My Scrapbook

It is still a work in progress, but this is what I have so far. These are some of the Events, the students are covering in their Scrapbooks. 

My Cover page

Class Schedule

Favorite Artist

Sports/Clubs

Hobbies

Autograph pages

God Works in Mysterious Ways

     I just wanted to say that today I experienced how "God works in mysterious ways." After a long day at school I was really tired during our 5 o'clock mass today. While Father Jaime was blessing the Body and Blood of Christ, I was standing up with my eyes closed listening to him speak. When he said, "Oremos" which means, "Let us pray" I began to pray. I asked God to please help me stay awake for the next 20 minutes so I can finish mass. I told God that I was really tired but I did not want to be disrespectful in his house and that I really wanted to be there. Still with my eyes closed, I began to feel as if I was falling and I quickly woke up! Ashley glanced over at me since she was the only one who noticed me standing and leaning towards my right and then waking up suddenly, if I was okay. I told her that I was falling asleep, but I was up now. I felt as if I had just woken up after sleeping 10 hours and was ready to start my day. I'm not sure if it was the adrenaline that rushed through my body for those slip seconds, but I was sure up for the next twenty minutes and all through dinner. Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it! I sure did, in an unexpected way. At least I know God answered my prayer.
     Aside from this very funny incident, I have been having a wonderful time at the Intermediate level. Mrs. Paizy is the teacher I am currently substituting for full time thought that yesterday Monday April 11 was going to be her last day of work. But she had her little bundle of joy last Wednesday. On Friday, April 1, I introduced the Scrapbook project to the students and on Monday, April 4, I began to instruct the class while Mrs. Paizy observed me.  So on Wednesday April 6, I felt pretty confident to continue working with the kids without her being there. before she left, she gave me some great advise for each class. Her most important advise so far would be: Don't mind the little things. If a student is talking, let them talk as long as they are working. This little piece of advice has saved me a headache or two. When I see students laughing or making jokes my first instinct tell me that they are probably not working, but after going and taking a look, these same students are working diligently. Don't mind the little things. I'm really enjoying the scrapbook project. Some of the students are really surprising me. Out of 5 classes only one is using magazines, which I thought everyone was going to want to use. They have used the magazine pages as backgrounds or they simply cut out the things they like.

And the Excitement Continues!

     Last Saturday I had the opportunity to visit one of the 6 Bioluminescent bays that glow all year round! Puerto Rico has 3 of the 6: one in Ponce, one in Vieques (one of the little islands that belongs to PR), and one in Fajardo. Luckily for us, the brightest Bioluminescent bay of the 6 is in Fajardo; which is the one we went to! Ashley and I went with Mrs. Turkovich and had an amazing time! Unfortunately we didn't take a camera because we were kayaking to this lagoon so if we flipped over, that would have been the end of our cameras and it was in the evening so a waterproof camera wouldn't have worked because they have no flash. It was amazing though. When you "disturb" the water with your hand or your paddle, there's a glow that follows the movement of your hand or paddle. It was really neat to see the effect of the water glowing.

     On Sunday, I ran my first 5K. I was really proud of myself for 1) completing the course and 2) for allowing myself to have the opportunity of experiencing such an event. I've always considered myself an athletic person, but I haven't been on a team for a while now, that I kind of forgot what it felt like on "game day." Having the adrenaline rush all over my body right before the gun went off, was a feeling I didn't realize how much I missed. After having the gun go off I started pushing through 1,000+ people to get myself in my running rhythm. Three minutes into the race, I began to incline for the next 1.5K. As I kept going, my muscles began to tighten, I started sweating, breathing a little hard and with the wonderful 94 degree weather we had that day, I started to get really really HOT! But i kept going pumping my arms and legs, controlling my breathing, and looking ahead. At one point I though about how nice it would be to stop for a couple of seconds, but every runner knows that once you stop, it is a lot harder to get started again. So I kept running telling myself that I've had harder practices and that it was all a mental game. The last 1K was a straight away so there were no hills or dips to run. I completed my race in 29 minutes and 30 seconds!  I was so happy when I received my pretty medal because I hadn't earned one in a while. All the hard work and practice paid off.

