Earthquake!?

It has become a daily ritual for me to walk the mile home from school and I can’t help but brag that my student accompaniment has been increasing. It used to be just Janique and me because he comes over after school until his mom gets home, but now I have students asking me at lunch time if I’m walking home. Sometimes I’ve walked with groups of over a dozen students from various grade levels! On the way up, we sing songs, play I-Spy and guessing games and just laugh and laugh. It’s a great way to calm down and regroup after a stressful day and it is these students always help put a smile back on my face.

It was testing week. But there was a small problem: up until Wednesday, all of the tests weren’t ready! The district is supposed to supply the math and language arts questions for each grade, but we didn’t receive them until Tuesday morning. What’s worse is that they email the exams to the principal, so she still needs to print them out and run off all of the copies. With a small copy machine that is currently broken, the teachers were none too pleased. Ms. Hall and I tried to make due by continuing to find review work for the students to work on, but even they were getting frustrated because they just want to get the exams over with. Luckily, I was able to begin evaluating the students on the oral comprehension passage on Tuesday afternoon, but I had to listen to each student individually and did not finish until break time on Wednesday. After hearing the same passage twenty-seven times, you could ask me about Anna and her surprise present in a big box and I could recite the whole passage for you!

By an act of God, and the help of some neighboring copy machines, we were able to run off all of the pages for the written math and language arts tests. After Ms. Hall dumped them on my desk, I still had to collate and staple each packet of four sheets, but that was the least of our worries. The tests did not come with answer guides or scoring sheets, so I had to make them, too. I wonder if it’s always been like this! The students were able to write their composition essays on Wednesday and also completed the language arts written test. I have all of the written tests graded – unfortunately not too happy with the results – and I started grading the essays. Even though the students still need a little work on their grammar and spelling (there are some words I can’t even sound out because of the differing pronunciations here!) I enjoy reading the extremely creative stories. Now that I know my students much better, I can share in their humor and find myself laughing along with the characters.

They took both of the math tests on Thursday morning, but I haven’t had a chance to grade them yet because from noon until very late that night I was in the hospital. To make a long story short, I was transferred to two different hospitals (by ambulance each time) only to find out that I do not have Dengue (a potentially serious virus transmitted by mosquitoes) as originally thought, but I do have a viral infection. Guess I really am experiencing ALL of St. Lucia! I couldn’t help but look around in awe while sitting in my hospital bed because the place looked like something straight out of an old war movie. It was a single room with a small receptionist desk and seven or eight beds separated by blue curtains. Something else I definitely wasn’t prepared for was the minute long earthquake that effected almost the whole island! The doctors and nurses ran out quickly leaving all of us inside hooked up to I.V.’s and such. I don’t think there was any serious damage, and that hospital visit is one I will never forget.

Enjoying Family Time

Call it a Thanksgiving treat, or just plain coincidence, but Ms. Hall pleasantly surprised me on Friday afternoon by not giving me the usual list of topics to plan lessons for for the upcoming week. She argued that I had worked hard enough preparing the students for exams, and helping to prepare the exams themselves, so I deserved time to just enjoy the weekend. Since exams begin on Tuesday, I took a little time to brainstorm a few possible activities for Monday, and then did what I was told and didn’t even bring my scheme book home.

I still can’t get over the gorgeous weather I’m living in right now after hearing about the snow at home. It just doesn’t seem right to be walking around outside, even at night, without even a light jacket at the end of November. What really surprised me was when Nadia complained she was cold! We spent Friday night walking around town again and had a good time winding down after a long week.

On Saturday morning, I went for a long walk up a road I hadn’t traveled before. Climbing higher and higher allowed me to see parts of the island I hadn’t seen yet. I felt like I could have kept walking forever, but I also wanted to get back to see what kinds of exciting things were happening at home. I returned to find John working in the shop, trying hard to finish the renovations within the next week so they can stock it again for Christmas. I offered to help construct the shelves he was working on, but he politely declined the offer while expressing a concern for my safety. If only he knew about some of the projects I work on in the summer at De La Salle! But I didn’t persist and instead decided to accompany Annabelle, her daughter and her goddaughter to the marina. We packed up some juice and snacks and spent a few hours on the docks watching the boats come in and out. Within an hour, we all fell asleep under the warm afternoon sun. This really is paradise.

