First Week at the School

Wagwan! (That is Patois for "What's up?", or "What's going on?"  It's pronounced wah-gwahn, because the letter A in Jamaica usually makes the short o sound, like in clock.)

Before I begin the post, I have to wish a very happy birthday to my cooperating teacher from this past semester, Deanna! I hope you had a very relaxing Sunday and enjoyed your day.

I haven't posted this past week because I was busy all day teaching and busy at night planning lessons, but it was a great week. Mrs. Skeffery asked if I wanted to teach the new unit on Algebra in maths (what they call mathematics) while I'm here since it is one of my favorite subjects. It was a little interesting to start planning since the teachers don't have a teacher's guide, and not all of the students have a workbook because they can't all afford it. I had a focus question to go off of, but it was quite a change from planning my Everyday Math lessons with the Smart Board files pre-made to go off of.

My classroom

The advisor that is with us observed me on Thursday teaching my math lesson on the order of operations. Here they don't use "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally," which stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication & Division, Addition & Subtraction.
Instead, they use the acronym "BOMDAS", which stands for Brackets, Of (as in 1/4 of 12), Multiplication & Division, Addition & Subtraction. I came up with a saying that the students could use to go with their acronym that included a popular dish here in Jamaica. It was "Bring Over My Delicious Ackee & Saltfish", and I was happy that I found a saying to which my students could relate. They laughed with me.

After discussing this, we went over some problems as a class. My teacher friends and I brought some shiny plastic picnic plates with us, which work well as a cheap version of dry erase boards that students can use.

Each student in my class got a plate and dry erase marker to use, and we practiced some problems. They were very engaged, and it was a great way to quickly assess how well each student was understanding. (We will leave what we brought at the school for them to use, and it is a cheap tool for them to replace when needed.) I felt so comfortable, and it is great when a lesson goes well and the students are engaged and enjoying learning! They even repeated the saying with me a few more times.

Helping Oniel with their seatwork

All day Friday, the four of us teachers ran Physical Education for 7 classes - two 3rd grades, two 2nd grades, two 1st grades, and a 5th grade. We were exhausted when we were finished with the kiddos after being in the sun all day, but it was so worth it. Normally, the students have PE with their classroom teacher, and it is outside because they don't have a gym. Many students don't wear shoes because their school shoes for their uniform are too small. Some students change clothes, while others just participate in their uniforms. 

One of the first questions the students asked us when we arrived here was if we would be teaching them PE, so I think they really look forward to that part of us coming to their school. They worked well at our stations. Station 1 was individual jump-roping, station 2 was a relay race, station 3 was using the skip-its, and station 4 was a ball toss. Each station was altered a little depending on the class and/or grade. It was such a great experience to teach so many different grades in one day, and notice the differences and similarities between them all. I don't think I can ever get enough experience with them all. I feel much more prepared to teach the rest of the classes next Friday. A bunch of students thanked us for teaching them PE, and one student came up to me and said, "Miss, you are the best teacher anyone could have." It melted my heart.

Ball throw and relay race

Huddling up with some students

Playing "Squeeze" with Grade 1

In the schools throughout the day, the students constantly want to say hi to us, be around us, walk us to class, carry our things, touch our hair, etc. It is a good feeling to be liked here and looked up to, but one thing I've realized is that I really don't think I could handle being a celebrity. Here is a picture during the 15-minute break on Friday of my teacher friend Caitlin eating her snack. This happens every day. They stand there very silently just watching us. They will respond if we ask questions, but otherwise do not say very much. I know we are different, and..

“Being different is tough, but amazing."

This quote is by an unknown author, and it is very fitting. We stood out right away the first couple of days that we were here, and I felt it constantly. People pointed out that we are white, laughed at how we said things, and gave us weird looks. I can say for sure that I know what it is like to feel out of place and realize how different you are from the majority of people around you, and I would not trade that experience for anything. I can use this feeling in a positive way - to connect with any students that may feel this way in my future classroom, and I will make sure that my classroom is an environment in which my students feel safe each and every day.

While we were at a resort this past weekend in an area with lots of tourists, I was no longer as much of a minority as I am here in Mandeville, and it felt odd rather than normal. At the end of my second week here, I feel much more at home here in Mandeville and in Jamaica in general. I have changed so much in these two weeks already in so many ways, and still have 2 and 1/2 weeks to go!