My first day as an Art Teacher!

     On a different note, I've already started substituting for Mrs. Paizy and have started their final project: Scrap booking!  Since the students only have about 15 class days left, I didn't really want to just give them substitutional work for three weeks so I designed a final project for them. They are going to create a scrapbook about school. The scrapbook is about 10-12 pages and each page has a different theme. I'm excited to work on this project with them, and I know they are excited too! Mrs. Paizy is still in the classroom with me but I'm the one doing all the talking and teaching. She gives me great advice and little pointers every now and then. I'm really excited that I was given the opportunity to work with the Intermediate students because now I can say that I pretty much worked "all over" the school.

     I've got 7 weeks left, and each one is getting better than the last.

Go, Go, GO!

     About two weeks ago S Ann Marie visited Ashley and I for four full days. She was able to attend Ashley's kindergarten classes, my fourth grade class, supervise the playground with me, eat lunch with us in the cafeteria, spend time in our "office" and of course tour the school! In addition to all of that, Ann Marie was able to see what our day to day was like in the monastery from prayers, to dinner, to our downtime. Everyday is different so it was really nice to have her here for almost a whole week to see how everyday unfolded. It was wonderful to see S Ann Marie because it was a familiar face that I was longing to see since August. I remember thinking that it was going to be a long time till I would see her again, and now she came and left. This is bitter sweet because it reminds me that the end is near.
  
     Well, since the end is near I have been trying to keep busy so I don't have to think about it too much. It has not been hard to stay busy because I have tons of work to do. I am in the process of transitioning out of Mrs. Morales' 4th grade Bilingual class and into a full-time Art teacher for 7th and 9th grade. Miss Paizy is the regular Art teacher for the Intermediate School but she will be going on maternity leave April 8th. I will begin substituting for her class full-time on April 1. Miss Paizy will be in the classroom with me for that first week to help me transition into that position. Last week I met with Miss Paizy to discuss the work that I would be doing with the students and she said that she was going to be giving me little projects to do with the students. She asked me if I had any ideas and I told her that I did. Scrap booking. She was trilled! I thought that I could have the students (7th and 9th grade because 8th grade doesn't take Art) make a small scrap book about their 2010-2011 school year. So we began to brainstorm and I quickly started working on a schedule, lesson plan, and presentation. I worked on that for four days straight! I was excited to show Miss Paizy my "draft" till I discovered that the 9th graders will have 18 class days beginning April 1st and not 26 class days like I thought. What a bummer! So I have to re-do my schedule, and my plans with them if I want then to finish the project on time. Scrap booking is really time consuming and I want them to do a great job. But other than that little bump on the road, I'm very excited to begin my new job.
  
     The month of March has been go, go, go since it started. Every week has had an event. The first weekend, Ashley and I participated in a walk to increase cancer awareness called "Revelo por Vida" with the Sisters from Santa Escolastica, which turned out to be lots of fun. The following week we spent with S Ann Marie and on Friday we were able to take her on a small tour of Viejo San Juan and to see El Morro. We finished that evening with the best dessert in town, Cold Stone Creamery. This weekend, Ashley and I were able to visit the Isla de Culebra through the courtesy of one of Ashley's kinder student's family. We spent the weekend with the student's family and had a great time. They are a wonderful family and I'm glad they found it in them to invite us out. Next weekend is also an exciting one for both, Ashley and I. We will be going on the Bioluminescent Bay Kayak tour with Mrs. Turkovich; the Religion teacher for third and fourth grade. I am extremely excited for that because that is one of the "touristy" things I wanted to do before I left Puerto Rico.  Then on Sunday, March 27th, I will be running my first 5K ever! It will be the St. Patrick's 5K where the funds go towards the Pro Hospital Society for kids. I have been running on a regular base here, so I am excited to actually run for something this time. I got a taste of what it feels like to walk/run for something meaningful when I participated with the Sisters in the Revelo por Vida walk. I felt very proud to be able to say that I participated.