Around 5:30pm, we made our way back to the house so I could go along with my host father, John, to the evening mass in Gros Islet. The format was very similar to the masses at the Monchy church, but the building itself was much larger and gave me a lot to look at throughout the 90 minute service. It still amazes me how passionate they are about the worship songs they sing. Even though the church wasn’t even half full, and the windows were all open allowing the cool night breeze to circulate, the beautiful music resonated off the wooden pews and filled the air.

Every other morning when I get up before school to go for a run, I always see John walking down the road to go to work, but I never knew where he was actually going. So on Sunday, after waking me up with a glass of pure cow’s milk, he agreed to take me with him to “round up the cows.” As far as I was concerned, I hadn’t seen any farms since I got here; at least none that looked like the ones I pass on I-43 on the way to St. Norbert. Passing through a makeshift fence as we made our way along the dirt road, John welcomed me to the 600 acre estate, owned by the church, that he tends to (with only one other person!) every day. First, he took me over to the beautiful beach along the Caribbean Sea. Must be nice to have a private beach! Then, as promised, we went over by the cows quietly grazing in a small area of grass within the massive amounts of trees. John told me to stay put and before I knew it, I heard a “YAAH! YAAH!” and over a dozen cows ran right in front of me on their way to the fenced-in area where they sleep each night! John invited me to get closer to snap some good photos. “Take a picture of this one,” he said as he pointed to a big black bull, “poor thing doesn’t know I’m going to slaughter him for Christmas.” Too bad I’m going to miss THAT feast! Since we were on a bit of a time crunch, I obviously didn’t get to see all 600 acres of the estate, but now I know where John goes off to every day and why he comes home so tired.

The weekend ended with relaxing with the family and various neighbors. Since it’s nearing the end of the rainy season, it’s not as humid anymore and the mosquitoes aren’t quite as prevalent. Heading to bed early, I was ready for another week at school. I’m not exactly sure what is involved with the all-school exams, but I hope I have adequately prepared my students and am looking forward to seeing good results.

Happy Thanksgiving!

With exams quickly approaching, every class period has been devoted to revision of topics from the entire term. Although the students have been doing a better job with working efficiently and cooperatively, I know I can’t expect them to sit and do work for the entire day. They need to move around and let their creative minds work otherwise they get very antsy, very quickly. To help with this, I’ve scattered each day with a new mathematics activity to continue to promote Mathematics Month; as well as some Thanksgiving activities in an attempt to help them understand how we celebrate at home. Last week, I showed them how to construct their own Mancala game boards and taught them the rules of the simple partner game. It turned out to be a huge success and now every time there is a little down time at the end of a lesson, many of the students beg to play. They’ve even made it a contest to see who can “beat the teacher at her own game.” So far I’ve only lost twice, but they’re really starting to get the hang of the game and even devise strategies. This has been one of my favorite ways to observe their developing minds at work.

Another activity in which they exceeded my expectations was with my ‘Thanksgiving Quilt’ lesson. The students were asked to express themselves any way they wished (i.e. essay, song, poem, letter, etc.) and explain the things they are thankful for. I made sure to have them write a rough draft first, which helped them catch spelling and grammar errors. Then they transferred their words to the final paper and mounted it on colored construction paper. We hung the finished pieces on the wall outside the classroom in a quilt pattern and within minutes I was getting compliments from the other teachers. Despite the headaches I sometimes come home with from all of their rowdiness and quarreling, these students really are good kids at heart and are thankful for some wonderful things.

