Gifted Education

My tarot cards said that I needed to share my gifts and dance in joy with the community of the world, soooo… I’ve taken a second job teaching English in a two-room schoolhouse! Really, the word’s been out for the last several months that someone was needed to teach English to the roughly 30 K through 6 students at the school in Mata de Caňa, a small town that runs along a wide, bright stretch of not-quite-so bumpy road between our house and Arenal. By small I mean that there is this school with a futbol field, a handful of houses – most of which surround the school – and a little pulperia on the same dirt-road block which is run from a family’s home.

When I first heard that they’d lost their English teacher, we had just moved here and I was in no position to take on something new (I still may not be). But we’ve made friends with a Tico family who has two boys at that school, and they have been instrumental in “influencing” and “encouraging” me to take interest in the job, while inquiring at the school on my behalf. They’ve even gone so far as to offer child care for Wilder when I need to teach and Chris is traveling. How sabotagingly nice! Just kidding. This school is simply in desperate need, with no promise of a permanent replacement from the government, and here I am, right down the road, practically in the neighborhood, an English teacher just sitting here doing nothing but taking care of my toddler and – oh yes! – doing my other job! After much consideration I decided that if they will have me (my Spanish can’t really inspire much confidence in my language skills, and I'm foremost a teacher of writing not language), I would love to teach at their school. It’s only three hours every Friday, and there’s just no way I can not have the time for it. I’ve made no permanent commitment, but I will help for as long as it works for me and them.

This is, of course, an amazing opportunity and will benefit me as much as it will anybody else; I get to meet some amazing kids, become more of a member of the community, have this incredible teaching experience, and improve my own Spanish language skills. Just think -- I’ll be able to relate to my students as a second language learner! How pedagogically convenient.

Ultimately, I’m excited to get back into a “real” classroom, but a little nervous too. I start this Friday and will just focus on getting to know the students and assessing what they know. I also need to figure out a few cultural logistics as well – what do I wear, how do the students address me, how do I address them . . .? It’ll all become apparent somehow, just hopefully not in a National Lampoon sort of way. Wish me suerte!

Though there is talk of a small allowance from the school that I would use for paper and supplies, it is a very poor school and I am volunteering for this job. They do not have English-learning textbooks for the teacher or the students, so I must make up all of my own curriculum and produce all of my own materials (if I am to use any at all). If these details can inspire any generosity, that would be incredible. Then again, if you just want to say, “Good on ya, mate,” and pat me on the back without spending a dime or hassling with international post, that’s great too. However, if you just happened to hit an Office Depot or pass by the paper aisle at the store, and just happened to think of me and these wonderfully deserving kids, and just happened to want to grab some 4x6 cards or cheap white printer paper or thin 3-hole-punch folders or inkjet cartridges or a set of Spanish-English dictionaries for all the students or …I’ll stop before I get carried away. But, you get the idea. So if you just happened to want to send along, honestly, anything, even the littlest thing (like chalk or whiteboard markers), it would be icing on the cake. Thanks for considering it!