The past few nights during devotions we have been talking about the goals that we have for ourselves for when we return home. One of the common themes includes time management and making sure that we make more times daily for God and relationships with others. My personal goal is to be intentional. I was so intentional about getting to know all of my students and making sure they knew that they were loved while I was at Faith Nazarene School. When I return home I want to be more intentional about getting to know my friends better, making sure that the people that I am blessed to have in my life know that they are loved, and to intentionally share Christ's love with my students. For me, the change that occured wasn't in a teaching style or behavior management technique, but in my heart. God has broken my heart for what breaks His and I could not be more excited to see the future that He holds for me because of it all.
This morning (Sunday) we spent our last Sunday at Succotz Church of the Nazarene. I think it is safe to see that all of us girls have been blessed by this church and its people. The pastor spoke this morning about Romans 12 and truly being living sacrifices for God. This hit home for me, especially near the end of our trip. As we continue to Caye Caulker and especially as we journey home, the focus of our life should be being a living sacrifice for God, what a great task and honor!
After church we made our last walk up the hills back to camp (if we don't have calves of steel when we return home I will be a little disappointed). Our last meal, made by our cooks, was delicious...especially the cheese dip. Shortly after lunch we loaded a trailer with our luggage, loaded into the 26 passenger van and made our way to Belize city. The few hour drive was full of amazing sites. It was bittersweet to leave our home of two weeks, but this hotel does not disappoint! Compared to North American standards, this hotel wouldn't rate too highly, but after two weeks at the Nazarene Campgrounds the air conditioning and hot shower are priceless! The warm shower was one of the best of my life and I finally feel clean. Sleeping on a real bed tonight sure won't be a let down either.
Please continue to prayer for us! Even though we are done teaching, we are still "unpacking" the experience and learning from it. Tomorrow at 8am we leave for our water taxi to Caye Caulker where we will be living the good life! Again, Internet access may be limited so no news doesn't mean bad news! Thank you so much for all of the prayers, we have been so blessed. We all send our love and miss you, can't wait to see you all soon!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Ambassadors
What a great Saturday it was! We all slept in leisurely and woke up when the sun became too bright. I took my second to last shower an managed to avoid all creepy crawlers then had another delicious breakfast. I then traveled back to Xunantunich (the Mayan ruin) with 6 other girls. This time I remembered to bring along Flat Stanley and the Daily Record! The sight from the top still left me in awe. I can't even begin to describe how awesome it was! We ate lunch at Benny's in town. I tried cow foot for the first (and hopefully last) time. It tasted surprisingly bland and chewy like jello. We hit up the market one last time and made a lot of final souvenir purchases. The evening ended at church for the youth service. The message was an amazing one, the pastor spoke about how we are all ambassadors of Christ and how they will be continually praying for us to be good representatives as we return to the states. I will truly miss the church services here. Time for bed, got to get in plenty of sleep so I can wake up to watch the sunrise.
Reflection from Morgan
Hola Families, Friends, and Prayer Warriors,
In less than one week we will be on a plane heading home, leaving this beautiful country, we have all come to love, Belize! I can hardly believe we'll be leaving. Yesterday was our last day with our precious students. No part of this day was easy. Whether we were reading one last game of "freeze catch" or getting those last few hugs, we all scored each and every memory. We truly have memories that we'll never forget.
As we all shared in devotions last night after a long, emotional day, a common trend of our feelings after eight days in our different classrooms was blessed. Each and everyone of us has been blessed by our students, our cooperating teachers, each other and God. Even though it is hard to leave these kids that we will always hold a special place in our hearts, we are blessed to come home to all of you in just six days! We're definitely looking forward to seeing our families and friends, but the snow...not so excited about that. For now we are looking forward to a few data on the beaches of Caye Caulker! :) Today we are relaxing, shopping and eating lunch at Benny's before we leave the place we've called home for two weeks tomorrow afternoon.
Can't wait to see you all...Dad, Mom, Mallory, Jon, Parker, Madison, Mackenzie, and Ben...But until then I'm soaking up the sun!
Love and Miss you all!
Morgan Coburn
In less than one week we will be on a plane heading home, leaving this beautiful country, we have all come to love, Belize! I can hardly believe we'll be leaving. Yesterday was our last day with our precious students. No part of this day was easy. Whether we were reading one last game of "freeze catch" or getting those last few hugs, we all scored each and every memory. We truly have memories that we'll never forget.