Furthermore, I was stunned when they asked if I could stay after school for “lessons.” From what I understood, lessons were various extracurricular sessions that certain students stayed for after the bell. I had heard about math, language arts and even karate lessons, but never took the time to investigate. Not wanting to let my kids down, I stayed back with about twelve students and went over whichever types of math problems they needed extra help with. The smaller class size made it much easier to maintain their attention and work through the problems a little more quickly. Since that session was impromptu and some of the students could not stay without asking permission, I agreed to hold another lesson the following day and every subsequent day until exams begin next week. Hopefully the extra thirty minutes of help each day will prove beneficial.

On Thursday morning, we took a class field trip to the Gros Islet Secondary School for the Grade Five District-wide Mathematics Competition. Each of the eleven schools selected two student representatives to compete for the chance to move on to the national round. I ended up volunteering to be the blackboard scorekeeper on the large stage with all of the contestants. Although neither one of my students did well enough to move on, (the winner only got one question wrong!) I still felt so proud of them. I can remember how nervous I used to get during mathematics and spelling bees in grammar school and I give them a lot of credit for getting up there in front of so many people. The best part of being on stage for the whole competition was that I was in the perfect position to see the rest of my students eagerly working out the problems in their heads and cheering like crazy whenever their representatives got the correct answer. I couldn’t help but smile and be excited for them, too. There’s nothing like a genuine smile of a proud little kid.

Even though I had to teach on Thanksgiving while the rest of you were watching football and getting ready for scrumptious family dinners, I’m not as jealous as I expected to be. Of course I miss home and send my good wishes and love, but I continue to enjoy myself here and am truly thankful for being given such a wonderful opportunity. Thank you to all of you for your thoughtful and supportive comments or even just taking time out to read these lengthy posts. I hope you can picture me smiling right now as I think about home. Oh, and please enjoy an extra slice of pumpkin pie for me! :)

Weekends are Fun

Another major Friday Night hot spot on the island is Anse La Raye and their Friday Night Fish Fry. So of course I had to try it! We made our way down there, despite the rain, and had a great time. Everything on the menu looked delicious and the spread included salt fish, shrimp, mahi mahi, tilapia, lobster and crab. With so many options, I had the waitress decide for me and she came back with a heaping plate of excellent shrimp. I also tried some of Nadia’s salt fish, but made sure to pick a piece far away from the (still intact!) eyeball that I felt was staring right at me. I usually don’t like when other people watch me eat . . . much less the food that I’m eating!

On Saturday, I just spent the day hanging out around the house and enjoying the weekend activities of the family. My host mom made this awesome plum jam that I couldn’t help but snack on all day. I will definitely have to bring some of her jams home since they’re so much better than Smuckers. That night, we took a trip back to the cinema to see “Fred Clause” (cute movie if you haven’t seen it yet) and then since it was a beautiful, clear night, we found ourselves on the boat once again. Seriously, it’s going to be hard to leave this place. Despite the seventeen miles of sea between St. Lucia and Martinique, we could actually see the streams of headlights from the traffic on the neighboring island.

Since over eighty percent of the population is Catholic, I have found myself right at home on Sundays when I attend the exciting church services. This Sunday, though, I participated in the 25th Annual Christian Youth Rally and returned from the fun day absolutely exhausted. From 9am until 6pm, we were dancing, singing and worshipping God with more energy than I have ever seen in a single auditorium. There had to have been almost a thousand “young people” from parishes all over the island who joined together on this day to share in praising the Lord.

Lots of School Functions

After completing my lesson plans at the beach on Sunday afternoon, I was ready to go for another week at school. We have started reviewing with the students for the exams they will be taking at the end of the month. I’m trying to come up with activities that help the students do the teaching because I believe you learn best by putting concepts into your own words and explaining them to someone else. My students love to come to the blackboard and they enjoy watching each other up there. I’m doing my best to ask open-ended questions which require them to rack their brains and produce the information that should already be there somewhere. Of course, if extra explanation or clarification is needed, then I step in, but so far they have been doing a great job.

