-wracking to have 30 kids in an area with a fire, but they stayed well away from it. Quite the set-up to cook lunch.
Once the students have eaten, they get the rest of the hour-long lunch break to play. They have been using the jump ropes that we brought them, and those that don't use them usually kick around a plastic bottle to play football (soccer) with.
Once lunch ends at 1:00, the students head back to their classrooms to Return Thanks:
"Thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the birds that sing, thank you Lord for everything. Amen."
After lunch, we work on Language Arts or Reading. Lately, my students have been learning about the weather and different ways to express the weather. They have also been doing lots of work with reading passages and answering comprehension questions (which my kiddos at home know an awful lot about, and they are pros now!). When the students are finished with their work, they bring their books up to be marked with a "sticky":
A "sticky" is a check-mark, and these are put on answers that are correct. Sometimes the students work very slowly, so this may take the whole rest of the afternoon until school ends at 2:30. Fridays are a little different, because the only subjects my teacher does every day are Math and Language Arts, so she includes P.E. and Visual Arts on Fridays. She seems pretty flexible with her schedule, and she says she has to be to work around all of the noise as well as how the students are doing with their work, and if they are understanding the concepts.
At the end of the day, the students pack up and say their closing prayer:
"School is over for today. We have done our work & done our play.
Before we go, we come to say, Heavenly Father we thank you for today. Amen."
The teacher says to have a good day, and the students all respond with, "Thank you, and the same to you."
Since the weather is very steady here, unlike Wisconsin, this is a picture of what many afternoons at the end of the school day look like here - cloudy, looking like rain, and some sun:
We walk down a very steep hill to the road, and then walk to the High School to meet a teacher there for our ride back to our hotel in Mandeville. We always see some friends along the way:
This school has taken a lot of getting used to. All of the noise was a problem for me, and since there isn't really much positive reinforcement going on, the students do not work very hard and talk all the more. The only negative consequence is, unfortunately, hitting. It is usually on the back, with a hand, or sometimes a ruler or notebook. I have not personally witnessed much of this at all, but I have heard it and heard about it. It is so hard to see that schools here are at the same point with discipline that we were about 50 years ago. This kind of punishment was still being used in the United States when my father was in school.
Fortunately, I was able to observe a couple really good teachers and classes, but that is a story for another post! :) Thanks for keeping up with my blog, and feel free to ask me any questions you have and I can answer them. If you have the question, I'm sure there are others that do, too. My students' questions answered some questions that my friends and family were already wondering. :) Great job, Cambridge!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Questions from Cambridge
Along with writing my blog, I have been communicating with my cooperating teacher in Wisconsin. My students at home wrote down a few questions that they had for me, and she emailed them for me to answer.
Here are the answers to your questions, 4th grade! If a few of you asked the same question, I only answered it one time. Lots of great questions!
Krista
Do the kids have spelling words like we do?
Yes, they do. Some teachers make their spelling list with words that the students are learning about in other subjects. One of the grade 4 classes here has words like carbohydrates, refrigeration, condensation, precipitation, ingredients, substitute, metric, and kilometre (This is spelt differently than at home. We put an -er at the end, and they use -re).
Do you always eat their food?
When we are at the schools, they make us a school lunch every day and I always eat it. For dinner we have been making our own food that we bought from the grocery store, and some of the food is the American brand, but it is much more expensive than the Jamaican brands so we have a little of both.
Spencer W.
What are the kids' favorite sports?
What kind of books do they like to read?
I asked my students both of these questions, and here are pictures of what they told me to write down for their favorite sports and books that they like.
Netball is kind of like basketball, but the hoop has no backboard. Also, there is no dribbling - only passing. Once you catch the ball, you cannot move. That is all that I know about it so far.
Cricket isn't like the cricket that you see in Alice and Wonderland. It is a bat and ball game, and each team has eleven players. Here are some boys playing cricket during break at one of the schools we visited.
Stone
Can you take a picture of the Cambridge sign?
Unfortunately, I can't take a picture of the Cambridge sign that I saw. We won't be driving past it any more while we are here, but I will keep my eye out in case there is another one.
What is your favorite restaurant?
