My how the time flies...

I can't believe how little time I have left here! Only 12 more days of school left until I leave!

I'm not sure how much of an impact I have had on my students here...I certainly don't feel the same connection that I did with my students in the states (probably because I had a lot more responsibility for instruction in the states than I have had here...). BUT, I did take the time to teach them a little bit about Michigan when I first came and I taught one of my classes, one of the ninth grade classes, how to line dance which they really enjoyed :)

I think my greatest challenge in my teaching experience here has been the difference in timing and expectations. At OHHS I was under a lot of pressure to get certain subjects done by certain times; here it is so much more laid back - almost too much so. At OHHS I was frustrated with how fast things were going, here I have found myself getting frustrated for how slow we are going. I think that overall I have learned that timing in teaching is a fine art - if you go to fast the students won't enjoy or learn anything; but if you go too slow the students, and sometimes you, will get bored with the material and it won't be fun or interesting any more. I've tried at times to keep Floria moving along on things...and part of my frustration is that I'm not really sure if it's just her or if that's just how teaching is in general here...but usually these attempts are in vain. I think the real reason it bugs me so much is because I know I won't have time to do the activities I wanted to do with my students in my last week here.

Se la vie. (no idea if I spelled that right...)

So...my biggest lesson from Costa Rica: the importance of relationships and timing!

The Great Floria

I'm going to focus this entry on what I have been learning from my CT here in Costa Rica. Interestingly enough, I think that the most important thing I've learned from Floria that will help me grow professionally, is how to not be so professional. It sounds strange, but I will try to explain.

Floria's relationship with her students really brings to life the motto "students won't care what you know until they know you care." Having a fun and open relationship with your students makes a huge difference in how they respond to you and your teaching. Watching Floria has taught me that you're never going to be a truly successful teacher if you are focused on being "professional" all the time. Obviously, you can't cross the "friend" line; but walking close to it is a fine art that reaps great benefits.

Floria has also helped illustrate just how important it is to forge good relationships with your co-workers, and to not leave anyone behind in that philosophy (janitors, librarians, etc.) Everyone seems to know Floria here, and it's a good thing. Everyone always smiles when they see her, and it seems like she has an inside joke with everyone here. It's a model of having healthy professional relationships I intend to follow :)

Culture Interviews

I asked my CT, Floria, and the teacher that shares our room, Glenn, how they think Costa Rican culture affects education:

Glenn:

1. Alcohol has a much larger role in the culture here than what is socially acceptable in North America. It amazes me when I see students in the Middle and High Schools come to school hung over. Its role is really apparent in graduation parties where there will be multiple types of liquor bottles on every table. (an 8th grader estimated that about 30% of her grade/friends have at least one drink a week)

2. Teachers are extremely highly qualified in Costa Rica - they somehow get a lot of bang for their buck when it comes to teacher education here. Teachers know how to work with what they have; and that shows in their products. Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates south of the United States.

Floria:

1. Costa Rican culture is very laid back, sometimes too laid back. People don't like to work very hard for what they want. Especially when you are working with upper-class students - you can tell when they bring in things that their parents or maids did for them.

2. post secondary education isn't as much of a focus here because you still have such a large job market that does not require a college degree.

3. costa ricans benefit from the country's booming tourism - we're exposed to many other cultures

4. beings a "natural" country takes education on a course toward ecological minded studies (pan-american is very recycling friendly!)

5. public schools are much more costa rica centered; you wouldn't find an extensive world history program in a public school - maybe one year

Don't take this the wrong way, but....

It's going to be weird to go back to the States and not be able to touch my students anymore. I mean that in a strictly non-pedophilic way, but honestly, it's not a big deal here if a student wants a hug; or if they come up to you in a social environment and give you the customary air cheek kiss/hug.

It's strange because in the States it is drilled into your brain that you might as well just not touch students AT ALL in order to avoid any confusion or problems; but here it's just normal. It has been hard for me to adapt - I think students were kind of confused at first as to why I was so impersonal, but now that I am warming up and getting comfortable, I think it might be even harder to go back to that stone cold teacher we are all taught to be. Not to say that I was mean, or completely impersonal before, but it's a whole new level of expectation for friendliness and camaraderie with your students here. I like it. Of course, there is always the line that teachers must balance on with their students between friendliness and being a friend...but I think that line is a tad wider here; and I am comfortable with that.

I introduced one of my 9th grade classes to a little bit of my culture on Friday...and taught them how to line dance! haha. I taught them the hustle, it's the easiest one after all. They loved it; and every single one of them that I saw Friday night at Bingo asked me when we are going to dance again, haha.

I think I have learned so far that Costa Ricans are just generally very friendly and helpful - but at the same time they are also very formal. Men here are persistent; I think "no" means "maybe" to them, haha. Costa Ricans enjoy learning about and experiencing other cultures - but they also seem to have a little bit of a superiority complex when it comes to other Central and South American countries - which, in all honesty, is in many ways earned.

I'm not sure exactly what I expected to experience culturally in Costa Rica before I came - perhaps that is something I should have spent time to write about before leaving. I do know that I have been surprised to find fewer differences between the culture that I expected. I don't know if it's because of where I am living, or because of the school I'm working at...but I don't feel like I have experienced any sort of grand culture shock; if that makes any sense.

This school is a world of difference from OHHS, but I feel that it is fairly similar to NHMS - this probably has something to do with the SES of the students; my students here being much more similar in status to those at NHMS than at OHHS. Actually, I think my students here are even richer...I heard a rumor that one of the older students got a yacht for his birthday - a YACHT!