At the end of the day on Monday, I took the risk of instructing a music lesson with the various musical instruments collecting dust in the back of the classroom. Using tambourines, maracas, wood blocks and bells, we were able to come up with a pretty cool beat in a short amount of time. I know that if I had tried this with the students two weeks ago when I was still new at the school, it would have been a disaster, but we are continuing to establish a greater relationship of respect and cooperation, so everything worked out well. The students left with smiles on their faces and it was a great way to end the day.

In keeping with the fun and excitement of Mathematics Month, the students have been having fun decorating the classroom. It looks so much better than the boring white walls that I walked in to see three weeks ago. The students even stay in at lunch time and after school to make signs, paper chains, mathematical designs and anything else they can think of. Math and decorating? . . . I can handle that!

After school on Wednesday, we hosted the first parent-teacher meeting of the school year. The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:30, but immediately after school I was back in the kitchen helping to make sandwiches, doughnuts and juice for refreshments. Now, they may not have the luxury of a Krispy Kreme “Hot Sign,” but these doughnuts were a sugary delight coming straight out of the pan! It was fun getting to know some of the teachers better since I don’t get much interaction with them on a daily basis. When they’re not scolding their students, they are hilarious women!

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, but I was engrossed the whole time. The format reminded me of a town hall type of setting and there were a lot of parent comments and concerns addressed. The district counselor came in to talk for most of the time and spoke about topics such as physical, sexual and verbal abuse; being a good role model; and praising the students’ good behaviors. She was very thorough, but to the point and her whole talk helped me remember that so much of the students’ future behaviors depend on their upbringing and personal experiences which are happening right now as children. Since teachers are with their students for the majority of the waking day, we will inevitably leave an impression on our students. Statistics have shown that most students never forget their first five teachers, so at this level we were warned that every little thing we say or do may have an impact on future events in the lives of our students. Talk about pressure! The meeting concluded with a few final announcements and an open floor for the parents to make comments. Sitting on stage facing the parents, we were thanked for “dealing with [their] troublesome sons and daughters” and congratulated on doing a great job.

The students had the day off from school on Friday because the faculty and I attended a Professional Development workshop at a place called Stony Hill. A popular tourist attraction and even a hotspot for weddings, the mansion on the hill was quite elegant and the view of Monchy and Gros Islet that it offered was astounding. We were able to have the entire meeting in a tent outdoors which made for a comfortable and friendly atmosphere. Various speakers from the district were invited to enlighten us with facts and tips about effective test writing, teaching mathematics at various levels, and making the most of the school based assessments (SBA’s) which are required for all Grade 2 and Grade 4 students. A lot of the information in the first presentation was similar to ideas we had discussed in Dr. Greenlaw’s assessment course last year, and my knowledge from the Multicultural Mathematics course with Mrs. Berken allowed me to contribute to discussions during the second one. Not knowing much at all about the SBA’s (at least by that name), the final session was very informative. She discussed the benefits of in-class projects and other means of assessing student progress (other than tests) and stressed the fact that they allow students to be creative and show off their talents in their own way. Yes, they require more preparation and consume precious class time, but in the long run, are the things that students will remember doing the most. Instead of a test which is a one day, one shot measurement of a student’s comprehension of a particular subject, SBA’s are a learning process where the student is gaining knowledge throughout its completion. I took a lot of notes and kept all of the handouts and will do my best to implement the topics from today into my lessons for the remainder of my time here as well as back at home.

“We begin as three, and end as four . . .”

Saturday’s events deserve their own entry for sure, I just hope I can find the right words to do justice to such a wonderful day. Many months back, when I first began looking at travel magazines and deciding some of the things I wanted to do here, “Climb a Piton” was towards the top of the list. There was something about climbing up the 2,619 feet in order to look out across the entire island that seemed challenging and adventurous, and I was not let down.

