Elementary School visits :)

I thought I was going to cry the first time I walked in to Calle Viquez Primary School from all the cuteness surrounding me. In the states whenever I enter an elementary school I joke that my heart is going to burst from excitement of becoming a teacher (hah), so you can imagine how I felt walking in to a school filled with adorable smiling Tico children. The first day we walked around the school, and had the wonderful opportunity to observe and interact with the kids. I loved how the hallways and sidewalks were all outside, while the only buildings were classrooms, the office, and the cafeteria. There is no physical education class in these schools, because there are so many mini breaks to go outside and get some exercise (mucho futbol). The first day in the school really got me excited for what was to come of the other schools we were to visit. This first visit was great because it was the first time I had ever stepped foot in an international school, and it was reassuring to know that not only do I still want to teach English abroad, but I am more excited than ever to follow through with it.

The second visit to this escuela primaria was just a few days later, and this time we had lessons prepared to teach. We had two lessons (a science lesson involving leaves, and an English lesson in which the students were to respond to letters sent from students in America.. IN ENGISH!). This was honestly my first time really teaching to a class FULL of Spanish speakers. It was intimidating, but I found that when my Spanish kicked in it was easy to help the students understand. The students were eager to learn and understand the lessons, eager to know some English words, and so happy that we were there spending time with them. My heart broke seeing their faces when we had to tell them we wouldn’t be coming back. I found that these students were much more well behaved than students in the United States, although classroom management was seriously lacking. The students knew their routine and what was to be expected of them. They respected us and knew their boundaries, but their excitement got the best of them (which was more cute than distracting or disruptive). This is the 3^rd grade class I am talking about, while we also spent some time doing the science lesson with the 6^th graders. The 3^rd graders loved writing their letters, and I loved reading them! I loved reading about their giant families and pets and favorite foods. I realized that the way they don’t use articles and other aspects to a sentence is exactly the same as what I do when I speak Spanish. This was a humbling realization, and a mental note to not think poorly of someone who is trying to learn a language and makes mistakes once in a while.

We visited 3 schools while in Monteverde. We visted Santa Elena Primary School (Escuela Primaria de Santa Elena) twice in the first week, and Centro Educacion de Creativa (The Cloud Forest School) this week.  I loved the mentality and goals of each school. CEC is almost all bilingual, with all classes taught in English except Spanish class and social studies. Half of the teachers are American. CEC owns 106 acres, and utilize much of it with trails for students to hike through, the longest one lasting up to 6 hours. I was surprised that the faculty is trusting enough to allow students to go off on these trails on their own, because in the United States you might see tall fences surrounding the campus out of fear a student might escape. Like the other public schools we visited, this campus is almost all outdoors as well, but on a more extreme level. There are countless gardens, all in which the student’s are responsible for caring for. This school expects their students to act responsibly. The thing I noticed that stood out to me most is how trusting the staff is of their students. This trust allows the students to explore and allows for more opportunities and easier opportunities to learn. Every activity the students partake in is educational, whether the meaning is hidden or more literal. The students are constantly learning whether it is a science lesson or any other life skills such as responsibility or leadership. Their environmental studies program is amazing. Some buildings run entirely off solar power and there is an area designated for reforestation that the students enjoy working with. Basically, I can’t wait to apply for a job there after graduation. I have learned so much from our time spent in the elementary schools, and without this experience I don’t think I would have the same mentality as a teacher to bring to my future classroom.