As we all shared in devotions last night after a long, emotional day, a common trend of our feelings after eight days in our different classrooms was blessed. Each and everyone of us has been blessed by our students, our cooperating teachers, each other and God. Even though it is hard to leave these kids that we will always hold a special place in our hearts, we are blessed to come home to all of you in just six days! We're definitely looking forward to seeing our families and friends, but the snow...not so excited about that. For now we are looking forward to a few data on the beaches of Caye Caulker! :) Today we are relaxing, shopping and eating lunch at Benny's before we leave the place we've called home for two weeks tomorrow afternoon.
Can't wait to see you all...Dad, Mom, Mallory, Jon, Parker, Madison, Mackenzie, and Ben...But until then I'm soaking up the sun!
Love and Miss you all!
Morgan Coburn
Friday, January 20, 2012
Nature
Before I left for Belize I had the feeling that the people there needed me. I felt that they needed me to help them teach, to show them love, just to make their lives better. I absolutely hate to admit that I ever thought these things, especially now. The people of Belize didn't need me at all, I needed them. I needed them to remind me that life is about relationships, community, and Christ. I needed them to break my heart so I could see what it is really all about. In my freshman and sophomore fields felt like my goals for the day were to teach a good lesson or learn a new strategy from my cooperating teacher. My junior year I put a little more focus on investing my time in the student's lives. My goal while here has totally been surrounded around just showing love to my students and I wonder why this hasn't been my focus all along. I know this experience in Belize will have a definite impact on my attitude as I enter my next field and as I one day have students of my own.
On a completely different as I was typing this I had the first encounter with a tarantula. All of the girls are seated around one long table in our cafeteria playing Draw Pass as Rachel and I sat at a nearby table headphones in blogging and journaling. Out of the corner of my eye I see Rachel rip out her earbuds and jump on top of the bench while calmly saying, "Girls there is a tarantula." I looked down to see a very nice sized tarantula right inbetween Rachel and myself. I jumped up and booked it to our cabin where I knew Jean had a small fish net just for such tarantula occasions. I ran to her bed, grabbed the fish net, and announced that we had a tarantula in the cafeteria. By the time I arrived back to the cafeteria all the girls were standing atop tables and benches screaming at the top of their lungs. The first attempt to trap the tarantula under the net was not successful, those things are creepily fast! It was then cornered against the leg of the bench and was easily trapped under the net. Thanks to the ingenuity of Ali we slid a piece of paper under the net trapping the tarantula in-between. Ali, Brittany Day, and I picked up the net and paper contraption and walked it out to the sidewalk. Then began the debate of wether to release it or to kill it and how. The decision was made that for our peace of mind it's life would have to be sacrificed. Brittany Day took the plunge and did the deed in two swift stomps while wearing flip flops. Thinking we were done with tarantulas I returned the net to Jean and told them that we had taken care of everything. We all settle back to our games and blogging thinking we were safe. Not even 10 minutes later were we standing on table tops screaming. I made another dart back to the dorm for the net and returned to find that the tarantula had hid under the fridge. We attempted to get it out with a broom stick, but did not succeed. We think it might have been impailed by the fridge leg, but the fish net sits next to me as I type this. We have (so far) survived to see another day.
On a completely different as I was typing this I had the first encounter with a tarantula. All of the girls are seated around one long table in our cafeteria playing Draw Pass as Rachel and I sat at a nearby table headphones in blogging and journaling. Out of the corner of my eye I see Rachel rip out her earbuds and jump on top of the bench while calmly saying, "Girls there is a tarantula." I looked down to see a very nice sized tarantula right inbetween Rachel and myself. I jumped up and booked it to our cabin where I knew Jean had a small fish net just for such tarantula occasions. I ran to her bed, grabbed the fish net, and announced that we had a tarantula in the cafeteria. By the time I arrived back to the cafeteria all the girls were standing atop tables and benches screaming at the top of their lungs. The first attempt to trap the tarantula under the net was not successful, those things are creepily fast! It was then cornered against the leg of the bench and was easily trapped under the net. Thanks to the ingenuity of Ali we slid a piece of paper under the net trapping the tarantula in-between. Ali, Brittany Day, and I picked up the net and paper contraption and walked it out to the sidewalk. Then began the debate of wether to release it or to kill it and how. The decision was made that for our peace of mind it's life would have to be sacrificed. Brittany Day took the plunge and did the deed in two swift stomps while wearing flip flops. Thinking we were done with tarantulas I returned the net to Jean and told them that we had taken care of everything. We all settle back to our games and blogging thinking we were safe. Not even 10 minutes later were we standing on table tops screaming. I made another dart back to the dorm for the net and returned to find that the tarantula had hid under the fridge. We attempted to get it out with a broom stick, but did not succeed. We think it might have been impailed by the fridge leg, but the fish net sits next to me as I type this. We have (so far) survived to see another day.
