The last fortnight I've been getting into a routine at Brazos Abiertos. Every day is different, as I try be as helpful as I can despite my lack of Spanish. I'm teaching English to pre-schoolers, youth and adults, helping with homework, youth and mothers' clubs and any other random job where I'm useful.
Days at Brazos Abiertos start at 7am with devotion, so three mornings a week I leave my apartment at 6:20am, thankfully my other days start a bit later.
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons I help Carlos out with the secondary students homework club, I can do some of the Maths and all the English homework.
Tuesday mornings I hang out in a four year olds' classroom. Teacher Jenny and the kids are helping me to learn to many things in Spanish, colours, counting, shapes and vowels. Even with my lack of Spanish I can still do a little behavior management and help some kids who need some extra help.
Saturday mornings I help out with the youth program and in the afternoon teach a youth English class. I love my youth English class, they're fun kids and it's so much easier to teach students who are literate in their first language, they can read what you write, take notes and make connections.
Five mornings a week Brazos Abiertos provides breakfast for a few children who really need it, I can at least help make sandwiches and fill up pots with water.
On Wednesday mornings I teach English and help in the four and five year olds' classrooms at a nearby school Brazos Abiertos is running with the government. It's interesting to see the different resources the government provides. School programs are very structured here, teachers are given resources and told what to teach every week. The kids find me very amusing, the four year olds love to bring things to me and demand I say what they are in English.
But resources are still very limited, these cubbies are very creative and in a school with no electricity.
Thursday mornings I'm helping with a mother's club, I'll be teaching knitting starting this week. Last week we learnt how to decorate large marshmallows with chocolate and sprinkles, something the mothers could do to make a little money if they wanted.
In between times it's fun to hang out with the staff, practising English and Spanish and just having fun together.
Days at Brazos Abiertos start at 7am with devotion, so three mornings a week I leave my apartment at 6:20am, thankfully my other days start a bit later.
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons I help Carlos out with the secondary students homework club, I can do some of the Maths and all the English homework.
Tuesday mornings I hang out in a four year olds' classroom. Teacher Jenny and the kids are helping me to learn to many things in Spanish, colours, counting, shapes and vowels. Even with my lack of Spanish I can still do a little behavior management and help some kids who need some extra help.
Saturday mornings I help out with the youth program and in the afternoon teach a youth English class. I love my youth English class, they're fun kids and it's so much easier to teach students who are literate in their first language, they can read what you write, take notes and make connections.
Five mornings a week Brazos Abiertos provides breakfast for a few children who really need it, I can at least help make sandwiches and fill up pots with water.
On Wednesday mornings I teach English and help in the four and five year olds' classrooms at a nearby school Brazos Abiertos is running with the government. It's interesting to see the different resources the government provides. School programs are very structured here, teachers are given resources and told what to teach every week. The kids find me very amusing, the four year olds love to bring things to me and demand I say what they are in English.
But resources are still very limited, these cubbies are very creative and in a school with no electricity.
Thursday mornings I'm helping with a mother's club, I'll be teaching knitting starting this week. Last week we learnt how to decorate large marshmallows with chocolate and sprinkles, something the mothers could do to make a little money if they wanted.
In between times it's fun to hang out with the staff, practising English and Spanish and just having fun together.
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