My favorite restaurant here that we have been to is called Bloomfield. It is only about a 5 minute drive from the hotel that we are staying at while we're here. The building is an old plantation from the 1800s that they fixed up and made into a restaurant. It looks out over much of the city of Mandeville. The view was beautiful, and the food was delicious.
The view from my seat at dinner
This was the total amount for our large group's bill: $13,358. Still funny to see on a bill. Tax here (where it says GCT) is about 17%! Quite the difference from our 5.6% in Wisconsin.
Kylie
Have you gotten to ride a donkey yet?
I have not gotten to ride a donkey since we have been here, but if I do, I will be sure to let you know and get pictures. I have seen about five of them on farms and along the side of the road since we have been here. I even saw one pulling a cart.
How many days have you taught?
I have taught for a total of 10 days so far - every day last week, and every day this week. On the two Fridays, I taught Physical Education to all of the grades with my other teacher friends.
Noah
What is the best food that you have tasted so far?
Jerk chicken has been my favorite thing that I have eaten so far. It is better at some places than at others, just like how food can taste different at different restaurants in the U.S. It is spicy, so I love it. The only part that has taken some getting used to is all of the bones that we have to pick out of our meat and fish. There is no such thing as skinless, boneless chicken breast here.
Do they take field trips?
My class said that they take field trips at the end of the year and go to places that are main attractions. They usually go to beaches at places like Montego Bay, and one of the students mentioned a place called Bubbling Springs. One of my teacher friends is going on a field trip with her class this Wednesday to the courthouse and other government buildings. I will be sure to get all of the details of it (and maybe some pictures) from her.
Cooper
What are the pools like?
We have a pool at our hotel, and it's just like any other hotel pool in the U.S.
It has a little waterfall that runs into it,
and it's in a courtyard with all of the hotel rooms surrounding it. This is the view of the pool from our room.
Have you eaten a yam?
I have eaten a few yams, yes. We also have had green bananas and cassava. All 3 of them taste kind of similar to a potato.
Derek
Is it a lot different from Cambridge?
The city is different from Cambridge because it is bigger and everything looks different, and the schools are also very different - they don't have walls that go all the way up to the ceiling, they are very loud, they are open-air, there are no Smart Boards, and there are 30 kids in my classroom here!
Are the road side eating places weird or are they cool?
They are not necessarily weird, but they are quite different from what we are used to at home. People come up to your car to ask if you want to buy food, and they cook the food right there for you to see. It is almost like a drive-thru window but you pull up and get out to buy the food.
Is the food there good or is the food in the US better?
The food is good both here and in the U.S., but I am much more used to the food at home. Being here for a month has definitely gotten me to try new things (including goat!) and get used to how most things here are served, but I miss some of my favorite foods from home.
Kelsie
Where was your favorite place?
Of the places we have visited so far, I enjoyed Negril the most. The beach is so beautiful there because the sand is really soft and the water is the bluest water I have ever seen. I definitely want to go back someday!
What does the silverware look like?
The silverware looks the same as it does at home. Good question, though!
Spencer D.
If it rains, how long does it last?
While we have been here, the rain hasn't usually lasted much longer than about 10 minutes. The weather here is very steady each day. The morning is a little cool, then it warms up to between 80 and 85 around noon and is very sunny, then the clouds come in the afternoon. It almost always looks like it will rain, but it only rains sometimes. When it does, it doesn't rain hard for very long, if at all.
How many people are in the school there?
There are about 400 students in my school here. Each class has about 30 students, and all grades have 2 classes except for Grade 4, which has 3 classes.
How long did it take you to write your blog?
Each blog post takes me about an hour to write, depending on the post. The writing doesn't usually take that long, but loading pictures can take awhile. Then I check to make sure I included everything I wanted to say and fix any mistakes I made.
Zoey
Are there different games or songs that they taught you?
The students here sing songs during the day and during devotion, so I have gotten to know a lot of the words to their prayers and songs. My students have shown me some dances, like the ones that I mentioned in a previous blog post. Here is one thing a few girls in my class taught me that is kind of like a song:
Person 1: 1, 2, 3,4,5, my name's ________, I say hi
6, 7, 8,9,10, back it up & meet my friend.
6, 7, 8,9,10, back it up & meet my friend.
