Adaptation seems to be the name of the game in Belize. The heat is not too bad--you just need to find a shady spot once in a while--and the schools themselves are honestly not too different from ones which one might find in the US. What one must adapt to is the combination of factors: the dizzying blend of languages (Creole, English and Spanish in varying amounts) and the different school culture.
I walked into the classroom unaware of what to expect, and received a surprise almost instantaneously: there would be no classroom teacher. So, without knowing school routines, rules, or expectations (or even having a lesson plan beyond the first hour of the day) I had to muddle through somehow. Thank goodness that Marg was in the room with me at the moment we found that out, she volunteered herself to help me out throughout the day. This was much needed. Evenbe though there were only twenty-four students in the room, they were as rambunctious as would be expected with a teacher gone and two foreigners trying to figure their way through the day.
At the end of the day, everything was fine. As all teachers know, no matter what the bell rings at three thirty and what you remember most of all are the kindness of the children. They are kind, outgoing, and even the ones that tricked you or teased you all day end up warming your hearts. The energy and life that one gets from working with young students is universal; the day was long but I cannot wait to go back tomorrow.
--Jason Van Cleave (MAT--Middle School Language Arts)
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