el dia de química

Friday was Chemistry Day at the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao.  Because we are the chemist’s favorite school group, we’re invited to attend every year.  All of the kids were excited to go.  Those who had been there before had their favorite experiments in mind that they wanted to see again.  First timers—like me—didn’t know what to expect but were excited simply because everyone else was. 

At 7:55am, we piled into the van and hit the road.

I wish this is how the little boys were acting during the entire car ride!  Unfortunately, when the photo-op passed, so did their interest in sleeping!

Here are the highlights from the chemistry magic show led by the magnificent Dr. Suarez—in his amazing Technicolor lab coat!

No matter how hard he tries—Edwin will never be able to blow up this balloon.  This was the first trick and one of the favorites, as the little boys kept reaching for their bottles for the duration of the presentation.

Larimar, who hates getting her hair wet, bravely sat under a bucket of water as it was spun over her head.

My personal favorite was watching bubbles hang suspended in mid-air...

...and watching the kids’ intrigued faces.  I attempted to capture that sentiment here...

 ...and here.

Another highlight was watching the effects of mixing water, dry ice, and dish soap...

...and popping the resulting bubbles.

 

What magic show would be complete without putting children in bubbles?

 And of course..a grand finale!

 

I can't wait to see what Dr. Suarez has up his multicolored sleeve for us next year!

los adolescentes

Let me begin by saying that I really love my students. They make me laugh a lot in class, and we have fun. When they are interested in a subject matter, they are very focused and curious. That said--this week their teenager-ness really started to get to me, and I was reminded why I went to school for elementary (not high school) education! But Friday eventually arrived, and we all made it through another week together. Praise the Lord!

Every day I am finding out more and more strongly that most of what I learned in college does not apply to teaching deaf children. This can be disheartening at times, but I am staying positive. I can consider my time here as a free education. Fortunately, I have three experienced teachers here to help guide me!

On Saturday afternoon, I was able to forget all my cares for a few hours as I sat on a deserted beach and floated in a crystal-clear ocean. God knows that I need these moments to relax and regain strength for the coming week.

It’s not all frustrating, though…here’s a positive thought from the week:

I’m really enjoying serving as a part-time art teacher. It is gratifying to see a student who once hated art now asking to spend his recess working on his project! Here are some pictures of the middle-school students showing off their latest finished pieces. They learned how to mix primary colors. They also explored creating unique textures by painting with unconventional objects (q-tips, sponges, and cotton balls). They were very proud of their finished products…as was I.

las termitas

I knew I’d learn a lot during my time here—like sign language and new teaching techniques—but there are so many more unforeseen skills that I’m acquiring. Here’s what I’ve learned this past week:
• How to jump start a car when the battery is dead
• How to change a car battery
• How to use a grass trimmer
• And perhaps the most exciting—how to get rid of termites!
Now the last one may not sound exciting—and initially, it wasn’t—but in the end it was quite enjoyable. Here’s how it went…First, I found evidence of termites in my dresser. Then, I didn’t sleep well that night because I kept thinking about the little creatures that were eating my furniture two feet from my bed. The next day, though, I was able to exact my revenge on the bugs. So how do we get rid of termites here? We smash the furniture to pieces with a sledge hammer and then burn it!

Almost makes you want to have termites in your dresser, doesn’t it?

And now on to school news…
Last week was a short week because of the holiday—we only had three days of school. The kids got their first report cards of the year. Like usual, some were happy with their grades, and others…not so much. I had a nice long chat with a student in the latter category. The initial progress that we saw in him has plateaued, or maybe regressed a bit. Hopefully this report card is the kick in the pants that he needs.

oraciones contestadas

This week, I’ve come up with some reasons why I love working at a private school:

·         My students can bring their laptops to school so we have enough working computers for them to type their memoirs.

·         My kids were begging to look at blood under the microscope, so last week ended with three students pricking each others’ fingers to get blood samples.

·         We had planned on taking this Monday off for Columbus Day.  Then we found out that the Puerto Rican schools were closed on Tuesday.  So what did we do?...we took them both off!  (Be assured, though, that we spent a good part of today in our classrooms working)

So, when I get tired or frustrated…God gives me these sorts of reminders to let me know that this is the right place for me to be!

Speaking of God…

When I looked out my window this morning and saw the shining sun, I decided to go for a walk on the beach.  I went downstairs to the van, and I realized that I had forgotten to grab my cell phone.  I was going to leave it, but for some reason I felt strongly that I should go upstairs and get it. 

After a lovely walk, I got back in the van to come home.  To my dismay, the van wouldn’t start.  First, I panicked.  Then, I thanked God for reminding me to get my phone.  Then I called for help.  Jen and Judy arrived shortly with jumper cables.  The three of us plus two owner’s manuals successfully jumped the van. 

When we got home, we briefly discussed what we should do about the car battery.  Since none of us know much about cars, we decided to wait until later to figure it out.  Not long after that, our friend, who helps us every once in a while with maintenance jobs around the school, showed up unexpectedly at the gate.  He had intended on fixing a rain gutter, but instead he took a look at the van! 

Isn’t God wonderful?  He answers prayers even before you pray them.

mis tres artistas

Here are their paintings. 

¡Viva México!

I was doing so well with posting once a week…and then I decided to be lazy this past weekend.   I have been informed, though, that people actually read this, so here is my post…

Last week was interesting.  It started with me and one of my students butting heads for two days.  I think every conversation we had involved me scolding him.  He actually seemed to respond, though.  Then, a different student was absent for a few days, and the student with the attitude was wonderful for the rest of the week.  On Tuesday, I didn’t think I’d make it through the week.  On Friday, I was ready for more!

Also on Friday, we had Mexico day.  (A group from Jen and Judy’s church cooks lunch for us once a month, and each month they’ll be bringing food from a different culture.)  So we had lots of fun on Friday.  Each class did a small report on Mexico.  My kids learned about the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and each recreated one of his paintings.  I was so proud of them!  They did a wonderful job.  Unfortunately, I still haven’t learned to keep my camera with me at school, so I don’t have pictures.  Maybe if all my students are in school at the same time this week, I will put up a picture this weekend.