Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Acts of Kindness

So often in my blogging on here, I have voiced frustration with my students and their behavior, effort in the classroom, or the administration here not taking enough control over situations happening within the school. A lot of my frustration comes with the act of trying to adjust to a totally different culture; one that is MUCH slower paced than what I am used to. One where important decisions and work are not completed until hours before they need to be. One where people more or less just "roll with the punches" and whatever is meant to be will be.

Sometimes I feel as though I am so filled with frustration here that I forget to really stop and blog about the great things that I see happening in my classroom. The fact of the matter is this: my students are high maintenance. Everyday is a struggle to keep them in line. Here; playing soccer in the classroom when the teacher turns her back for 2 seconds is normal. As is having a wrestling match in the hallways during recess. Such is life in a Honduran school!

Although the discipline problems here would make even the most experienced teacher in North America cringe, there is a sense of compassion and caring for one another that the students have here that I have never seen in any classroom in the States. Nor do I remember this type of compassion in my own classrooms growing up. Here; all the kids seem to play in one big group, and they hardly ever seem to exclude anybody. Even the fifth and sixth graders all play together. There are no "cliques" or "popular groups" here. Everyone kind of looks out for one another. Okay, there are kids who will be kids, but when someone turns their back on another, someone else will stick up for her.

Remember Sandra that I blogged about a month or so ago? Today I witnessed the ultimate act of compassion and love happen between her and another student on the playground. I have another little girl in my class named Clara Maria. Clara Maria lives in the orphanage, and is fortunate enough to be a scholarship recipient here at Santa Clara. In any case, she also has a cleft palate, making evaluating her in a second language class VERY difficult. In any case, another little girl was teasing her on the playground saying that she had no parents and no family and friends and that no one cared about her. I saw the other kids looking horrified, rather than joining in. Then, Sandra stood up and put her arm around Clara and gave the teaser a piece of her mind. She said that Clara was her sister and she lived in her house with her and her mother. This was news to me! I called Sandra over and asked her if it was true, and she immediately got upset and apologized, thinking that I was upset with her for lying. She looked at me and said that it wasn't true, but that she didn't like to see "Clara's heart get hurt" (in English). I think this lesson from the playground today was universal. We can all learn a thing or two about life and the way we should treat other's through the actions of small children. Sandra's act of compassion and love actually brought tears to my eyes. (Although I think the fact that Susan and Bree left this morning did not help...what an EMOTIONAL day! I seem to have a lot of those here!)

72 hours from now I will be en route to Boston. Can't wait to see you all. More importantly though; can't wait to bring some of you back to my new home. I will always consider Juticalpa "mi segundo hogar". They say home is where the heart is. How will I ever divide my heart between two homes? The thought of leaving is breaking this heart of mine, that is for sure!