Today was my last day at Coley Mountain Primary. What a hard day! The staff and students said a little speech and gave us all a little gift. It was so sweet of them!
Throughout the whole day the students were giving hugs and asking to take pictures! They love it when you take pictures of them because they never get their picture taken! So yes I took many many pictures!!
At the end of the day I gave all the students pencils, erasers, sharpeners, board games, frisbees, and chalk. They absolutely loved it!
It was especially hard when they gave me all hugs to say goodbye. I teared up and put my sun glasses on :). We hopped in the car and all the students were grabbing and shaking our hands as we drove away. I cried :(.
They are such a great group of kids! They have made such a huge impact on me and they have made a memory that I will never ever forget!
I <3 Jamaica!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Mom and Megan
Today I got to bring my mom and sister to school with me! I was so excited to watch the reactions on their face when they walked up to the school! It was definitely priceless! My sister is a Dental Hygienist in Madison and my mom is a first grade school teacher in the Parkview School District. My sister brought tooth brushes and tooth paste for all 115 students! She was also able to give a dental health lesson to the students. As she passed out the tooth brushes one of the girls told Megan that she was so happy to be getting a toothbrush because the last time she received one was on her ninth birthday. Today she is 11 years old and she was hoping to get 2! How sad is that. It broke my heart to hear that! Imagine the things that we take for granted and she just wanted a toothbrush!
The students absolutely loved it!! It was a rewarding feeling that no one will be able to take away from us!
Once my sister was done with all her lessons for the whole school my mom was able to give her presentation. Newark Elementary in the Parkview School District donated a numerous amount of supplies. There was glue bottles, over 200 pencils, crayons, loose leaf paper, erasers, etc! It was so amazing! We got to take tons of pictures. There were many laughs and many tears! The teachers and students were so grateful for what was donated!
After our trip my mom looked at me and said, "Ya know I have looked at your pictures and I thought I knew what your experience was. After being here and sharing this experience with you there is no way to explain this experience and the feeling that you get! It is unexplainable!" This is so true. I will not be able to explain how this experience has made me feel, but I know it has changed my perspective on life, schools, and teaching. All for the better though!
I had to say goodbye to mom and Mag today! After our long day they packed their bags and we said our goodbyes. It was emotional, but they are on their way to Negril, Jamaica. They will have a blast laying in the beach and relaxing! I will miss them not being here with me!
The students absolutely loved it!! It was a rewarding feeling that no one will be able to take away from us!
Once my sister was done with all her lessons for the whole school my mom was able to give her presentation. Newark Elementary in the Parkview School District donated a numerous amount of supplies. There was glue bottles, over 200 pencils, crayons, loose leaf paper, erasers, etc! It was so amazing! We got to take tons of pictures. There were many laughs and many tears! The teachers and students were so grateful for what was donated!
After our trip my mom looked at me and said, "Ya know I have looked at your pictures and I thought I knew what your experience was. After being here and sharing this experience with you there is no way to explain this experience and the feeling that you get! It is unexplainable!" This is so true. I will not be able to explain how this experience has made me feel, but I know it has changed my perspective on life, schools, and teaching. All for the better though!
I had to say goodbye to mom and Mag today! After our long day they packed their bags and we said our goodbyes. It was emotional, but they are on their way to Negril, Jamaica. They will have a blast laying in the beach and relaxing! I will miss them not being here with me!
YS Falls
What a weekend!!! Saturday me and Jenna went to the airport and picked up my mom and sister! Man was I excited to see them! It was nice to have a little bit of home here in Jamaica! We took them to a place called Island Grill for some dinner. This was their first Jamaican meal of jerk chicken and rice! I think mom found her new favorite kind of food!! She loved it!! We all got back to the hotel around 7 and we were wiped out! Early night for all of us!
Sunday was our BIG day! We went to YS Falls! All I can say is what a beautiful place! I can't even explain the wonderful view I saw! We got to climb to the top of the falls and swim in the pools! It was chilly but refreshing! There were three levels of the falls. The second level you got to swing off of a rope into the pool! It was a blast but I was scared! I didn't want to hit any rocks, but obviously I'm still here! The third level we got to climb across the falls and do a canon ball into the next level! So much fun!