Students are definitely held to a standard here; and they do not want to get in trouble. I'm not sure if that is because of their own drive to be a good student; or if their parents are really hard on them about it. One thing that I find a little discouraging about students here is that a good handful of them do remind of my students at OHHS in the sense that they don't seem to find education important, or worth their time. However, they do put a lot of effort into their work and into their projects. We just finished up with a project on building models representing multiple topics about Medieval Life.















In fact, many of the students actually LIKE doing projects! Which is great because I think it is a great way to supplement material and to really make the students experience what they are learning. I would be interesting to see though how they would perform on a test; out of curiosity to see if project work really does increase the retaining of knowledge.

One thing that I have noticed as a change in myself is that I have become increasingly aware of the term "American." Costa Ricans are Americans too after all...So I have tried to keep myself from using it as a term that strictly suggests the United States, although it is just so much easier to say in conversation! I don't think that the United States has a horrible image here; at least since Obama was elected anyway. One of the first things people wanted to know about me when I first got here was what I thought about Bush - luckily I have the same opinion that they do about him! :)

I want to see if I can work in some observations of other teachers here to help me with my project - and I definitely need to start diving into some research and some interviewing. I feel a little discouraged though, because I'm not sure that my project is going to end up being what we were all expecting. I don't feel like I have experienced as many differences as I was expecting to in order for it to be a profound finding...we will see!

Honors Project

I realized today that I unfortunately need to start getting serious about my honors senior project! I probably only have about 1/3 of the work done so far - with the research paper that I wrote on the multicultural education movement. I feel like I might actually have some difficulty with the project because I don't feel like things are that different here. It may be because it is a private school, or maybe I'm just not noticing things yet...or maybe it really isn't that different. I don't know. I think my project is going to end up relying more heavily on interviewing the teachers and administrators here than I had expected - I'm not sure that I will observe what I want to on my own.

Pura Vida

If I'm going to talk about the culture in Costa Rica, I have to talk about "pura vida." This "take it easy" philosophy of life is alive and well in Costa Rica; and I think in the school as well. Maybe the pace of instruction has "pura vida" to credit (the 2.5 months:2 years ratio). Either way, in the education setting it certainly is refreshing.

I have also noticed, that both in and out of the schools, Costa Ricans are very formal. This probably won't make sense to those of you who don't speak Spanish, but, the usted form is often used even between family members. The usted form is a more formal way to address someone when speaking to them, whereas the tu form is informal. I have not noticed the tu form being used nearly at all...I have to keep reminding myself not to slip into it since it is the form we practiced the most in school and the form I am most comfortable with.

It seems that in the United States we put a lot more emphasis on the importance of names - perhaps this is a reflection on our emphasis on the importance of the individual. Here, names are not used very often in the classroom. The students call all of their teachers either "Miss" or "Mister"; rarely do I hear mine or any other teacher's name follow. When Floria calls on students in the classroom, she often does not use their names either - whereas in the states our professors always made a big deal about us being able to use and know our students' names.

I don't really have any conclusions to draw here...but these are some of the observations I have made over the past 1.5 weeks.

Pictures of My Classroom and School

This is a picture of the school entrance. When you walk in the first thing you see is the courtyard. The cafeteria is on the second floor across from the entrance (behind the tree)

This is the "hallway" that connects the high school building.













This is the view from my classroom :)

And these are pictures of my classroom! :)

















The whole school is very recycling conscious - which I love!

First Impressions

Can I just say that I am SO excited to be at this school so far?! There are so many things to love.

First of all, the students here are so nice and fun...and they come prepared! :) Secondly, we actually get to spend time on things. The span of history that we covered in 2.5 months at OHHS, they get to spend 2 YEARS on! There's no wonder why the students here are happier, they actually get to learn things and experience history - not just have it shoved down their throats.

I also like the fact that instruction here is research and project based; the students seem to really enjoy it. It is a little strange to me though because it seems like there is going to be very little direct instruction. My CT told me that she usually gives the students their research/project assignment on the first day of class for the week, and that's what they work on by themselves for the rest of the week! She says she will give a lecture from time to time, when it is information that doesn't really have a good project prospect...but for the most part students are learning on their own. I can see a lot of good in this, but also a little bad. If students are learning from their own research on the internet, they could be soaking in false information.

They are also using an interactive notebook system - which I think is really great. they keep their notes in it, complete questionnaires/worksheets in it, paste in pictures, etc. It's like the history alive notebook I used at NHMS, but the 2.0 version because there is a lot more to it and it is checked regularly.

I'm not really sure what to expect for my own role in this type of a classroom. The teacher in this setting seems to me to be very hands-off as far as instruction goes. I can tell that my CT has a GREAT relationship with her students; maybe that is more of the expectation here? That the teacher is a facilitator and there is more emphasis placed on the relationship aspect of education? I'm sure I will figure it out along the way, but these are some of the questions that are already popping into my head after observing for about two days.

One thing is for sure; my role as a teacher will not be the source of my stress here! My CT told me that she NEVER takes home work on the weekends, and actually rarely takes it home on week nights! What a world of a difference from what teaching was like for me in January and February...

Purpose

While I have my personal blog in which I will have all of my rantings and adventures, this blog will be strictly about my teaching experience while in Costa Rica :)

Stay tuned!