Saturdays at School

I feel like I haven't written a lot about school this year, but as they say: 'No news is good news!' And 'they' are right.  Javier and I are both really enjoying our classes this year.  He has my kids from last year (that were tough) but is getting along with them pretty well.  I think they're really responding to his goofy nerdy immature personality.  And my kiddos are wonderful.  Being a second year teacher is waaaaay more fun than being a first year teacher!  Javier and I have also taken on additional roles at school.  He is working as the ombudsman for the 10th grade, acting as the liaison between the 10th grade students and their team of teachers.  And I offered to establish a blog for 9th grade parents to keep up with the comings and goings of the 9th grade team (which is in part why I have so many pictures!).  It's a bit bitter sweet, because we really seem to have come into our own at school only to know we'll be leaving this place we really love at the end of the year.

Javier has been impressing the math department with his creativity.  I wish I had a picture of the boards in his room, but he has one of the most colorful and fun math classrooms at school!  This was the board he did for the entire school on using math to calculate trash usage.  It was even interactive; students could flip up the bottom questions to reveal the answers to his proposed math problems.

Coincidentally, I was responsible for the social studies board the same month that Javier created his.  Mine presents the Global Goals for Sustainable Development that the UN established for the next 15 years.  My students did some research on the goals and came up with super heroes that could help accomplish them (like Equality Pair, and Water Conserving Man).

The list of stuff that Javier and I didn't know when we applied and took this job could fill a small book....but our brief experience has taught us a boatload (I'm starting to document my list of questions to ask future employers...).  A question that we did not think to ask (and should have) was the length of our school year at Colegio Menor.  Because when we arrived we were shocked to find out that Ecuador's Ministry of Education requires 200 student-facing days (compared to the USA's 180 days).  While 20 days may not sound like a lot, it equates to 4 extra weeks with students (an entire month!) not counting our pre- and post-days at school.  Regardless, Menor helps fill these days by requiring students and teachers to attend school for THREE Saturdays in the fall.  They are usually fun days, but working 6 days in a week makes for two rough weeks (the one before, when you know you have to work on Saturday and the one after, cause you're tired after only one day off).    Needless to say, we are happy to have gotten these days out of the way in the beginning of the year.  Here are some pics from them...

Our first Saturday was for Jura  a la Bandera.  I posted about this event last year; it is a tradition where seniors make a pledge to Ecuador and the flag.  If I was better with words I could articulate how interesting and worthwhile the experience of another culture has been for us, but I'm not ,so simply take this as one of many examples that fascinate me.

It is a formal event so the Cabezas dressed up for the occasion.

Next on our Saturday school day list was Family Day.  This day is really meant for our lower school students, but each upper school grade is responsible for a booth.  My 9th graders were in charge of the Crazy Hair booth.  Here are some of them with my ombudsman (and wonderful mentor) Susanita!

It's a really fun day that includes all sorts of activities and entertainment.  These are some of my girls in the gymnastic team performing for the crowd.

In addition to activities, the day is full of good food! (Like a whole roasted pig!)

More of my kiddos and some examples of their Crazy Hair creations.

They really are a wonderful group!

In preparation for our last Saturday and Juegos Internos school hosted a spirit week.  Javier and I won the hearts of our students by being active participants all week.  Here we are on PJ Day (yes, I wore my eye mask all day!).

aaaaaand on movie character day.  Yes, my face is blue.  Also I had to sub for a 7th grade class on this day and they now call me 'Sadness' whenever they pass me in the hallway = WIN!

Here we are on the way to school....ready to face our last Saturday!

And my kiddos, lined up for the parade and pumped to compete in Juegos Internos!

Cheering their classmates on in Goofy Games!

Chubby Bunny and a mouth full of grapes.

A highly competitive obstacle course.

Here I am with one of my students.  Her sister is currently attending UVA and she was sporting her UVA hat with me for the day.

Did I mention that some teachers were asked to participate in the goofy games?  It's hard to tell, but that's my husband belly up and hanging from the bar crossing the pool.  They said he might get a little wet....yeah....just a little.  But the 10th grade won this game so it was totally worth it! (right?)

For Christmas, students from a school for the blind and deaf came to spend the day with my 9th graders.  I have really enjoyed my students this year, but it is something special to see how they really care for and embrace the smaller kiddos for the day.

We plan some activities and crafts but the day turns into my kids chasing around the other kids...doing and playing whatever they want.

Aren't my boys adorable with this little girl and her hat?

The hula hoops were a hit this year.

One of the big differences we've seen in Ecuador instead of the US is how physical our kids are.  They hug and kiss each other on the cheek.  When we see them in public they always offer me the traditional Ecuakiss.  Their comfort with physical touch showed on this day as well as they quickly grabbed hands and picked up kids to carry them around campus.

My sweet girls making Christmas ornaments with the kids. 

Two of my students were assigned one kid to look out for throughout the day.

We finished our play outside with this epic hula off between one of the deaf students (right) and my student, Paula (left).  It was a close match, but he ended up crushing her in the end...showing off a bit by hula-ing the whole way back inside.

I post mostly about our travel in and out of Ecuador, but Javier and I are definitely going to miss this school.  It will always be the place where we started our teaching career.  It's as beautiful on the outside as the students and teachers on the inside and it'll be hard to match when we get to the USA (fingers crossed).