Once we were done swimming we went zip lining down and around the falls! It is a definite rush zooming and flying across the falls!
I was so happy to have my mom and sister here to experience all this with me! They definitely made my weekend!!!
Sunday was our BIG day! We went to YS Falls! All I can say is what a beautiful place! I can't even explain the wonderful view I saw! We got to climb to the top of the falls and swim in the pools! It was chilly but refreshing! There were three levels of the falls. The second level you got to swing off of a rope into the pool! It was a blast but I was scared! I didn't want to hit any rocks, but obviously I'm still here! The third level we got to climb across the falls and do a canon ball into the next level! So much fun!
Once we were done swimming we went zip lining down and around the falls! It is a definite rush zooming and flying across the falls!
I was so happy to have my mom and sister here to experience all this with me! They definitely made my weekend!!!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Ready for a relaxing weekend!
Still having a blast! I absolutely love Jamaica! This week In the schools I learned that the first grade class is far behind compared to my students in Stoughton. Right now they are just learning their beginning consonant sounds. I feel this is the same for all the classes. It feels they are one year behind on every grade.
This week I also got observed by my cooperating teacher! I created a fun activity for my students and the loved it. I had them working in groups which they have never done before. They were doing hands on work which helped them gain a better understanding of the letters I was teaching them. I thought the lesson went fabulous and I guess it did because I got all high scores! Made me feel good!
On Wednesday I got to observe the Basic School which is ages 3-5! They are so cute!!!
Thursday and Friday I helped Miss Jenna with PE. It is so fun to watch them play the games we show them. it amazes me how much they can't wait for PE! Ever minute someone is coming up to me, "Miss Miss, PE today!" I feel bad when they don't have PE because they look forward to it and this is the only time thrived PE, when the whitewater students are down here. It is sad to hear that they don't continue it when we are gone.
I am definitely looking forward to this weekend, my mom and sister are coming down to visit me!!!! It will be nice to see a little bit of home!!
This week I also got observed by my cooperating teacher! I created a fun activity for my students and the loved it. I had them working in groups which they have never done before. They were doing hands on work which helped them gain a better understanding of the letters I was teaching them. I thought the lesson went fabulous and I guess it did because I got all high scores! Made me feel good!
On Wednesday I got to observe the Basic School which is ages 3-5! They are so cute!!!
Thursday and Friday I helped Miss Jenna with PE. It is so fun to watch them play the games we show them. it amazes me how much they can't wait for PE! Ever minute someone is coming up to me, "Miss Miss, PE today!" I feel bad when they don't have PE because they look forward to it and this is the only time thrived PE, when the whitewater students are down here. It is sad to hear that they don't continue it when we are gone.
I am definitely looking forward to this weekend, my mom and sister are coming down to visit me!!!! It will be nice to see a little bit of home!!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Week 2
This weekend was amazing!!! We went to Negril relaxed by the beach for the weekend. Saturday we went snorkeling! It was a lot of fun! I would definitely go again! Sunday we went to a place called Ricks Cafe. This is place where people go cliff diving! Yes I went cliff jumping! Nervous, yes, but it was a complete blast!
Back to teaching on Monday. It was nice to be back at school. It's amazing how attached I get with the students! They are a wild group and hard to control but ya got to love them!
Today I got observed by my university supervisor. I was nervous because of how she was going to judge me on classroom management. Everything went well though! I was very surprised on how well behaved my students were! They actually listened to me :) They loved singing the morning songs with me and playing the game I made up for them. They were so in tuned which made me a happy teacher! By the way I got all high scores :) Yay!
It's funny how they students and teachers use different words for objects. For example:
Eraser- rubber
A period- a full stop
A lower case letter- a common letter
They get confused when I use the 'american' way! Funny!
Back to teaching on Monday. It was nice to be back at school. It's amazing how attached I get with the students! They are a wild group and hard to control but ya got to love them!
