This week was our second week in San Miguel. We began to finish an aula at the school that is said to be the future English room. All we have to do is tiling and some painting. The thing about the tiling is that only one person can do it at a time because we have limited tools, so it’s taking longer than desired. If it finally does become a room we can use for English classes I think it will be really dope. We will be able to equip the classroom with things that can have a permanent home. I’m looking forward to seeing where we end up.
Other than this group project, this week was a lot of reading and curriculum building for those of us who will be teaching English in the school. The English as a Foreign Language Program at the school exists because some interns made it happen not too long ago. The program as a whole is still very young. I think this may be why it also lacks a framework for its curriculum. There is nothing that bridges each level we teach to the next; we should be laying foundation that each level can build upon. Right now it’s more like interns come in each semester and create their own curriculum and lesson plans for the level they will be teaching. I do feel that this is a weakness due to the fact that the EFL Program is so young. We cannot let that however, be an excuse to not build a framework. I hope to work with Mimi, who will finally be arriving this week, on further developing an all-encompassing framework for our curriculum.
One thing I thought really beautiful that happened to me this week in San Miguel was building with Kathy. Kathy is a young womyn in San Miguel who lives arriba de la escuela. She lives with her parents and her two boys. I met her last week for the first time. This week we were both at the school at the same time. We were getting guayabas from a tree outside the library for Miriam, the librarian.
Note on Guayabas: They’re delicious. You can eat the piel. If they are too ripe, aka smell extra deliciously ripe, they probably have worms already.
Anyways, so we were outside hitting guayabas down from the tree together and from there we ended staying at the school for at least two hours talking. From family to past Kalu Yala interns to how we both love exploring. Later that day she came over to the crib and hung out for a little while with everyone. I appreciate Kathy’s presence. It feels good to get out of the English-speaking “American” cultured bubble that is our house in San Miguel, or to break that reality for a little, at least.
Until next time…
PEACE
Alida