Spartacus

This week Jen and I caught a new pet.  His name is Spartacus.  He is long, skinny, brownish-greenish, and he slithers.   Can you guess what he is?

Now, in order to for anyone who does not live at the school to appreciate this story, I will share some background information.

Chris had been trying to catch a snake for most of his time here.  He often went out on snake hunts and even got the kids involved during play time.  We would hear frequent updates about his quest.  He came close a few times to catching one.  Finally, a few weeks ago, he found one waiting for him on his porch.  Contrary to our suggestions, he named the snake Bo. 

Now we fast forward to Wednesday afternoon.  Jen and I were getting ready to go to Walgreens for flu shots.  While I was waiting for her, I heard franticness coming from her classroom.  I found her and Judy chasing a snake!  Naturally, I joined in the fun.  To make a not too long story short, we used a dustpan, broom, piece of paper, and an empty coke bottle to catch it. 

Temporary home #1

Not until it was writhing in anger in its plastic prison did we realize how big it was...bigger than Chris’s.  That’s right; a bunch of girls caught a big snake in a matter of minutes.  That’s all I’ll say about that.

We named him Spartacus because that was Jen’s rejected suggestion when Chris was naming his snake.  Plus…he’s a fighter!

Temporary home #2

In the foreground, you'll see his dinner, which Jen became unusually attached to.  Fortunately the lizard was still alive in the morning, so we decided it was only right to set it free.

Since Chris wasn’t home, we decided we had to rush out to get a box to keep him in.  As soon as Chris saw him, he decided he was too big to be in our little container, so he moved him into the big tank with Bo.

Jen was so right when she recently told me that we never have to make excitement here, it just finds us!

el arte

This year in art class, I have been teaching about the seven elements of art: line, shape, color, value, texture, form, and space.  So far, we’ve completed line, and we are halfway through shape. 

Last year my art class was more of an arts and crafts time (because I didn’t have too many spare moments or brain cells after planning reading, writing, vocabulary, math, science, and Spanish to use on planning an art curriculum).  However, this year, things are a little more under control in my classroom, so I am able to focus some energy on art.  Art education is an important piece of a well-rounded curriculum, and it has been proven to help students academically.  Therefore, I am trying my best to do it justice.

I started the little kids out this year with a standard back to school activity where they each make a “mini-me”.

Then we all learned about different types of lines and completed various activities about them.

Next is shape.  Here’s what we’ve done so far.

I had hoped we’d be further by now, but I’m getting used to the fact that I’m never as far as I’d like to be.  Art is the hardest in this regard because I only see each class once a week, and this time slot sometimes gets used for other seasonal or special activities.  Nonetheless, we’re all having fun with it and maybe even learning something!

vistas extraordinarias

Yesterday, I spent the day doing “Puerto Rico” things.  These, of course, are not the things that most Puerto Ricans do, but rather they are things that are markedly Puerto Rican to me. 

In the morning, Jen and I went to our favorite bakery in the town plaza for our regular breakfast:  un sándwich de jamón, queso, y huevo en pan sobao con mantequilla y un café.  I think we can safely call this our regular because this was the fourth Saturday in a row we have eaten it.  (In fact, we are waiting to see how long it will take before the people who work there know our names.)

Then we decided to climb to the top of El Yunque (the rain forest).  This is something that we’ve been wanting to do since we returned from summer break.  For a while I was not feeling up to it, and then we were waiting until the top of the mountain was not covered in clouds (this rarely happens—hence the title rain forest).  But, as we were standing in the Luquillo Plaza with our stomachs full of Puerto Rican goodness, we could clearly see the top of the mountain.  We raced home, got changed, got Jen’s dog Delaney and hit the road. 

After the first few steps up the mountain path, we were both pretty sure we were not going to make it much further (maybe we’re a little out of shape—but we’re working on that).  However Delaney was so excited, she practically pulled us to the summit—it only took an hour and a half!  It was well worth it.  At the lookout tower most of the way up, we had clear views of the ocean and surrounding cities.  At the very top, we were in the clouds—which is every child’s dream the first time they go in an airplane.  The wind and mist were so cool and refreshing…it almost felt like fall.  Then God gave us a break in the clouds for a brief moment, so we were able to see the spectacular view.  I won’t attempt to describe the beauty…that’s why we have cameras!  See for yourself.

After we hiked down (we made much better time this way) we went to the beach.  The water was so clear and the waves were small—perfect conditions for floating and relaxing after a long climb.  It was exactly what our tired bodies needed. 

Then we went home and watched a movie and ate a delicious dinner on the porch.

This was exactly the kind of day that I needed.  I’ve been feeling pretty homesick lately, but this day helped me to appreciate the beauty of this island.  Perhaps it was just the right thing to get me through the two months I have before I get to see family, friends, and home again.

un cuento clásico

Here's my week in pictures:

In history class, we are learning about life in Colonial America.  To gain a better understanding of how hard life was, we made our own candles; we concluded that it's much easier to just buy them!

Kristian signing the word candle while we wait for the wax to melt

Here is the first of many dips--and I mean many!  If you don't have patience, don't try this at home.

The finished product

On Friday, my class read a story to the little kids.  We performed the classic book Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.  It is my favorite kid's book, so I had a lot of fun.  When Krisitan and I (Kevin was out sick) finished reading and acting, we led the kids in a coloring activity.  Then, as is our custom at ESD, the little kids acted out the story.

Saúl as the peddler

Kioney and Gaby as the monkeys (Kristian was the one who made sure no one fell out of the tree!)

Then after many renditions of the story--featuring every possible combination of students--I did a good old-fashioned read aloud.  You can act all you want, but there's nothing quite like just sitting and watching a story.  This is one of my favorite parts of teaching.  I love to watch the students' faces and reactions to the story--even though they already know what's going to happen.  A good story will almost always enthrall a group of children--and Caps for Sale is one of the best.    

Here's one version of the kids' drama.  Enjoy!