Today I got observed by my university supervisor. I was nervous because of how she was going to judge me on classroom management. Everything went well though! I was very surprised on how well behaved my students were! They actually listened to me :) They loved singing the morning songs with me and playing the game I made up for them. They were so in tuned which made me a happy teacher! By the way I got all high scores :) Yay!
It's funny how they students and teachers use different words for objects. For example:
Eraser- rubber
A period- a full stop
A lower case letter- a common letter
They get confused when I use the 'american' way! Funny!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Ummmm.....
Today was a day that was going so well with the class! Me and the teacher were having fun singing and the students were loving it too. The students were so excited to sing the says of the week song! It just thrilled me ti see their excitement!! But today was a day that I don't want to see again. A child was misbehaving and the teacher ran over to him with a large thick stick, cornered him and hit him in the back and the side. I stood there in shock as he cried his eyes out and screamed. I had no clue what to think. Thankfully it was almost lunch so I went to the break area and just cried. I have never felt that feeling before. I got instantly sick to my stomach and could barely function cuz of what I saw. Who in there right mind would hit a 1st grader, not just a 1st grader but any child like that. I get sick just thinking about it. Hopefully it's the last time I see that!!!!
Thankfully we leave for Negril tomorrow afternoon for some relaxing and some beach action! I will definitely be on the beach ALL weekend :)
Have a great weekend and hope your enjoying the snow!
Thankfully we leave for Negril tomorrow afternoon for some relaxing and some beach action! I will definitely be on the beach ALL weekend :)
Have a great weekend and hope your enjoying the snow!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Better :)
Yes today was a lot better :) I was a little nervous because school started at. 8:30 and there were only 2 teachers there at 8:40. I know that is something that would not happen in the states! Finally, I met my teacher today and within five minutes she realized she left a key for something at home. At this point she looked at me and said, "there yours til I get back." Again I thought! I was able to take them outside and teach then songs I taught my first graders at Kegonsa! They had fun, but in the end they kept asking, "Miss,miss, can we play ball." These students want to be playing games and moving all the time.
Today was more of a relaxing day for me! I was able to just observe, but still I couldn't help my self from helping the students! What can I say, I love what I do!
I made a smart decision today and brought extra pencils, erasers, and sharpeners to school. It is amazing that these supplies are not easily accessible to them! I gave all my students an eraser to put on there pencils. I told them they had to keep the erasers for the time I was there. I realized that the students were trying not to use them to save them for a long time. It's like they were afraid because they might not get another one. They were all very grateful to receive one.
I feel good about the rest of my time here! It should be a blast!
Today was more of a relaxing day for me! I was able to just observe, but still I couldn't help my self from helping the students! What can I say, I love what I do!
I made a smart decision today and brought extra pencils, erasers, and sharpeners to school. It is amazing that these supplies are not easily accessible to them! I gave all my students an eraser to put on there pencils. I told them they had to keep the erasers for the time I was there. I realized that the students were trying not to use them to save them for a long time. It's like they were afraid because they might not get another one. They were all very grateful to receive one.
I feel good about the rest of my time here! It should be a blast!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
1st Day of School!
Well, where to begin....
We rode to school with one of the parents of the students, which is also the husband of the guidance counselor. What a crazy drive through mountains. Thought I was going to get car sick! Got there fast though!!
The day started with 15 minutes of devotion to the lord and thanking him for all he has done for them. The day actually starts at 8:45. When I walked into the class the principal joined me. She looked around the room and the first grade teacher was no where to be found. So yes I was told that I was in charge for the day! Scared...yes I was!!!! It is scary to not haves plan or clue or any idea how to teach the students or even what to teach them! Some how managed to get through the day! Good thing I had previous experience in a first grade classroom so it helped so much!
Keeping the students under control is a little harder than I thought. I had one student who was yelling, hitting, not paying attention, climbing on top of the teachers desk, and running into the other classes and stealing there stuff. What an adventure! Not only was is it just one student but some of the other boys would follow in his steps. Mind you I had 12 boys and 2 girls!
