Don't Stop Belizing: First few days at San Pedro High

Monday was our first day at San Pedro High School since opening day last week. Testing was taking place at the school so there was not too much to do. I did, however, meet the teacher I will be working with. Her name is Ms. Andrea and she teaches all form 1 classes. This will be her first time with an intern and I am super excited to work with her. At the high school, they use forms to describe the grade levels, so form 1 would be like freshman students. Ms. Andrea also teaches a business/computer class which is very different from high schools back home. Back in the states, high school teachers really only teach their content area but here they also teach elective classes. Something else that is different is that here in San Pedro, the teachers move from class to class instead of the students changing classes. I really like this idea, because it shows the students that it is their classroom which they are responsible for. The students are also in charge of the cleaning of their classrooms. Each of the teachers has his/her desk in a large staff room on the second floor of the school. Another big difference is that San Pedro High does not have any air conditioning, only fans. There is definitely not as much technology in the schools which has me really thinking on my feet! It’s neat to see all of the creative things the teachers use in their classrooms to make up for the lack of technology. One of my favorite parts about San Pedro High is their cell phone policy. If a teacher sees a student using a cell phone, they take the phone and the student can pick it up at the end of the year! I wish I could do this with my students back in the states.
Many of the students here are in charge of doing the physical labor around the school. One student I met yesterday was sweeping and mopping the staff room as a form of in school suspension. Having the students help upkeep the schools really creates a sense of community I think many of the high schools I have worked in previously have lacked.
Some times the schools here push students through to graduate early so you can graduate high school as early as age 16. To become a teacher, you only need to have a high school degree which means that some of the teachers are only 17 or 18 years old. I have found myself talking to people at the school thinking they are students and come to find out they are teachers! All of the teachers are super inviting and sweet. It is hard to understand some of the students since many of them speak to each other in Spanish and Creole. Their grade system here is only “pass or fail,” they do not use letter grades in high school.
Tuesday was my first day observing Ms. Andrea and the classroom dynamic is so different than what I am used to. The teachers literally yell over the students and the classroom altogether is much louder than what I am used to. The students will literally tug on your arm to get your attention which threw me off a little in the beginning. It is pretty neat to ride your bike home from school and pass your students on the way. Many of them are so friendly and seem to really enjoy being in school.
Wednesday, today, was my first day teaching in the classroom! I was a little nervous about writing on the chalkboard because I am really nervous about breaking chalk and scraping my nail against the board (sounds silly but wait until you are faced with it!). My lessons ended up going well I just need to work on getting to know my students. Some of my classes have 40 students in them which get really loud! I also have a hard time pronouncing all of the names; although, I give my students a good laugh whenever I attempt the names in my American accent. For dinner tonight, my two professors (Dr. K and Dr. C) took Parker (an elementary education student) and I out to dinner at this place called Caliente on the beach. The food was amazing and such a great treat after a long day! Afterwards, Parker and I conned Dr. C. into going to Pandulce (the local bakery) to get some baked goods for dessert! Needless to say, I will definitely be going back! Tomorrow will be our last day in the schools before they have a 2 week long Easter break. Next week we will work on our service projects which will consist of volunteering on the island to give back to this amazing community. Bailey (the other secondary mathematics educator) and I will be working on writing a children’s mathematics book which Dr. C will get published for us. We will also be volunteering at the local library to help with an Easter camp as well as walking the dogs at the humane society (who have never been on leashes). Easter is a huge holiday around here and we are all so excited to get to participate in the celebrations!