What would you do when English class is cancelled? First, some parameters: 1. The English Teacher has an unexpected meeting in a different part of the country. 2. The English classroom and regular classroom for the grade you are meant to work with are both in use for community programs promoting healthy habits such as brushing your teeth and getting regular eye exams. 3. It is raining, quite hard.Our resourceful volunteers took the antsy sixth graders to the covered patio and played Simon Says and Fruit Salad while reviewing all the vocabulary from the current unit. The kids (and volunteers) loved running around and learning through movement. Even with limited Spanish, our three English, Classroom Assistant and Sports volunteers came together and led an engaging lesson for 40 minutes. As their program manager, I was very impressed with their determination, creativity, and energy.
As a reward, after the class was finished, they were invited to observe the workshop on how to properly brush one’s teeth. I remember a similar presentation in Elementary school called Smile and Style. After talking to the volunteers I learned that these types of presentations are also common in Australia and the UK. It turns out we all learned how to brush our teeth differently! I wonder if there really is one right way…. 🙂
It says “We (symbol of a heart) To Learn.” To make the mural even more special, we had every student from kindergarten to sixth grade place their hand print inside the heart. But, before they did, I explained what the words meant and by placing our hand prints, we agreed that we really do want to learn. One little boy in second grade thought about this and said, “Oh, so this is our signature.” 🙂 The whole project was lots of fun and very motivating for the volunteers and the children. Even though our volunteers come and go, their work lives on. Thank you everyone! Every time I see the mural I think of all the happy times we spent painting it and laughing with the kids together.
Two weeks ago GVI Quepos welcomed a special group of Under 18’s. Fourteen teenagers from the United States and the United Kingdom gave up two weeks of their summer to help us perform maintenance and paint several rural schools.
He explained that although he is compensated a little for his bus fare (he lives nearby), he volunteers his time to keep busy. I liked his sentiment that everyone has something to offer, and his is performing errands and doing general handiwork to make the community better. I think the GVI volunteers also have special talents that we offer to the community though English instruction, cultural exchange in the classroom, and supporting kindergarten classes.