Hey _________
Person 2: Hey what?
1: Introduce yourself
2: No way
2: No way
1: Introduce yourself
2: Okay
(Repeat with Person 2 as Person 1, and a new Person 2)
Do you like to play with the kids?
Yes I do. We have had fun playing games and jump roping with the students during lunchtime and during P.E. classes when we teach them. They really like the jump ropes and Skip-Its we brought for them.
Erika
Does anyone have pets?
They do have pets here, but their pets don't always stay in their houses like ours do. We see many dogs running around along the roads and in the city that have collars and belong to someone, but are just not in the house. They let them roam around.
Dominick
How long are the school days?
The school days at my school start at 8:00 and go until 2:30. On Wednesdays, they have clubs after school until 3:30 that students can sign up for. My teacher runs the Reading Club.
Cody
At what age do they start first grade?
The students here start at the same age they do in the U.S. My teacher friend's Grade 1 students here are 6 and 7 years old.
Is their alphabet different or the same as ours?
Their alphabet is the same as ours, and they speak English here. They do have a Creole language here that they speak called Patois. That is the language that Wagwan ("what's going on?") is from. Most of the words are just words that sound like phrases that were shortened. Here are some examples that were in one of the students' textbooks.
Which school do you like better? Cambridge or Mile Gully?
I love both Cambridge and Mile Gully, but for different reasons. I have learned a lot from the schools, the students, and the teachers here, but I also miss parts of teaching at schools in America.
Have you ridden a camel? If you have was if fun or not?
I have not ridden a camel because they don't have camels here. I'm guessing it would be fun though.
What do they eat for lunch? Do they have the same thing every day or do they eat different things every day?
They have something different every day just like you do, but I don't think they have quite as wide of a variety because it would cost too much money. We eat the same meals for lunch that the students do.
This isn't how our lunches are served, but this is what an normal meal is made up of for lunch: some kind of meat (chicken, pork, goat, fish), a kind of rice (yellow rice, rice & peas), and steamed vegetables (carrots and cabbage). This picture is of jerk chicken, rice & peas, steamed vegetables, and this meal also came with mashed potatoes.
The other day we got fried chicken and french fries for lunch. That was the first time I had french fries in almost 3 weeks.
Olivia
What does the teacher in the classroom look like?
Here is a picture of the teacher that I am working with, Mrs. Skeffery. This isn't the best picture, but it's the only one that I have of her so far.
How big is the school? Will you take a picture of it?
The school is smaller than Cambridge. I have taken a lot of pictures of it. Here are some pictures of the school and my classroom.
Katie
Do you have different times than the US? (time zones)
The time zone is either the same as Wisconsin's time zone or one hour later, like New York's time zone. It depends on Daylight Savings Time, so it's a little confusing. Right now, we are an hour later than Wisconsin, so when it's 12:00 noon in Cambridge, it's 1:00pm here.
Landin
Is it really hot? Is it humid at night?
It is warm during the day, but it cools down at night and isn't usually too humid. We are up in a mountain area though, so it's cooler here in the high altitudes. When we went to Negril, it was much warmer and more humid there because Negril is at a lower altitude.
Rachel
How long is their recess?
They have a break at 10:15 just like you do, and they eat snack and have a recess until 10:30.
Did the kids like the jump ropes that you brought along?
They love the jump ropes! They line up to ask for ropes during each lunchtime. They call them skipping ropes instead of jump ropes.
The last questions I wanted to answer:
What part is your favorite?
My favorite part about being here is experiencing a new culture and noticing the similarities and differences between the Jamaican culture and our own. There are many things that take some getting used to, but it has surprised me a little how many things compare with the United States.
Are you having fun?
I am having a blast! I am enjoying the culture, the food, the schools, and especially the weather! I will try to send some of our warmer weather your way, since I am hearing from family and friends that there is an ice storm there. As much fun as I am having, though, I think I will be ready to come home in a week and a half when I fly back. A month is a long time to be gone from home.
Thank you for all of the interesting questions, fourth graders. I can't wait to answer the new ones you come up with. We are learning a lot together! Also, my students here read your pen pal letters and really enjoyed them. They have started their letters for you, and they are very excited about them.
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