The hardest part was convincing one of my new family members or friends to tackle the mountain with me. Asking around since the day I got here, I usually heard the same responses; phrased differently each time, but basically “no, thanks.” Finally, my friend, Leton, replied with the fewest number of reservations, so I took that as a “yes.” We arranged to take a boat down to Soufriere with some friends and spend the day climbing while the other two stayed with the boat. I had no idea what to expect, but I was more than excited and I’m sure it showed.

After the man at the tourist center made some phone calls, we were set to go with a water taxi to shuttle us to the bottom of the mountain and another man to bring us to meet our guide who would take us to the top. Confirming that we had enough water, and enough desire to really do this, we began the journey just shy of twelve noon. The water taxi brought us to a small hut on the shore of the island and called out to a man and explained that we wanted to climb Gros Piton. Almost instantly, a man in an extra long t-shirt appeared and with a huge grin replied, “Excellent! Let me just put on some pants.” I knew this was going to be interesting.

He reappeared, this time without shoes, and set a quick pace for us to follow. The whole time, Mark was telling us how he loves climbing this mountain and would love to go up at sunset one day and spend the night up there. Still astounded by the fact that he was barefoot, I figured this couldn’t be that hard. We climbed up and down, in and around trees, rocks and mud for what seemed like forever (but was really only twenty minutes) just to get to the visitor center to find out that our supposed guide, wasn’t there. Not wanting us to be disappointed, Mark offered to take us all the way up instead. So we backtracked a little to return to the trail we were on before and finally started the real climb.

“This is the ultimate stair master!” one of Leton’s comments along the way, is the only way to describe it. On the hot and humid day, we were both sweating within minutes, but trudged on anyway. In between Mark’s promises that “We’re almost there!” he motivated us by telling us, “We are soldiers on a mission!” and “This is a test for your mind, not your body.” Luckily, there were man-made benches along the semi-routed trail which we were able to stop and rest at from time to time. My desire to make it to the top probably aggravated Leton quite a bit because I would never let us stop for more than five minutes. Just under two hours later, with burning legs and soaking wet clothes, we finally made it to the top. Looking out to see nothing but smaller green hills and the sparkling blue sea made the agony worthwhile. The three of us collapsed on a few rocks to enjoy the view and the cool Caribbean breeze. It was amazing. Now realizing that God was the “fourth” member of our team, I felt His brilliance and radiance more now than ever before.

Apparently the fun wasn’t over just yet. We hiked across the top of Gros Piton only to be greeted by another fabulous view looking towards the north. In utter astonishment once again, I was speechless. It’s not everyday you get to see a complete, full seven color rainbow form and disappear because of a rain cloud in the distance. We enjoyed this view for awhile before Mark suggested we begin the journey back down to ensure we return before dusk.

Oh yeah, we have to go back down. Couldn’t there be a zip-line or something? The way down was easier in terms of the amount of energy expelled, but more difficult because the risk of slipping and falling was much greater. We just took our time and eventually made it down past all of our rest stops on the way up. Finally on the soft sand at the bottom, I couldn’t help but look behind me at the massive structure and proudly think, “Yeah, I climbed that!” The feeling of accomplishment neutralized the weakness in my legs and my parched throat.

We graciously thanked Mark for a wonderful time and paid the $50 US before taking the water taxi back to our boat. I threw my bag into the boat and jumped in the refreshing water to both cool off and relax my aching muscles. Exhausted and hungry, we were ready to go home. Apparently the boat had been sitting uncovered in the hot sun for too long, so it wouldn’t start. A blessing in disguise, we were then able to watch the most beautiful sunset while we waited for things to cool off. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to watch a tropical sunset on November 10th again, but I took enough pictures to remember this one forever. The end of a perfect day, we rode home under a blanket of stars and I had no trouble sleeping that night!

