Seeing Through her Disability

Mr. Pedro working one on one with Dayanara

Meet Dayanara  one of my students in 7th grade at Isla Bonita. Dayanara is visually impaired to the point where she can only see vague outlines of figures and some color in her right eye. Although she uses braille to read and write and is limited in her ability join in during some activities, she has the brightest spirit and loves to learn. When I met Dyanara, I was immediately impressed with her ability to name and recite all of the UNCW teachers and which classes they were in. 

Although Mr. Pedro and her other teachers try their best to accommodate her, she doesn't get the full attention that she needs to understand the lesson. Often times, she sits there fiddling with objects until a teacher comes back over. She is so capable of learning everything that the other students learn, but needs the one on one time. There simply aren't enough resources or specialists here that can tailor a lesson to fit her needs. 

Some of the work from my students on my American students' video

As part of my Full Circle project, I made a compilation of videos that my students sent me of their hobbies and interests. My goal was to show the video to my Belize students and have them write down the similarities and differences of life in America to life in Belize. They could also write a few sentences on what they wanted my American students to know about them. A few students wrote about how they can also go boating, play sports, and have math class. They were interested in our constant shark attacks, football, and snow in America. 

After showing the video, I had a sinking feeling as I realized that Dayanara couldn't see any of the videos that played on my small computer screen. As the students ran outside to begin their break, Dayanara stayed back and asked if I could explain to her what some of the hobbies were. She then asked if she could spend her break writing a letter to my students on her Braille machine. I joked about how none of them would be able to read it, which she then laughed saying, "No miss, you'll have to write in pen what I type!" My teacher heart melted as I handed her the machine and watched her get to work. 

I attached her work below and tried to enhance the lighting so that the braille is visible!

Birthdays and Caye Caulker

After a long week of teaching, we were in much need of a relaxing weekend! Our group traveled to the beautiful, quaint island of Caye Caulker on the sailboat, stopping on the way to take a quick snorkel. Once we got there, we ate lunch at a restaurant with plenty of ocean breeze and walked around the island to shop. This island was much more calm than San Pedro. There weren't crazy drivers in golf carts zooming by or cat calls coming from every direction. The change of pace was appreciated by the UNCW students! 



It was also one of my close friend on the trip's birthday! We couldn't find her a birthday cake, so we improvised by making her this Watermelon Cake! After we blew out the candles and scraped the wax off the watermelon, we split it up for the group to enjoy. 


I also sat on the porch of our hotel and enjoyed the beautiful sunset here. Although these sunsets are pretty, they sure don't compare to a Wrightsville Beach Sunset...missing home right about now! 

Substitute Teacher...

On Friday, all of the interns at Isla Bonita were given the task of taking over the classrooms for the day as all of the teachers were attending a Professional Development Seminar. With the energy level of the students and laid back environment, we were all a little nervous as we had only been at the school for a few days now!

Normally, I teach two Math classes in the morning, and assist with the Science lessons. However, today, Spanish was also on the schedule for me to teach since my teacher was out. Most of the students here speak Spanish fluently, so their class is mainly on the grammatical aspect and writing Spanish. 

Obviously I wasn't much help to them with their Spanish class, so instead, we played Cross the Ocean (Sharks and Minnows) on the playground with 7th and 8th grade. The kids had a blast!! But keep in mind of the heat...They asked me why I wouldn't run and play with them, and said, "Miss....why are you sweating you aren't even doing anything out here!" A huge iguana even scurried across the playground! All of the boys were picking it up and trying to tease the girls! I kept my distance...

           

After "Spanish Class" was over, Club time began. The only problem was that none of the UNCW teachers had experienced club time or knew how to lead it. Students ages K-8 were trying to go to Art club, Futbol club, Drama club, and Dance club, but none of us knew what was going, where to send kids, or what we were supposed to be teaching. It was a mad house! Belizean $2 bills were being shoved in our faces by the students, saying that they had to pay for their club. Students were trying to escape, play rough, and do whatever they wanted.  We were hearing different instructions from different teachers, and it seemed like no one was on the same page! After the day was over, both the interns and the students were ready to go home.

Overcoming Obstacles

Entering Standard 5 (7th grade) to begin math class.

Although the learning environment here at Isla Bonita is very relaxed, the students' attitude towards teachers and authority is not. When a teacher or administrator walks into the classroom, the students immediately stand up and say, "Good Morning (your name). Welcome to Standard 5" in unison. The first time it happened I was a little taken aback and in awe, but now it has become a hindrance from entering other classrooms while instruction is ongoing. Once the door cracks open and the students see a UNCW student coming towards the door, they become excited to welcome you, formally, into the classroom. 

Math activity on combining like terms.

Since the students here are very active and have a lot of energy, I've been working towards gearing my lessons to be more hands on and interactive, just like back home. I take any chance I get to get the students up and out of their seats, moving around, and being involved in the lesson. It's rewarding to see the excitement in the room when students get chosen to come to the front, or when they grasp a concept. 

The biggest struggle is an issue that's prevalent in the United States as well. A few students are ahead of grade level and are very bored in class (and they will let you know), while a few students are also severely, grade levels behind. Just like in the US I try to circulate the classroom in order to reach every student, but it doesn't do much good when the student doesn't know simple multiplication such as 1x7. The schools here don't have the resources or administration to correctly address students who might need to repeat grades or be given additional help. Luckily, UNCW has brought 7 special education teachers to assist with classes and work one on one with students who need more attention. They have awesome strategies for learning information as well as social strategies that will benefit them in the classroom.