     This has been a busy month so far and I know it is not going to slow down but that only fuels me. I'm looking forward to starting this week, continuing with Lent, and staying focused in school.

The Sisters ready to walk for life

Ashley and I participating in Revelo por Vida

S Ann Marie visits El Morro

Isla de Culebra

Cuaresma and Someone Waiting

     Blessings to all on this wonderful Lenten time! 

      For the past month, I have been breaking my head thinking about what I was going to "give up" or "sacrifice" during Lent. I really wanted it to be a meaningful sacrifice; something that would help me become a better person and strengthen my relationship with God. From my understanding, this thing I am sacrificing should not be:
    1) something I'm going to be thinking about for 40 days and counting down the days till Easter so I can eat/do again,
    2) something meaningless that is not going to help me become a better person,
    3) something that is going to interfere with my relationship with God.
Instead, my sacrifice should be something that is eventually going to help me become a better person, improve my relationship with God and hopefully along the way, my relationship with others. It should be something that I would like to continue (or at least be able to) after Lent if I feel it is really helping me become a better person...

     The theme for Lent here is "Al encuentro con el Resucitado" which means " The encounter with the Resurrected." The theme caught my attention because I couldn't quite find the "sacrifice" in it. Okay, I'm meeting with God or encountering with Jesus but how is that a sacrifice? I pondered about this for a few days and finally came to the conclusion that I was taking the theme too literal, so I kind of gave up on it. Yesterday morning I thought to myself, "Damn, I haven't figured out what I'm sacrificing and Lent starts tomorrow... I really don't want it to be something stupid... I guess I have till midnight to figure out what I'm going to be giving up for Lent." I know, not very inspiring, more like torture. I just couldn't believe that I hadn't found that one thing I want to work on for 40 days. So yesterday, I wasn't substituting for the penultimate period so I went back to the fourth grade class I help in and listened to the Religion teacher, Mrs. Turkovich's lecture on Lent. She shared a story with the students and at one point her voice became shaky and her eyes got watery. She took a pause and finished the story. It was a nice story, something about a guy on a train who talks to an older man about his problem and then it ended with something that had to do with a white ribbon. I didn't understand why Mrs. Turkovich wanted to cry but the moral of the story was about forgiveness and that in the end, there is someone waiting for you. So she then began to explain to the students that Lent isn't only about sacrificing. As a matter of fact, she became really upset when some of the students mentioned that they were giving up "chocolate" and "chips" for Lent. She asked them, "How is it possible that you are sacrificing food when there are millions of people in the world who are suffering from hunger?" She went on telling them that food, should not be sacrificed but instead, eaten in moderation. She told them that Lent was a time for forgiving, being generous, sharing, doing things that will help your relationship with God. Eating chocolate should not be given up because eating chocolate does not interfere with your spiritual life nor does it better your relationship with God. Not eating chocolate is not going to make you a better person. Maybe if you shared your chocolate or saved your money and donated it, then it can be purposeful for Lent. I really enjoyed her lecture because I didn't realize how caught up I had become in this "giving up" that I was only thinking about something physical. So after her class, I accepted that I had not found that one thing I was looking for to sacrifice and I was okay with that. I can better myself and my relationship with God by simply changing the way I do, think, feel and react to everyday situations.
     Today during mass Father Jaime didn't focus on sacrifice. His homily was about being generous and giving, and not seeking attention afterwards, but simply being happy with yourself and satisfied that only God and you knew what you had done. So, hearing that Lent wasn't just about sacrifice made me feel a lot better about my decision in not sacrificing anything in particular.
     When I went to Mrs. Turkovich's class again today, she gave me the story she had shared with the class. I read it to myself and I too, had to take a pause before I continued reading the story. It wasn't a nice story, it was a wonderful one. After class S Ann Marie asked me what I did in Religion class and I told her that Mrs. Turkovich had shared a story with the students yesterday and that today she had given me a copy. I translated the story as I told S Ann Marie and in the middle of it all, I started to cry. I tried to continue but my tears just kept on falling. I was surprised that I actually cried because I didn't cry when I read it by myself. When I was done with the story, S Ann Marie agreed that it was a wonderful story and she had watery eyes herself.

