Hey readers!
Ok, so last time I was talking about the crazy 5th graders. I forgot to say that I had a very strange and pleasant experience too..... As the school bell rang to let the kids go for the day, I sat in the little computer lab (where I had been trying to work with the 5th graders) and just sat--cooling off the brain. A moment later, in come some of the 6th graders I had be observing (helping the teacher) the week before. They were interested in just hanging out with me for a few minutes and wanted to know what I was doing in there. So I showed them how to use a spreadsheet to help them with their math problems--of which they are all fairly deficient and need tutoring (which will be one of my projects). Not sure if they will remember my tips--but having piqued their curiosity was a good feeling.
But yesterday, I actually got my first hands-on attempt at helping with beginner-basic literacy. I was shadowing one of the other volunteers here--already here a year--and this person was helping at a local school. I never thought teaching the beginner basics could be so hard and by lunch my head was ready to explode. Much kudos and props to the volunteer I was working with and any others who have been dedicated and doing this for so long. I know literacy is a big problem here with people of all ages. You'd be surprised what passes for literacy as far as statistics are concerned.... But I'm really not sure I'll be able to handle teaching literacy, at least from a beginner level. Perhaps it will be different with a different age group. The kids we were working with were probably 3-5 grades. This will be a long road for everyone....
Otherwise it has been raining a ton here lately and I like it. Well, I don't like getting the shoes soaked--which has been frequent--and I haven't broken down into sandals yet. >.< But after playing with the area kids the other day and getting really dirty nasty, I was in desperate need of a shower. The rain came hard so I figured why not....and stood out in it. My host mom was on the porch and I joked with her about showering in the rain. What did she do? Got my soap from my room. Ended up taking my first rain 'shower' right in front of the house and it was GREAT! Nobody cared either--later finding out that while not too common, people do it here. Lol.....I took another one around 5 this morning. ^_^
Going on a little field trip with the training crew today. I wonder what will be in store.
Hope all are happy and well.
ciao tutti
~Your wannabe jedi
~Shawn
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