Primera Memoria

I arrived at the school earlier than the rest of the volunteers today so I had the opportunity to have some one on one time with Camilo. When he saw me sitting on the patio of the school, he strolled up and plopped himself down next to me and suggested, matter of factly, that we pass the time drawing 'paisaje (landscape)' pictures. So, I handed him a notebook and a pen and he sat, drawing intently for a half an hour. As other kids joined us, they would ask for an 'hoja' and draw their own versions.

 They didn't moan or groan that the building wasn't open yet. They didn't ask me what they should do while they waited. They just devised their own entertainment and let me be a part of their informal art session. It felt so good to just sit, doodle on paper and talk with the kids about whatever came to mind. I realized this happens a lot with these kids, we just sit and talk whenever there is down time. There is something so refreshing about getting the opportunity to simply 'be' with my students.

Often, as a teacher in the institutionalized schools, there are so many other things that need to be done in a typical day, that taking the time to sit and talk is not always feasible. I have always loved listening to kids talk and being among them when they are interacting on a social level. I finally get to do that as part of my job.



Once the others showed up, there was a little confusion as to how to divide the classes due to the fact that Cerys had a horrible toothache and would need to go home. Thus, we did a last minute rearranging of kids and managed to have everyone accounted for in a classroom.


My group was working on sketching a memory and writing about it. I was amused to see that a couple of the boys had sketched a memory of a scene that looked very similar to my example. I was used to seeing the 'copycat' work when teaching second graders, but usually fourth graders and older kids can easily choose an original story from their lives.



It occurred to me that the reason there were a few similar stories was because these kids aren't used to original writing or writing about themselves. Thus, it is going to take them a while to get comfortable with the idea that they are the the only authors that can tell their own stories. I think that they are so used to regurgitating what a teacher tells them and are used to earning praise based on how well they can copy versus what original work they can produce.

When the kids started to get a bit squirrley, I decided to move class outside and finish with a math lesson on factors of 40. The kids collected their own 'manipulatives' (rocks) and found different ways to put the rocks in even groups. I have to laugh at the fact that I relied on expensive tools in my past teaching positions and yet, the district could probably have saved quite a bit of money and gotten the same (or better results) using everyday items as 'manipulatives'.






As I was working with my group, our two new volunteers from England, Charly and Eva, pulled out kids to read with them one on one. Even though the afternoon had started off a little messy, I was glad they had the chance to see the kids settled down and focused on learning. Jesus, ran up to me after reading with Eva for a while and was absolutely glowing with excitement at having gotten to spend 15 minutes sharing his reading skills with her.

I could see his enthusiasm had already won her over. I had been nervous that the early mayhem would frighten our new recruits off, but I should have known that the kids would lure them in. The way the kids are so eager to share their skills with the volunteers, their faces light up, their eyes get big, and their smiles draw you in. After one session of reading with one of these kids, you're a goner. And so it is that another two have joined the community. Bienvenidos, Charly y Eva!