Emily and I arrived safely in Sayulita this past Wednesday. We were welcomed by very humid and hot weather!
On Thursday we met with our site supervisor and discussed the curriculum that is implemented at Costa Verde School. We then received a tour of the school. The curriculum is a progressive one with an emphasis on holistic education. Therefore, the students' opinions are always welcomed and valued--something I appreciate greatly. One really neat thing about this school is that it is set up in such a way that it resembles a little community. Each grade has its own classroom in its own building but all the buildings are arranged so that the school looks like a little village. I think that all the students are really proud of their individual classrooms but at the same time love the comaraderie that they share with the other students.
Another neat project that the students are currently working on is decorating their own classrooms. In each classroom the walls were painted completely white in order that the students could decorate their classroom however they wanted. My first grade classroom decided on a beach theme (they just cannot get enough of the beach! :)) Today we brainstormed how we were going to make our classroom look like the beach. The first graders decided that they were going to paint fish on the wall in order to form an underwater mural. They also decided that in the empty fireplace they are going to collect some sand, seashells, rocks, and other real-life beach materials to fill in the space. We are going to have some local artists come in as well in order to help the rest of our mural come to life—especially in the spaces where it is too high for the little students to reach.
I think it is a great idea to allow the students to design their learning space. Not only does it allow them to take ownership in their learning but it gives them an opportunity to let their creative juices flow. Moreover, they are simply excited about the opportunity. Today my students were so excited while discussing our plans that it was hard to hear any one idea at any given time because so many students were talking at once! It was also fabulous to hear students who normally are quieter in class voicing their opinions. I think that the students will be much more comfortable in their classrooms knowing that they created it. It will be a place where they know that their work is respected and taken seriously. I am glad to have been a part of this classroom designing experience; never before have I had the chance to see students designing their own classrooms. Usually a classroom is designed by the teacher to fit the “school” theme (not that that is necessarily bad), but I will be interested to see how the students respond on a daily basis to a classroom that is designed differently from the “traditional” classroom look. I am really excited for the classroom to come together in order for parents to see at Thursday night’s open house!
Because the cooperating teacher which I will be working with this semester is having visa troubles and is not yet able to be at Costa Verde School, I must take on the role of the head teacher for the first graders starting Monday. Needless to say, I am a little nervous. The majority of the first graders are still practicing their English speaking so there are language barriers at times because I do not speak Spanish as fluently as necessary. In order to help diffuse the language barriers between us I think that I am going to start working with them on English vocabulary—especially since I am designated as their English as a Second Language teacher. I want to start doing sight words with the first graders (on, he, she, it, etc.) as well as work on vocabulary that corresponds to the work we are doing in class. For instance, while we are painting and decorating our classroom we will go over English words that signify the beach such as ocean, sand, palm tree, fish, etc. I think after our mural is up we will make notecards of the English words and tape them to the wall next to the picture they describe. These are just the beginning of my plans to foster my students’ English language development, and I plan to create many more!
All in all, my time in Sayulita so far has been very enjoyable! That is not to say that it hasn’t been challenging. There are so many aspects of education that this school makes me think about! I am excited to grow as an educator.
The fireplace where we will be adding sand, seashells, rocks, and other beach materials.
The white walls of the classroom.
The space under the whiteboard where the students will paint fish.
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