Thankfully the other student teacher, Jenna was able to come into my class and help me! She is the physical education student teacher so at the end of the day we were able to go outside and play with jump ropes. Now, it may sound simple to play with the jump ropes, but let me tell you, to get the students to form a line is probably one of the hardest things I have had to do! The are all very self oriented and don't care what the other students think of them. So the students will be pushing, punching, and throwing rocks at each other just to be in line. Not very fun!
Although this experience may sound like a crazy nightmare, I think it was good for me to be thrown in this position. It made me realize how much I count on students to understand what I am telling them. It also makes me feel selfish in the ways the schools back home are ran. We are very fortunate for all we have!
We rode to school with one of the parents of the students, which is also the husband of the guidance counselor. What a crazy drive through mountains. Thought I was going to get car sick! Got there fast though!!
The day started with 15 minutes of devotion to the lord and thanking him for all he has done for them. The day actually starts at 8:45. When I walked into the class the principal joined me. She looked around the room and the first grade teacher was no where to be found. So yes I was told that I was in charge for the day! Scared...yes I was!!!! It is scary to not haves plan or clue or any idea how to teach the students or even what to teach them! Some how managed to get through the day! Good thing I had previous experience in a first grade classroom so it helped so much!
Keeping the students under control is a little harder than I thought. I had one student who was yelling, hitting, not paying attention, climbing on top of the teachers desk, and running into the other classes and stealing there stuff. What an adventure! Not only was is it just one student but some of the other boys would follow in his steps. Mind you I had 12 boys and 2 girls!
Thankfully the other student teacher, Jenna was able to come into my class and help me! She is the physical education student teacher so at the end of the day we were able to go outside and play with jump ropes. Now, it may sound simple to play with the jump ropes, but let me tell you, to get the students to form a line is probably one of the hardest things I have had to do! The are all very self oriented and don't care what the other students think of them. So the students will be pushing, punching, and throwing rocks at each other just to be in line. Not very fun!
Although this experience may sound like a crazy nightmare, I think it was good for me to be thrown in this position. It made me realize how much I count on students to understand what I am telling them. It also makes me feel selfish in the ways the schools back home are ran. We are very fortunate for all we have!
Monday, January 16, 2012
At the Schools
Today we spent the morning visiting the three schools we would be student teaching at. What an experience!! It is amazing how the students react to our presence. They were wide eyed and so shocked to see us, but very excited. The first thing they wanted to do is touch our arms. The students were also very well mannered. Every time an authority figure, such as the principal, the students stood up and greeted him/her using miss and mister! I was so surprised to see that much respect in a classroom. I was able to go into first grade classroom and talk with the students. I asked them to show me a game they like to play. They showed me two games and as I looked around about 30 students were watching and joining in with me! It was an absolute blast!!
The rooms for the school were very different than the ones back home. If you walk out of the classes it goes directly outside onto gravel, dirt, and grass. The windows were wide open with no air conditioning, just the wind to cool the room. It actually was really nice! Some of the rooms were separated by walls, but a lot were divided by chalk boards. The rooms became very noisy so it will be interesting to see how the teachers are able to gain control and also teach the class.
The teachers were very welcoming and so happy to see our group. This made me feel at ease and more comfortable in the schools. They were all happy to show us the classrooms and introduce us to the students.
The school day starts at 8:30 and goes to 2:30. They have an hour lunch period and every day they eat jerk chicken and beans and rice, so yes, everyday I will be eating chicken and rice for lunch! Hopefully it's tasty! :).
Tomorrow is the actual start of school and I am so so excited. I will be at Coley Mountain Elementary in a first grade classroom!! So excited to be back in the 1st grade setting! Hopefully it will be as good as my experience at Kegonsa Elementary with Mrs. Rusch's 1st grade!!
The rooms for the school were very different than the ones back home. If you walk out of the classes it goes directly outside onto gravel, dirt, and grass. The windows were wide open with no air conditioning, just the wind to cool the room. It actually was really nice! Some of the rooms were separated by walls, but a lot were divided by chalk boards. The rooms became very noisy so it will be interesting to see how the teachers are able to gain control and also teach the class.