Some of the girls in Standard 5.

Isla Bonita Primary School

Morning Assembly with the entire school

We had our first day of school!! Talk about a different environment...
The High School here doesn't need/want the help of interns as much as the Primary Schools do (Primary school goes up to 8th grade). SO I am teaching Standard 5 and Standard 6 math class, which is about the equivalent to 7th and 8th grade. If you think Middle School students in the U.S. are rowdy, take a step into my classroom in Belize...

Our professors and past interns from Belize tried to warn us of the energy level of the students here, but my experience the past few days have been nothing like my expectations. Although the class sizes are much smaller here (about 15 students), the classroom management is much more difficult. The students are typically free to run outside between classroom to classroom, walk into other classes without asking their teacher or being considered an "disruption", buy snacks at the concession stand in the courtyard during breaks, and overall have fewer and less strict rules than students in the U.S. This carefree environment is something that I'm not used to at all, and it is the biggest adjustment not having to feel uptight about rules and worrying so much. 

In my classroom, it's very challenging to keep the students quiet and from moving from seat to seat. They also didn't understand the same concept of raising their hands as students in America do. To my Belizean students, raising their hand (followed by jumping in their seat) meant that they had something to say and they were about to say it no matter if you called on them or not. They are very verbal and will let you know (loudly) every thought that goes through their head. They call me Miss, Teacher, or by my first name. Sometimes it feels like I'm in the finding Nemo movie where the seagulls say, "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine..." except for they say, "Miss! Miss! Miss! Miss!..." (Thank you Preston for the comparison haha!)

However, the students here are extremely lovable. They outwardly express their affection and it's only day 2! The older kids are given responsibilities such as transporting themselves to school by walking or biking and by looking after their younger siblings. Between the hugs and other tokens of gratitude, I feel extremely humbled being here. This is experience is truly eye opening and a reality check. It has been quite a change teaching in a different country, but I am learning to think on my toes and be much more flexible in my planning. 

Scuba Diving!!

I finally put my scuba diving skills to the test and took it to the open water! I recently got certified in South Port at Blackbeard Scuba and it was one of the more difficult things that I've done... However, scuba diving in Belize is so worth it!! A boat picked us up on a nearby dock and took us to the dive shop where we picked up our air tank and BC vests (Buoyancy Control). We then got back on the boat and met our Dive Masters and captains. Again, they are so laid back and just assume you know the ropes, even though we reminded them that it was our first dive!! 

Once we got to the first dive spot, they informed us that it was shallow enough to snorkel. Personally, I am not a fan of snorkeling because you don't need the BC vest or regulator. BC vests allow you to pump air in them to keep you afloat with your big tank. This means, I had to swim around and tread water on my own!!! Most of you know I'm not the best swimmer haha! Anyways, I tried my best and was the last back to the boat. This dive location was called Shark Ray Alley, as there were multiple sharks swimming around waiting to be fed. I kept my distance for the most part...

The next location was called the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. At this location, we strapped on our gear, and immediately jumped in the water one by one. Once everyone was in, without any more instruction, our dive masters said, "everyone, let's go down!" and started sinking...My friends and I looked at each other and followed each other to the bottom. It was BEAUTIFUL! So many fish and coral everywhere...it was easy to swim around at the bottom of the ocean and I felt like I was floating. There's so much movement at the bottom of the ocean: stingrays emerging from the sand, schools of fish floating by, and coral waving around. I felt like I was in finding Nemo! I made sure to stay near the dive master so that I wouldn't get lost from the group. The coolest sea life we saw was a huge Sea Turtle! Everyone was gathered around taking pictures with their GoPros as we admired the beautiful creature. Note: you can touch the sharks, but not the sea turtles!! Interesting, right? The dive master shook his finger at me because I mixed up the two...

We start school tomorrow, finally!! Can't wait to meet my teacher and all of my students! 

Tiki Rafiki and Power Outage

We started our service projects today! A few of us decided to volunteer at SAGA Humane Society. SAGA is a non-profit veterinary clinic on the island that hopes to prevent animal cruelty and replace it with kindness to all animals. They provide medical care and shelter to animals in need and subsidizing veterinary care to low-income families. Our job is to volunteer a few times a week after school and walk the dogs in order to give them some play time and exercise so that they can get a new change of scenery for a bit!

The dogs are SO CUTE! I want to take all of them home (can I mom?!) I was given a 6 month old mixed breed to walk named Tiki (I call her Tiki Rafiki). It's evident that the dogs here are so well cared for and are just happy to be out of the fence and getting some time to explore. Although they aren't leash-trained very well, they behaved and seemed to be friendly dogs to children and other animals. We brought a few of our dogs to the beach and called ourselves "squad goals". Check out their website! http://sagahumanesociety.org

The other interesting thing that happened on Thursday night was that the power went out on the whole island!! This obviously means no light in our rooms, no AC, no electricity. We felt like we were camping!! It's very, very hot and humid here, which means sleeping was no fun! Power came back on in the middle of the night, but it was so strong and at once that it blew out fuses and telephone poles caught on fire! It took them another day to fix it!