Child month

This month is child month in Grenada – focused on keeping children safe. On Fridays the students can wear t-shirts to school with the child safety theme, rather than the normal uniform. So in some pictures you will see orange t-shirts.

I’m been mainly focused on teaching math at school. I am responsible for math and I help out with the other classes. Math is going well enough.  No student is consistently picking up every topic easily, but all are learning at their own rate.  I have more faith in their ability to learn than they have in themselves sometimes.

I routinely co-teach, if not teach, language arts. (The principal is the primary literacy teacher and she is sometimes unexpectedly tied up.) On breaks and other times I can get in some one-on-one help for those kids needing to catch up or to strengthen a topic. School is busy and then of course school prep in the evening as every teacher knows.

One of the students doing extra work

Sitting on my lap doing some phonics work

I’ve been wanting to get some pictures of teaching, but as commonly happens I get caught up in the classes and don’t want to bring out the camera as a distraction.

There were a couple of opportunities to snap a few this week. On Wednesday we tried to pick up trash by a local river (a stream if you’re from Arkansas). We got to the path leading down to the river before the rain started. People here don’t like being in the rain at all. So even in a light drizzle we need to get cover. We ending up cleaning under the school a little.  I got one picture before the sprinkles started. While organizing and watching the kids I did not get any more.

Happy faces with one absence before going off to pick up trash

However, on Friday I told the students that I will be out next week for a Peace Corps meeting. Fridays afternoons are typically low key with journal writing and art. They insisted that I take a picture of us together so I would not forget them even after I promised that I would be back in a week.

The previous Peace Corps volunteer left after just a short time, so I guess they might be thinking that I will not be returning as well. Anyway, I obviously hate posing for pictures and I’m not good at it.

break time during lunch to play with blocks

The shortest student cleaning off the board

Not likely to forget these munchkins in a week 

We are now to the part of the "turn around" in the "Father Abraham" song

Peace Corps meeting


I will be going to St. Lucia for mid-service training (MST). This is the training that generally happens half way through the two year service. It will be a time for some medical exams, to review administrative rules and procedures, to get some refresher on teaching techniques and such.

Early in the second year is a period of time when many volunteers look back over their first year and onto the rest of their service. Some become disenchanted and it is common think about quitting (ET – early termination). Therefore, MST is also a time to encourage the volunteers to stick it out for the second year.

Love always,
John

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