A little Tica inspiration :)

On this day in Rey Curré, I realized that having internet has been a blessing and a curse.  On the up side, it has allowed me to keep in good contact with all of you and invite you to be a part of impacting this community.  (Thank you to all those who have donated to "Give a Little, Help a Lot."  Three weeks after beginning, we are already halfway to our goal.  For those who donated, you can expect a newsletter which will highlight the purchases made and the sweet faces that it will benefit.)

On the down side, in an effort to improve my teaching, the internet has sometimes been a distraction.  I've spent many an afternoon looking up new activities and games online, when all the while the best resources were just a few steps away.  After school today, I spent 3 hours at one of my student's house.  We played Frisbee, rhythm games, made paper flowers and airplanes, and on and on.  Her mind is incredibly imaginative.  (I wish I could have taken a few photos, but my camera is currently on the blink.)  She was spinning out game after game, and meanwhile, my mind was imagining the possibilities of incorporating them in the classroom.  I walked away with at least 4-5 ideas for spicing up the instruction and the ambience:  mouthing a vocabulary word and seeing if another student can guess, making paper leaves to decorate the room for fall, learning the song "Stand by me" to begin talking about future tense, playing musical chairs for review, making our own puzzles out of paper, making paper footballs to teach the kids about American football (or a favorite past time of American students in study hall)...

And, not only was I inspired by this bright, 5th grade student, but I had the privilege to be attended to by her lovely mother who I found out is only 4 years older than me.  First, she served me dinner:  beef with fried onions, rice, black beans with Salsa Lizano (I hope they sell that in the States!), and pico de gallo (which they call chimichurri).  It was rico!  Then, we shared about our families.  I told her that I have a lot of crazy, loveable cousins, admirable aunts and uncles, and inspirational grandparents.  And, thanks to my mom's thoughtfulness, I had a nice picture book to show them all the faces of the Eckstein's and Stenger's. 

Then, she shared about her adopted family because her mom gave her up for adoption when she was 3 months old.  Her adopted family was dirt poor, eating mostly plantains for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  But, for what little they had to offer in food and clothing, they more than made up for in love.  Her adopted mother told her the truth that her mother gave her up for adoption but that she should make no room in her heart for bitterness or anger.  Rather, by her example, she taught her to love above all; that God sent His Son so that we might be forgiven, and likewise, we must forgive others.

It was a lovely day in which I realized that every day I work with treasures, the kind that do not rust: dynamic, unpredictable, dream-filled, budding individuals who are worth getting to know and for whom it is worth making sacrifices.  I guess that's what mothers must feel; though, I wouldn't claim to come close to understanding the sacrifices that mother's make for their children.  As such, I've come to the conclusion that being a mother has to be the most challenging, exhausting, and worthwhile job there is.  To all of you mothers out there, thank you.  You are appreciated.  Your role is so important.  I admire you.

In conclusion, technology can be a great resource for a teacher, but from experience, the best resources are the ones found right under our noses: the bright-eyed students staring up at us.  Here's to many more house visits in the next couple of months!  I want to try to visit every home of every student.  I've got a few down, but many more to go.