Reflection from Bethany
This morning when I woke up, I knew that it was going to be one of the hardest days I've had in a long time. I did not want to think about saying goodbye to my kids. I knew this feeling would consume me, so I just prayed that I would not only feel sadness today. Needless to say, he answered my prayers better than I could have imagined.
I walked into my classroom and was hugged and greeted by 30 rambunctious 5 and 6 year olds who know little to no English. Still, it was the best way to start the school day. I then received a note from a girl in my class that said, "miss Bethany, we love you because you good teacher. Love, Jacqueline". This was the beginning of many notes from my students and other admirers. Today the students took tests, so I did not get to interact with as many of them as I wanted, but I was still blessed to be with them. For lunch, our teachers and principal cooked a special celebration meal of tamales, potato salad, and chips and salsa. It was so yummy! The food here is killing me though, I think I've gained weight when I've wanted to lose it! The rest of the day I was able to play with my wonderful students and just be with them. There is one boy named Ethan who has captured my heart. Most of our conversations consist of him saying,"miss Bethany!" and then rattling off in Spanish and me looking very confused. But today, he came up to me with a very determined look on his face. He then said,"miss Bethany, you are very pretty and nice" in a very rehearsed manner. It blessed me so much that he took the time to learn to say something in english to me.
At the end of the day, I was overwhelmed with hugs, kisses, letters, happiness, and sadness. My cooperating teacher told me that my hard work will take me anywhere I need to go and she can't imagine her classroom without me. I had a really rough start with her, and it ended beautifully.
This trip has completely changed me. I've learned to look for the positive things in life. I've learned to love with my whole heart. I've learned that God is always near and preparing my heart for greater things. I'm so thankful for this trip. It has made me into someone I'm proud to be. It has created new relationships with friends. It has given me a new perspective on life and teaching. Mom, dad, and Ryan- Im apologizing in advance for the many Belize stories I'll be talking about constantly. :) thank you everyone for the prayers you've showered over us. I would not trade my experience for anything in the world. See you all in a week!
With love,
Bethany
I walked into my classroom and was hugged and greeted by 30 rambunctious 5 and 6 year olds who know little to no English. Still, it was the best way to start the school day. I then received a note from a girl in my class that said, "miss Bethany, we love you because you good teacher. Love, Jacqueline". This was the beginning of many notes from my students and other admirers. Today the students took tests, so I did not get to interact with as many of them as I wanted, but I was still blessed to be with them. For lunch, our teachers and principal cooked a special celebration meal of tamales, potato salad, and chips and salsa. It was so yummy! The food here is killing me though, I think I've gained weight when I've wanted to lose it! The rest of the day I was able to play with my wonderful students and just be with them. There is one boy named Ethan who has captured my heart. Most of our conversations consist of him saying,"miss Bethany!" and then rattling off in Spanish and me looking very confused. But today, he came up to me with a very determined look on his face. He then said,"miss Bethany, you are very pretty and nice" in a very rehearsed manner. It blessed me so much that he took the time to learn to say something in english to me.
At the end of the day, I was overwhelmed with hugs, kisses, letters, happiness, and sadness. My cooperating teacher told me that my hard work will take me anywhere I need to go and she can't imagine her classroom without me. I had a really rough start with her, and it ended beautifully.
This trip has completely changed me. I've learned to look for the positive things in life. I've learned to love with my whole heart. I've learned that God is always near and preparing my heart for greater things. I'm so thankful for this trip. It has made me into someone I'm proud to be. It has created new relationships with friends. It has given me a new perspective on life and teaching. Mom, dad, and Ryan- Im apologizing in advance for the many Belize stories I'll be talking about constantly. :) thank you everyone for the prayers you've showered over us. I would not trade my experience for anything in the world. See you all in a week!
With love,
Bethany
Bittersweet
Thursday, oh man. Mrs Taylor (University Supervisor) observed my lesson today and well, it was interesting. My cooperating teacher was gone for the entire lesson and my students were out of control! I tried every behavior management strategy that I could think of and said many prayers for patience...and somehow made it out alive. At the end of the lesson I was exhausted and disappointed in myself for not having the lesson going as planned, but I know that I tried my hardest. Mrs Taylor was very reaffirming during our conference, it was good to hear affirmation that I did my best and she was impressed with my patience. My experience with my cooperating teacher has definitely been a unique one, to put it nicely. Regardless of the many negatives that there were, I have learned a ton about classroom management and teaching.
Today (Friday) was the last day in the classroom. It was soooooo bittersweet. I will miss my students as individuals so much! I got plenty of pictures and had them all trace their hands and decorate them so I can pray for them and place my hand over theirs while I do so. It has been a very stretching time. I have grown so much as a teacher and a Christian, this has truly been an amazing experience. I am so blessed. In the same hand I am glad to be done with lesson plans and have some time for relaxation.