No snow here . . . but Christmas is coming anyway

Everything is finally starting to fall into place and I’m establishing a good routine here. It truly feels like I’ve been here much longer than three weeks and I am excited for what the next six weeks will bring. I’m teaching more and more at school each day and taking responsibility for more of the daily routines. The students really liked the Jeopardy game we played in class on Wednesday because they thrive on competition. I couldn’t help but laugh inside at the utter disgust and disappointment on the boys’ faces after losing to the girls. They made me promise to let them have a rematch sometime soon.

After school, I stayed behind with the principal and the new teachers to discuss some of the teaching strategies and tips we learn about in the States. They were shocked that we have to go to school for four years (and often longer) in order to be certified. One of the new teachers is actually younger than I am and has no certification at all! I learned that many teachers around the island gain a few years of experience as a full time teacher and then take education courses for about two years before receiving their certification to teach on any island in the Caribbean. Somehow I don’t think the DPI would go for that.

We also talked about classroom management and discipline. The major difference between the two countries is that they can use rulers or even just their hands to beat students who misbehave. I explained that if we even touched a student in the States, there would be a lawsuit for sure! I tried to offer up some other punishments we use such as afterschool detentions, loss of recess privileges and a call home to the parents, but they were leery to believe any of those would work here.

As part of Mathematics month, we are supposed to do some crafts and games with the students to promote that math can be fun and exciting. We are also encouraged to decorate the room for when the parents come in at the end of the month. The first activity I tried was creating tessellations, and the students really got into it. After a few practice papers, each student produced a colorful and unique pattern which I hung around the room. They love to point out and admire each others’ work and the papers help make the room look more fun and inviting.

I got the opportunity to see Castries from the top of a tall hill the other night and the view was absolutely stunning. The lights in the houses and buildings and bustle of cars on the streets reminded me of Chicago, but being able to see it without having to be behind the glass of a 50th floor window was remarkable. Like I said before, the city itself is not the cleanest at ground level, but from that high up it is beautiful.

One thing that doesn’t quite fit into my routine just yet is all of the Christmas decorations and music found in the stores already! I was shocked to see huge ornaments hanging from the ceiling in the grocery store last week. It’s so weird to think about Christmas without snow (or even having to wear a jacket!), but as long as I don’t see Santa riding at Jetski, I think I’ll be okay.

Every day is a surprise . . .

St. Lucia is a very beautiful place, as long as you keep your eyes up. Unfortunately, many of the locals throw their waste alongside the roads and into the trees, so parts of the island are actually quite dirty. In an effort called “It’s Our Environment; Step Up and Clean Up” this weekend has been declared as a time to consciously clean up the island. To help promote the movement, we spent Friday afternoon at school cleaning out all of the classrooms, the fields and the surrounding streets. Perhaps motivated by the thought of getting out of class, the students did a great job finding all of the trash and making the school look very nice in a short period of time. Hopefully, the entire island will participate in the movement and the island will be looking beautiful from top to bottom in no time.

The weekend brought more sightseeing and experiences I will never forget. On Friday afternoon, my “sister” Judia asked if I wanted to go with her to pick up a pizza for dinner. I agreed well before realizing what a “quick pizza run” entails. After walking a mile and taking two buses to get there, waiting the twenty minutes after we ordered, and then walking a few blocks and taking the two buses home, we returned two and a half hours later with a semi-warm pizza! I will never take for granted the luxury of delivery service again! Later that night, we hitched a ride to Gros Islet for the popular Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party to enjoy the music (yes, I even sang karaoke!), food and drinks. Fortunately because of the great weather, they can have this party year round so it is a major hotspot for people to meet up and hang out.

On Saturday, we took the half hour bus ride down to Castries to browse the markets and see some of the buildings in daylight. The capital city of St. Lucia, Castries was bustling with people shopping, eating and hanging out in the parks. After looking through the markets for quite some time, (and wishing I had brought more cash with me!) we visited the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The interior, made entirely of wood, was absolutely gorgeous and I really enjoyed the elaborate paintings on the walls. We also went to the library, various street shops and the Derek Walcott park. While my friends went to buy a few quiches for lunch, I made a stop at the building labeled “Public Washrooms.” Expecting to just walk in and do my thing, I was quite surprised when the lady at the entrance made me pay 50 cents and then handed me a small bundle of toilet paper! Things continue to surprise me every day!

