...doing activities along with my students

Well, the punt got me far enough downfield. I am satisfied. During the 10 minute free-write each class did, I wrote right along with my students. (I made sure to glance around from time to time, making sure my students were actually right along with me, but my pen nearly never stopped moving.) I thought I'd share these three 10 minute writings with you.

(Context for the first one: that morning we had a flag day assembly out in front of the school, where students should have been paying attention and being patriotic, not to mention simply being respectful of what was going on. I was completely unimpressed by the behavior of my 11th graders. Many of them were acting like second graders - talking with their neighbors WHINING when a teacher would split them up - "Meeeester...no. Meeeester, no." They're all right in class, but the girls especially are terrors when in larger groups like chapel or this assembly:)

#1
This morning we had acto cívico for flag day, and every student from 6th-12th grade met out by the flagpole for a ceremony of raising the flag and a speech from Mr. Barahona about the flag, the national anthem, and pride for your country. (At least that's what I could gather from the speech in Spanish.) What I was really struck by during the assembly was not the sound of the anthem being sung, or the carefully thought-out words by Mr. Barahona, but the fact that so many of my students couldn't seem less interested in being there. I come to expect some national pride from everybody, or if someone is not proud of their country I expect them to be vocal about it or make protests or the like - but these students couldn't seem to care about anything but making sure their hair was straight or talking with their friends about things they can talk about countless moments out of the day. It really makes me wonder why it's worth being down here in Honduras teaching. I'm expecting to teach the future leaders of the country, but those future leaders don't seem to care about their country. Why should I bother trying to teach them or inspire them? I hope they can prove me a reason why in the near future, because their apathy is incredibly discouraging. I can understand not caring about English or reading - I come to expect that, in fact - but I'm not seeing much besides frivolous things that certain students can actually invest energy in. I hope I'm seeing things wrong.

#2
The second class of the day. Things are moving forward. The smaller children are playing outside, with an occasional scream punctuating the half-silence of the room. Silence comes at a great premium here at International School. The Honduran heat necessitates open windows, and the close proximity of elementary, middle, and high schools ensure that some group of people will be somewhere nearby making noise at all times of the day. I think my students in general are accustomed to it, but I am not yet. I hope I may grow to be accustomed to it, to appreciate the joyous noises of youth, and allow them to complement the way I teach rather than fight it.

There is much I need to grow accustomed to here in Honduras. It is a beautiful country, but changing your lifestyle is never an easy transition. I pray to God every day for continued smoothness and the grace to adapt, and in general, I can see him answering my prayers.

#3
The end of another day. 7 school days down. I'm starting to feel the groove of the year and understand how each week can be expected to go. Of course, next week we won't have any actos cívicos or half days, and I'll really be able to understand that, but for now, I'm just glad to be able to remember which classes I have double periods with and when.

I'm glad that I feel comfortable in front of class. I'm glad that the class, my students, seem comfortable to be in class, even when they come sweaty and tired from PE. Being comfortable is the most important thing for learning, I feel. I know I have to plan things competently, but even planning will be easier when I know whatever happens in class, we all will feel at ease. When we feel at ease, we are more willing to take risks. When we take risks, we can really grow. Once we grow, we feel comfortable in even more situations and the process starts all over again. This is what learning should be and, I feel, what God expects of us. I pray that my efforts, as well as those of my students, will help this happen.