     I will share the story with you too.

Alguien Me Espera

(Someone is Wating for Me)

There was a young man sitting at the corner of a train, with his face buried in his hands and was quietly crying. After several stops an older man noticed the young man and approached him. The older man gently touched the young man on the shoulder and asked him what was the cause of his tears. The young man looked up and with tears in his eyes began to talk to the older man. He said, "When I was a teenager I was really rebellious and caused a lot of problems for my parents. My parents were always trying to keep me safe and trying to take care of me. But I never listened to them and always did what I wanted. One of those times I was looking for trouble, I got in a fight and unintentionally killed someone. I was trialed and sentenced for 10 years in prison. I wrote to my parents often but they never replied. Not once in ten years. So when I found the date of my release I wrote to my parents again. In that letter I gave them the date and told them that I was going to buy a one way train ticket to a place far from home. I asked my parents that if they forgave me, to please tie a white ribbon to the big tree in my hometown train station. If I saw the white ribbon, then I would exit there. But if I didn't, then I will continue on this train till the last stop." The younger man told the older man that he was crying because they were getting close to his hometown train station and he didn't have the courage to look outside the window to look for the white ribbon. The younger man asked the older man if he could do him the favor and look out the window and see if there was a white ribbon tied to the big tree and let him know if there was one. The older man agreed to look for him.

When they reached the young man's hometown train station his face was tilted down and covered by his hands. the older man looked outside the window and informed the young man that there was not one white ribbon tied to the big tree. The young man lifted his head and looked outside the window himself. When he did, he saw that all the trees had white ribbons tied to them. 

Someone was always waiting for him.

Mrs. Turkovich, coalesced this story with Lent by saying that sometimes we are afraid to talk to God and ask for forgiveness. But in the end God is always waiting for us. 

    

Be Careful What You Wish For

     As I continue to work with Robin I can see her enthusiasm towards school changing. She is now willing to participate in class, respond to questions and even go up and write on the chalk board. She had an English test and received a 90%, math test was 92%, and religion was 80%. She has improved a lot these past few weeks that I can't help but  be proud of her and the self-confidence she has gained. She smiles more, talks more, and laughs more. We are busy from the time school starts till the time school is out but working together and with Alexandra (the student who sits in front of Robin) makes it very enjoyable. When I am not helping Robin, I help Mrs. Morales staple work and correct a quizzes for her students. Working closely with Mrs. Morales has been a pleasure and really enjoyable too because she likes to have fun with her students while teaching. I have also learned a few things about what its like to teach at Colegio San Benito. As I've said before, Mrs. Morales is a 4th grade bilingual teacher. An example would be that Mrs. morales constantly has to remind her students to respond in English because even though they can read and write it, they hardly speak it. There are a few students who speak in all English, a few who speak Spanglish (Spanish and English together) and many who just speak Spanish. She stresses to them how important it is to speak English specially because 1) they are in the Bilingual program, 2) they can practice their Spanish in Religion and Spanish class and 3) It is extremely important that they speak it. Thinking back to my Elementary experience I don't think my teachers ever had that problem even though most of my classmates knew both languages; it was pretty clear that English was what we had to speak in the classroom.
     Now talking about fun on Friday, February 11th, Mrs. Morales had a pizza party with her students to celebrate Valentine's Day. The students danced, ate, and exchanged chocolates, baked goods, and cards. It was good to interact with the students outside the classroom setting. After spending an hour or so with them, I went over and stopped by Ashley's last Kinder class of the day, Mrs. Diaz's class. Mrs. Diaz's class was also celebrating Valentine's day and they had potato chips and cake! Who wouldn't want to spend a couple hours with 19 adorable kindergartners? They too shared their candy with me. It was so cute. After the party Ash and I were helping Mrs Diaz cleanup her classroom and I looked at Ashley and said, " I'm going to miss them." Before she could respond, Ashley's eyes turned red and watery so she just nodded back.
     It is so hard to think about May now because it seems so close. I can't imagine saying good-bye just yet. I've always heard "Be careful what you wish for" because you might just get it. So get this: sometime last week I was looking at Robin as she wrote in her notebook thinking to myself how hard it was going to be to stop working with her in April because I love this girl now. I wondered if there would be an "easy" way for saying good-bye and sort of wished that I wouldn't cry about it. She caught me staring at her and was like, "Oh, Daisy I'm going back to the Netherlands for my birthday" (her birthday is Feb. 28). I immediately asked for how long and she told me that she did not know. I ask her if she could figure this out so I could get all her work together for when she came back. So the following day, her parents came into the class before school starts and her mom informs us (Mrs. Morales and I) that they were going back to the Netherlands this weekend... to move back to the Netherlands. Wow! That ball came out of left field! I was surprised because I couldn't process the information I had just received. So I guess I don't have to worry about saying good-bye to Robin in April because she is going to say good-bye to me on Friday. This is very depressing news (on one end) because she was beginning to do so well and I was getting to know her so much. On the other hand, she experienced a different culture, lived in a different place, and will go back to the place she talks about everyday. I'm excited for her but sad that she is leaving. I am working on a little "memory book" she asked me to help her with. She wants a picture of every classmate with some information so she can remember who they are/were when she is back in the Netherlands. I have 4 days to complete this and I'm excited because I know she will really appreciate it. So even though I'm sad, I'm also happy because I helped a dear young child, made a new friend, and will try to keep in touch with her through Skype.  

