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!!