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! 

First Day!

Today was the first day at Mile Gully Primary all day. Last night, I was a little nervous thinking about meeting a class of 30 new students, but I was mostly really excited for the first full day. I wanted to know more about the daily routine, schedule, and expectations so I could compare them to my previous experiences.

The school day starts at 8:00, but some students arrive late because they are walking from their house or riding a taxi. I bet my friends in Cambridge remember all of the ways the students get to school that they heard about in the book I read to them - The Road to Mile Gully Primary.

All of the students in grades 1 through 6 stand outside in lines of all boys and all girls with the principal at the front of the group. Most things here are based around God and Christianity, so they start the morning with a devotion, as well as a prayer, their National Pledge, and their National Anthem. Their National Anthem is the only National Anthem in the world that is a prayer. 

National Anthem

Eternal father, bless our land

Guard us with Thy Mighty Hand

Keep us free from evil powers,

Be our light through countless hours

To our leaders, Great Defender,

Grant true Wisdom from above

Justice, Truth be ours forever

Jamaica, land we love. 

Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica,

land we love.

Teach us true respect for all,

Stir response to duty's call

Strengthen us the weak to cherish,

Give us vision lest we perish

Knowledge send us Heavenly Father

Grant true wisdom from above

Justice, Truth be ours forever

Jamaica, land we love.

Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica,

land we love.

National Pledge

Before God and all mankind, I pledge the love and loyalty of my heart, the wisdom and courage of my mind, the strength and vigour of my body in the service of my fellow citizens; I promise to stand up for Justice, Brotherhood, and Peace, to work diligently and creatively, to think generously and honestly, so that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship, and prosperity, and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race. 

If you want to know more about the country and its history, this website is a government website and has lots of good information. 

After all of this, the students were excused by grade, girls first, to go to their classrooms. They say a prayer and then start the day. The students in my 5th grade classroom went over their math homework together as a class. Once that was finished, they had Language Arts and worked in groups to make a poem with words about weather that had BL, SH, and TH in them. 

They have a break from 10:15-10:30 for snack and a little running around. After break, I asked the students to write their first and last names for me and pronounce them because it is loud in the schools and I didn't want to spell them incorrectly. Some of the boys' names are Jevonti, Jahmar, and Damarrio, and some of the girls' names are Alecia, Shene'sa, and Lloydisha. Many of them have British last names, since many names originate from the British slave owners long ago. 

After I got their names, they discussed the culture in the Caribbean for Social Studies. This was a very good lesson for me to watch, because I still have a lot to learn about their culture and it was nice to learn from the students. They told me about some of the different types of music, food, and languages.

Some of the genres of music that they listen to are called reggae and dancehall. Two popular dances are the dinki mini and the bruckins. Click the words for some video examples. The students got up and showed me the dances in my class. I wasn't brave enough to try them myself, though. At least, not yet!

Some popular food dishes are saltfish and ackee (which is their national fruit, pictured below being sold at the roadside),

 

and jerk chicken with rice and peas (which is what they call kidney beans).

Creole is a language in the Caribbean that is also known here as Patois (pronounced pat-wah). It is a mix of the African and English languages, and it can be different from parish to parish, just like the English language can be different from the Midwest to the South.

They care a lot about their national symbols, and they are posted all over the place. Some of my Cambridge kiddos wanted to know these symbols since we learn all about Wisconsin's state symbols in 4th grade.

I actually got to see the Doctor Bird and take a picture.

 

Their National motto

I found the above article and picture pretty interesting.

Lunch was an hour long, and for the last half hour, I went outside with my teacher friends to play games with the students. We brought some jump ropes and skip-its that were made for them with us. A large group of students crowded around me while I showed them how to use the skip-it and then let them take turns using it.

For many of the younger students, it is the first time they have seen a white person. For some of the older students, they think that we are previous student teachers from Whitewater that they loved. It has been an unusual feeling to be out of place and have people notice you because you obviously stand out, as well as have all of the students crowd around us when we show up at the school. They have so many questions for me.

After lunch, the teacher in my classroom, Mrs. Skeffery, let me do an activity with the 5th graders. I wanted to know more about each student individually, and I knew they had a lot of questions for me. I wrote 5 things about me on the board - my favorite color, favorite food, favorite athlete, favorite subject, and favorite kind of music. Then I let them ask me more questions - how many siblings I have, what my favorite book is, when my birthday is, etc. After we talked about me, they wrote to me about themselves. They only had to write 5 things about themselves, but all of them wrote more. A few students wrote over 15 things! It was nice to be able to connect with them on things that we have in common. Which leads me to my quote for this post:

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

We may look different on the outside, but it is important to remember that we are all the same on the inside and want and do similar things. I really feel everyone should have the experience of being immersed in and trying to understand another culture. I am learning so much while I am here, so I want to try and share it with as many people as I can! 

Before I go, here is a hello to my friends back in Cambridge! I saw "Cambridge" on a sign that we passed, but the picture that I took to show you turned out too blurry. I miss you all, as well as friends and family. 

YS Falls

Alright everyone, prepare for lots of pictures this post! I have over 200 pictures already in these first 6 days, so you're just getting a small portion. All of them will eventually be posted on Facebook.

Yesterday morning, we traveled to YS Falls. It is in St. Elizabeth Parish (parishes are like counties here) on the South coast of Jamaica. Here is a map to show you the island, as well as where we were. The city we are staying in is Mandeville, which is to the East of the falls, toward the center of the island.