New Beginnings

     I would like to inform everyone that my tooth extraction went well. I actually felt no pain and at one point I even began to think that everyone who frightened me with their stories were exaggerating or couldn't handle pain very well. I felt like this for about two hours before the anesthesia began to wear off. When that pain started kicking in, I was walking back and forth in my room waiting for the pain killers to kick in because I couldn't figure out if I wanted to cry or lay in bed for the pain to go away. But that was the most pain I felt. I don't do well with pain so as soon I started to feel the slightest pain I took a pain killer. I mean I bought pain killers just incase so why "take the pain" if I really don't have to? My cheek was swollen for a few days but nothing major; it was a successful extraction!

     So, because of my extraction I missed the first week of school and started working the second week on Tuesday (Monday was MLK). My new schedule goes like this: 8:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m. I tutor a student named Robin in Ms. Morales' 4th grade Bilingual class in English, Math and Science. At 10:55 a.m. I supervise the playground for First, Second, and Third grade students till 11:45 a.m. I take my lunch with Ashley  at 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The last two periods I have open for substitutions if necessary but if I am not substituting then I go back and help Robin with Religion and Spanish. Needless to say, I am busy, busy, busy and I love it!

      Why Robin you ask? Well in S Mary Ruth's words "Robin (and her sister) is a special case." Robin and her family came from Holland last summer. Robin's first language is Dutch and was learning some English in Holland. Her family moved here on business related terms. From what I know, her parents were not planning on staying for more than a year but that might change because they liked Puerto Rico. Robin had a difficult time last semester because she didn't understand English very well and two of her classes were entirely in Spanish (Religion and Spanish) and her teachers didn't know enough English to translate everything for her. So this semester I am working side by side with Robin till the beginning of April. Personally, I think her English is great for the most part, Spanish well, let me ask this: Can you learn a new language when it's taught in that language? If you are like most people I would say no. So Spanish is a bit difficult for her. I've sat next to her for a few classes and I even don't know what she is learning in Spanish so I'm learning too, then teaching her. These past two weeks have been so fulfilling I cannot explain the joy I feel. I told her from the beginning that I am here to help her with her work so eventually she does all the work on her own. In the beginning of April I will start substituting full-time for an Art teacher that is going on maternity leave. So far, Robin has had an oral presentation for English and a pop-quiz on multiplication and got a 90%. I am so proud of her and am looking forward to see her improve.