I am not sure how much Internet access I will have in the next week, but I will try to keep you all updated. Tomorrow we are sleeping in (as long as is possible with roosters, dogs, and howler monkies) and then heading into town for lunch at Benny's as well as some shopping at the market. Sunday brings church and then driving to Belize City before our departure to Caye Caulker.
Today (Friday) was the last day in the classroom. It was soooooo bittersweet. I will miss my students as individuals so much! I got plenty of pictures and had them all trace their hands and decorate them so I can pray for them and place my hand over theirs while I do so. It has been a very stretching time. I have grown so much as a teacher and a Christian, this has truly been an amazing experience. I am so blessed. In the same hand I am glad to be done with lesson plans and have some time for relaxation.
I am not sure how much Internet access I will have in the next week, but I will try to keep you all updated. Tomorrow we are sleeping in (as long as is possible with roosters, dogs, and howler monkies) and then heading into town for lunch at Benny's as well as some shopping at the market. Sunday brings church and then driving to Belize City before our departure to Caye Caulker.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Learning Styles
On Wednesday I received a much needed break from teaching and got to observe for the day. With so much time to observe I have a lot to reflect on!
The morning started with an interesting decision. We could choose to shower with a very large spider or with a cockroach. Both animals sought shelter in our showers and were a lovely morning surprise! We survived our showers and were rewarded for our bravery with pancakes!
I arrived at Faith Nazarene School early and had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with my students before school began. Imelin is a young girl in my class who, my cooperating teacher says, is abused by her family. Imelin is the youngest child in her family and she is neglected and made to do all of the chores in the home. She is often sleeping during the afternoon, rarely speaks in class, and is very withdrawn. I was reaffirmed that I am doing something right when Imelin saw me and smiled this morning. I don't think I have ever seen her smile before. I sat down next to her and we had a nice conversation about what she did yesterday and what her favorite hobbies are. I was happy to many any connection with her!
Another highlight of my day was when my cooperating teacher used a strategy for checking for understanding that I modeled in an earlier lesson. It made me happy to see some individual student attention in the classroom.
A cultural difference that I have seen in my classroom focuses around learning styles that are taught in the classroom. My teacher lectures and has students take notes (verbal and visual). In a second grade classroom in the States you would expect to see very little note-taking and lecturing and more experiential, kinesthetic, and visual learning. It is very important for teachers to teach to the whole range of learning styles. The teachers in Belize have not received formal training in the learning styles (something that we cover deeply in the States) so it is interesting to see their perspective on the issues. During the two day seminar that we had last week, Sharon, Jean, and Lena talked a lot about learning styles and teaching to them. I feel like this was a great step for some Belizean teachers!
I can't believe that this week is almost over! Prayers for patience and guidance are appreciated as we teach our final lessons! We all send our love! Can't wait to see you soon!
The morning started with an interesting decision. We could choose to shower with a very large spider or with a cockroach. Both animals sought shelter in our showers and were a lovely morning surprise! We survived our showers and were rewarded for our bravery with pancakes!
I arrived at Faith Nazarene School early and had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with my students before school began. Imelin is a young girl in my class who, my cooperating teacher says, is abused by her family. Imelin is the youngest child in her family and she is neglected and made to do all of the chores in the home. She is often sleeping during the afternoon, rarely speaks in class, and is very withdrawn. I was reaffirmed that I am doing something right when Imelin saw me and smiled this morning. I don't think I have ever seen her smile before. I sat down next to her and we had a nice conversation about what she did yesterday and what her favorite hobbies are. I was happy to many any connection with her!
Another highlight of my day was when my cooperating teacher used a strategy for checking for understanding that I modeled in an earlier lesson. It made me happy to see some individual student attention in the classroom.
A cultural difference that I have seen in my classroom focuses around learning styles that are taught in the classroom. My teacher lectures and has students take notes (verbal and visual). In a second grade classroom in the States you would expect to see very little note-taking and lecturing and more experiential, kinesthetic, and visual learning. It is very important for teachers to teach to the whole range of learning styles. The teachers in Belize have not received formal training in the learning styles (something that we cover deeply in the States) so it is interesting to see their perspective on the issues. During the two day seminar that we had last week, Sharon, Jean, and Lena talked a lot about learning styles and teaching to them. I feel like this was a great step for some Belizean teachers!
I can't believe that this week is almost over! Prayers for patience and guidance are appreciated as we teach our final lessons! We all send our love! Can't wait to see you soon!
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