It was about an hour and a half drive, and the scenery on the drive was beautiful. Our driver, Wayne (pictured below), has given us so many great experiences on our drives.

He has stopped at some roadside stands for foods such as peanut porridge, fried fish, and corn on the cob, as well as to let us take some pictures of the scenery. The pictures really do not do this country justice, but I am trying my hardest to convey its beauty.

Here are some pictures of the roadside food place that we stopped at on the way to the falls and tried peanut porridge. It tasted like oatmeal, and was delicious.

Once we arrived at the falls, we climbed up along them to each level taking pictures along the way and playing in the beautiful, clear water. I took a few swings on the rope swing. The water was cool, but very refreshing. 

 

The pictures I took of the falls don't really do it justice, but again, I tried! 

 

We swam over to a rock at one level and one of the workers took some pictures for us.

 

Since last night was the Packer playoff game (which I am pretty sad about, by the way. It was hard to watch, but now I am cheering for Russell Wilson!), we brought our Packer jerseys to represent Wisconsin. We wanted to take a picture to send to a website called Packers Everywhere. They post pictures on Facebook of people all over the world with Packer attire, flags, rooms, etc.

We decided to wear it while we went ZIP-LINING over the falls!! This is the picture that we sent to them, and they said they would post it soon! We also took a picture doing the Aaron Rodgers Championship belt that I will post later. 

 The guides took some pictures for us on my camera while we were up there, and they turned out amazing.

It was definitely an experience that I would recommend to anyone to try. It went by too quickly, but we got to go on 5 different zip-lines. The third one was the one that is pictured above, and it was definitely my favorite. The falls looked even more beautiful from above, and I leaned back and went even more quickly. The final zip-line was at about a 45° angle, and I felt like I was going to crash into the tree at the bottom! 

Finally, we relaxed by the 2 pools that they have there, which contain water so clear it looks like you could drink it. They were placed in areas with beautiful views. 

After the falls park closed, we headed home and stopped at the fish stand along the way. This is a picture of my teacher friends and myself at a roadside stand by the ocean, eating the fish and corn. 

The fish is served differently here than we are used to in the states. Wayne took the head off of it for us, and we just ate around the bones of the fish. It was quite an experience, but the fish tasted good and was very fresh - it was caught that same day! The bread is Bammie, a Jamaican flatbread, which was also good.

Finally, we got home and ordered some Dominos Pizza to eat while watching the game. It was nice to have some "normal" food to remind us of home.

I've decided to try and include a quote with each blog post, so here is my one for today:

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

I feel so enthusiastic and happy about all of the traveling we have been doing and all that we have experienced in just the first 6 days of being here. I'm glad I am able to share it with everyone back home, and anyone else that is looking at this. Tomorrow is our first full day at Mile Gully primary, so I will have more about the school part of our adventure as this next week goes on! For now, I am enjoying my relaxing Sunday in this beautiful, warm weather.

A new normal

Hello from Jamaica! I almost forgot my passport, but I am here, and finally writing my first blog post. We had lots of luggage with all of our supplies! 

I finally feel like I have some time to sit and write about my trip so far. I have been keeping a handwritten journal as well, and have been keeping up with that more because that doesn't require Internet. The Internet can be very spotty here, but I can’t complain because it is nice having free wireless Internet here to keep in contact with everyone back in the U.S.

Tonight is the end of our 4^th night here, and I already feel so much more comfortable with everything compared to the first day – walking places, driving on the left side of the road, money, people, food, etc. I found a quote recently by a man named Clifton Fadiman that I thought was very fitting for my feelings the first few days here – “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.”

When I see a car that has the steering wheel on the left side of the car, or a Dominos Pizza place, I find myself saying, “Oh, a normal car,” or “A normal restaurant.” Those kinds of things make me feel comfortable because they are familiar to me, which is what makes them normal in my eyes. I keep trying to remember that we are not normal to them, and things that we may do or say or wear are not normal in their country.

For instance, everything in America is based on time. We expect instant satisfaction in so many things in our lives, but here in Jamaica time is merely a suggestion. They walk and talk much slower than we do, and restaurant service is not nearly as rushed. It has taken a little getting used to, but it really is freeing to not be constantly focusing on the time.

I don’t want this first post to get too long, because there is so much to say already, so I will get to the main reason we are here – the schools. We have visited a total of six schools so far, including the school that we will be working at – Mile Gully Primary. The grades here are broken down differently than in the United States. The basic schools have 3, 4, and 5 year old students, which would be preschool, 4K, and kindergarten in the U.S.

Primary schools are grades 1-6, and high schools are grades 7-12. All students wear uniforms, but not all schools wear the same ones. All girls wear the same type of uniforms, and all boys wear the same type of uniforms.

The schools are very open, which is nice to keep them cool, but means there is a lot of background noise and echoing from other classes. That is quite the change from my 4th grade classroom in Cambridge! The students respond to their teachers with, "Yes, miss," and "No, miss," or mister for male teachers. They also use a lot of repetition to learn. They do not have specific gym or music classes, but they sing songs, poems, and prayers every day, and play outside for an hour at lunch chasing each other and kicking bottles around.

They have head boys and girls in the high school, and prefects at the primary schools. These are students that are responsible, have outstanding character, and always perform at their best. They are role models for the younger children in the schools. The terms head boy/girl and prefect remind me of Harry Potter. That is my favorite book series, and I know some of my 4th grade friends back in Cambridge love it too!

Today we are going to YS Falls for the day, and watching the Packers game later tonight! I can't complain! :)