The teachers were very welcoming and so happy to see our group. This made me feel at ease and more comfortable in the schools. They were all happy to show us the classrooms and introduce us to the students.
The school day starts at 8:30 and goes to 2:30. They have an hour lunch period and every day they eat jerk chicken and beans and rice, so yes, everyday I will be eating chicken and rice for lunch! Hopefully it's tasty! :).
Tomorrow is the actual start of school and I am so so excited. I will be at Coley Mountain Elementary in a first grade classroom!! So excited to be back in the 1st grade setting! Hopefully it will be as good as my experience at Kegonsa Elementary with Mrs. Rusch's 1st grade!!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Weekend!
This weekend was spent cutting rope, relaxing, and cruising around town. We cut rope for about 2 hours and made over 200 jump ropes! I think the students are really going to have fun with them because I know all of us college students had a blast with them :)
Three of us went to the market! It was absolutely crazy! I have never felt so out of place.....not a comfortable feeling, but it was good for the experience! I am glad I went!
A lot of the weekend was spent outside relaxing by the pool! I am definitely a summer girl!!!
P.S. As of today there has been a cockroach in our room every night and a lizard one of the nights...not my favorite!!
Three of us went to the market! It was absolutely crazy! I have never felt so out of place.....not a comfortable feeling, but it was good for the experience! I am glad I went!
A lot of the weekend was spent outside relaxing by the pool! I am definitely a summer girl!!!
P.S. As of today there has been a cockroach in our room every night and a lizard one of the nights...not my favorite!!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Kingston
Today was a day of traveling to Kingston and My Pin. We made our first stop in My Pin where we bought rope...yes rope! We stopped at a rope factory and found out how rope was made. The reason we bought it was because we will be making jump ropes for all the students at the elementary schools :)
After the rope factory we went to Emancipation Park and learned about the history of the land and people. It was very interesting but hard to pay attention when the sun is beating down on you, but I'm not complaining! Yes and for I had jerk pork. It was pretty good and spicy. Back on the road we passed the indoor stadium where they do trials for the Olympics! Very cool!
After the park we actually went to Bob Marleys house. We didn't take the tour because we didn't want to pay, but we still went to the gift shops of course!
Once we were done at Bobs house we went to the Devon house which is a Jamaican plantation, plus they had ice cream(that was the main reason for going. Very good by the way)
As I'm writing this, I'm sitting by the pool with the girls. It's a lil chilly with the wind and the sun goes down too early for me!
After the rope factory we went to Emancipation Park and learned about the history of the land and people. It was very interesting but hard to pay attention when the sun is beating down on you, but I'm not complaining! Yes and for I had jerk pork. It was pretty good and spicy. Back on the road we passed the indoor stadium where they do trials for the Olympics! Very cool!
After the park we actually went to Bob Marleys house. We didn't take the tour because we didn't want to pay, but we still went to the gift shops of course!
Once we were done at Bobs house we went to the Devon house which is a Jamaican plantation, plus they had ice cream(that was the main reason for going. Very good by the way)
As I'm writing this, I'm sitting by the pool with the girls. It's a lil chilly with the wind and the sun goes down too early for me!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
First Day
Made it to Jamaica safely! We landed in Montego Bay around 12:30. A taxi van picked us all up and drove us to a restaurant that served jerk chicken. Apparently it is the most popular thing to eat down here. It was good :) We finally got to Golf View Resort around 5:00! What a crazy trip. You would not believe the amount of curves and bumps! Not to mention they drive on the opposite side of the road which made it even scarier! It sure was interesting though!
Once we got all settled in we went to the grocery store to pick up some granola bars and peanut butter(were trying to save money) then we went to a fast food Jamaican restaurant. They sold Juicee patties....didn't settle too well with the stomach. I guess I have some learning to do on what I should and shouldn't eat.
Once we got all settled in we went to the grocery store to pick up some granola bars and peanut butter(were trying to save money) then we went to a fast food Jamaican restaurant. They sold Juicee patties....didn't settle too well with the stomach. I guess I have some learning to do on what I should and shouldn't eat.
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