Wow wow wow, it’s been a long time since a life update from
Miss Allison’s 2nd/3rd grade class in Panajachel. Jumped
back into life and adventure...Not that being home wasn’t an adventure in
itself…because it sure was! My
cousin flew back to Guatemala with me after the Christmas break. We braved the
city traffic and lack of street signs, when we rented a car in the city. It
truly was a feat just getting out of the city, let alone finding the remote
surf camp in Paredon that we had booked for the following few days. I had my
first run at surfing. I did get up a couple times, but you should know that
with the assistance from a local Guatemalan surf instructor it was hard to
screw up…and by assistance I mean he literally pushed me into the perfect waves
and counted to 4 then said stand up…..so basically as long as I listened to his
instructions and reacted immediately, I was bound for success!
Polo, my surf instructor, and his right hand man Pieter
Polo showing us how it's done
Gary and I - ready to hit the waves…haha not even sure what the approriate surf lingo would be
Paredon Surf Camp
Our palapa home for a few nights
Gary's fish lunch
As far as classroom updates, Miss Allison’s 2nd
and 3rd grade has been working hard on Dinosaur dioramas, natural
disasters, and enjoying new leadership opportunities with our Kinder/First
Grade reading buddies. Our class has settled into a real nice groove. I’ve been
leading the kids in a class cheer since the beginning of the year, so whenever
someone presents something to the class, works through a tough question, or
helps someone in our community we do some variation of CLAP-CLAP- You rock (or
Amazing, excellent, nice work!) I was told from numerous sources that my kiddos
kept that up while I was gone for a few weeks, and were certain to initiate the
class cheer when they saw appropriate. I really am starting to see progress and
just a greater awareness and appreciation for one another. Honestly, it’s great
if they are learning their multiplication facts and tables, but it means the
world to me to see glimpses of new found respect, love of learning and
gratitude among my students. That is when they deserve a class cheer!
Our Kinder/1st Grade Reading Buddies
Dinosaur Dioramas
While everday presents new challenges and surprises (will the whole town lose power for the next 24 hours? Will the water run out in my house? Will my students make the boat from across the lake on time to get to school?) these moments of celebration of students success are what get me up out of bed every single morning. I walk through those school doors eager to see what new moment of connection or learning will occur.
I have a poster hung in my class that reads, “Today is a great day to learn something new.” And that it is folks!
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