A New Year.. of course a Fresh Start!

The school gave us two weeks vacation for Christmas, much needed. However, 'perfect' would be something more like a 3-day weekend, every weekend. Teaching is really sucking it out of me. I leave nearly every day feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, and worried that the kids aren't learning a thing. I get home only to realize there is still a lot of cutting, gluing, and planning to do. Sometimes, in order to protect my own sanity, I decide to leave my bag in the corner for the night, relax, and not think a word about school.

Getting off the plane, a beautiful blanket of snow greeted me (and almost prevented me from getting home at all) - exactly what I wanted to experience in contrast to months of sweaty skin and unbearable nights after my fan broke. I could sleep under layers of down, wear warm fuzzy sweaters and even double socks if I wanted to.

Going home was the best thing for me, mentally. It was wonderful to see my family and a few good friends. When I walked into the house where I had babysat throughout college, it surprised me a little when that place felt like home... with 2 little boys attacking me with kisses and misses. I had spent so much time there.
I used one day to visit a 1st grade class, which I left thinking "oooohhh so THIS is how it should be done," and feeling super excited for all of the new ideas the teacher had sparked in my mind. I even stopped to see my own 1st grade teacher, so great.

I came back to Roatan feeling refreshed and grateful for the chance for a new start. I brought back with me a lot of books to copy from, activities, ideas, and prizes for my class.
I also came back to the island to find that the number of students in my class had grown and I had lost my assistant.

In this new year I refuse to give in to my stress. It is not in my character to give up, but it is a pattern of mine to begin to do things half-heartedly. Not a good idea when now my decisions affect 23 people, not just myself.

hey - it's NOVEMBER!

Yesterday began the 2nd Quarter! I am looking forward to the new quarter - starting over with grades, feeling a lot more organized... now that I know my kids, I feel a lot more prepared to teach them this quarter.
I'm going to try my best to update more frequently, but for now I'll just post some quotable quotes/conversations:

Lisa: "Ms. Jessica, my tooth is molesting me!" (the verb "molestar" translates quite hilariously because it means all kinds of things including punch, shake, hurt, tickle, bother, annoy, and of course molest. Every day it is a struggle not to laugh when a kid says "Andres is molesting me!")

Jaeden: "Ms. Jessica, guess what? There are actually fifty-ONE states!"
Me: "Really? What is the one we're missing?"
Jaeden: "Miami! I went there."
Me: "No, that's in Florida..."

Wualys: "New Hampster, New Jersey..."

Kimberley: "Look! I wrote all the numbers up to 301!"
Me: "Wow! Great job - that is so high! Do you know what the absolute highest number is?"
Kimberley: "Ummmm... a dollar?

First week of school!

Last week we had 3 half days which were pretty laid back and went by quickly. But I must say, the actual first day of school was terrible. I usually consider myself I pretty strong person and capable of handling most situations, but I was miserable on Monday. I felt completely out of control with 18 little people under me for almost 8 hours.
One of my biggest challenges is the fact that I do not speak Spanish. Because the majority of my students do not think in English, their minds easily wander. And being six years old, their minds can only stay focused for a few minutes anyway. Once these little guys get distracted, they talk (of course) or just get up and start walking around. I would love a class of 10 students, where I could give a lot more individual attention to each.
Each day has been progressively better - I really do think this year is going to be great! I can't describe how satisfying it is to already see progress in students (even just to learn how to write a 2 or learn to capitalize in sentences).
I'm also very impressed with the level of intelligence in many of the first graders - Draven said to me this morning as he was finishing writing 'The cat ran.' - "Ms. Jessica, can I write and exclamation point at the end instead of a period? Because what if the boy was really excited that his cat was running?" I was just wondering- what boy....? and How does he even know what an exclamation point is? The day before we learned about the period.

do I look like a teacher?












my classroom -decorated

























First graders!

West Bay

Last week was the big futbol game - Honduras against Costa Rica. Honduras won 4-0.
On Sunday we went to the beach... swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing - pretty nice.
Also, Wednesday was the first day of school. My first graders are great! They know a lot more than I expected, which is good. I think the hardest thing will be communicating with a few of the students who do not understand English. So far, I have 18 students and most likely more will be registering next week. (pictures soon)

Our Apartment

Amy and I cleaned and organized our apartment the other day so we took some pictures:
(view from the front, living/dining room, kitchen, my room, Amy's room)

First few days.

On Saturday I arrived here in Honduras on the beautiful island of Roatan! I can see perfectly why so many people have spent vacations here - the water is gorgeous, the people are friendly, the food is delicious, and there is always scuba diving and snorkeling.
I share an apartment with another teacher, Amy, who teaches high school English at the school. The other American teachers also live in our building. I'll post some pictures of our place later. Last night we bought about 5 pounds of fresh shrimp and sautéed it in butter, garlic, and onions - so good.
We began orientation at Children's Palace Bilingual School on Monday. So far, I'm very impressed with the school all around. It is run by Hondurans, and is incredibly well organized. In just a week (Wednesday) is the first day of school! I need to finish decorating the room and preparing for the school year.