We finally made it to the Food and Rum Festival on Sunday afternoon and the event proved to be 90% free samples of rum and 10% of food. The $10 entrance fee was a small price to pay for a fun evening with many other tourists.

I’m finally starting to establish a comfortable routine at school and I’m teaching more and more every day. We are still working with money in math class, but we’ve progressed into talking about profit and loss when it comes to buying and selling. Teaching language arts is a little bit of a struggle for me. I mean, I can handle nouns, adjectives and verbs, and I thought spelling would be a piece of cake, but here they spell some things slightly different. For example, “color” is “colour” and “practice” is “practise.” I guess these are the French spellings, so I always have to check twice before marking a student’s paper incorrect.

We had a faculty meeting at lunch today to discuss some of the activities for Mathematics Month. Some ideas included t-shirts, quiz competitions between the classes, a game day, and an open house for parents to see the mathematics art work the students will do in their classes. It sounds like a lot of fun and seems like it has been a big success in the past, so I’m anxious to see how everything unfolds.

Mathematics MONTH?!

Even though they don’t celebrate Halloween here on the island, the students have learned a lot about it from the cartoon shows they watch. When I asked them what they knew about the holiday, they replied with the standard answer of “dressing up in scary costumes and eating a lot of candy.” True, this is what it has become, but since most of the students are Catholic, I took some time to explain how “All Hallows Eve” is related to All Saints’ Day. Much like American kids, they were way more amused with the costumes and candy explanation and graciously accepted the festive pencils I brought from home for them. They also enjoyed looking at some of the pictures I brought of myself dressed in various costumes from past Halloweens.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, I accompanied the students on a field trip to the Folk Research Center. Contrary to the students’ beliefs that this was a place for old people, it was actually filled with numerous artifacts and displays of ancient Creole tools and toys. It is the closest thing I’ve found to a museum here and the displays were fascinating. I’m sure people in Colonial times used to use many of the same “inventions,” too. Returning home while listening to the 18 students on my bus belt out the words to some song in Creole, took me back to when we used to sing “99 Bottles of POP on the Wall” and “The Wheels on the Bus.” I couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy their energy.

Finishing up the remaining two hours of school with adjectives, mental math and social studies, I was ready to finally go out and enjoy the sunny St. Lucia weather. I knew a new friend of mine was coming to pick me up, but I had no idea we were going to the beach! It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon and was a wonderful break from the massive amounts of rain we’ve had lately. We had so much fun taking as many pictures as we could before we had to head home. I just might have to force myself to take a bus here on a few afternoons to write my lesson plans as I watch the sun set.

Thursday, the students were let out at noon so that all of the teachers from the schools in Gros Islet and Monchy could meet at the Gros Islet Secondary School for a group faculty meeting. The principals arranged for a doctor to come in and tell us about diabetes and how we can start promoting healthy lifestyles in the classroom. It was much like our seminars at SNC except for the fact that there was only one male teacher in the whole audience! I also discovered that a lot of the teachers here aren’t even certified, but teachers are in such high demand that many were offered jobs very easily. After talking with some of them, it was great to hear that they plan on going back to college soon to receive the proper certification so that they may better assist their students’ learning. My principal, Ms. Jean, wants me to have a discussion with the new teachers at the Monchy Primary School to help explain some of the advances and techniques we are being taught in the States, and I hope to learn more from them about the programs here.

This weekend should bring a lot of fun and exciting things including ‘Pork City,’ the Basilica and shopping mall in Castries, playing rugby, and hopefully the Food and Rum Festival in Rodney Bay! By the way, November here is designated as Mathematics Month! What luck! I’m sure there will be plenty of fun activities to write about later, so stay tuned.