Monday Refection - Sarah Pierce

Another exciting day at Red Bank today! Exhaustion is trying to set in but we are persevering and bringing the energy to the classroom. My students spent all of last week working on writing poetry so today we switched gears and started reading. The students read Maya Angelou’s A Woman’s Work, Jimmy Santiago Baca’s I Am Offering This Poem, and Zarick L. Robinson’s A Little Brother Follows Me. I split the students into three teams and then from there split them into partners. Each team had a different poem and each partner group had a different stanza. The students read each stanza, predicting what may have come before or what may come after, who is speaking in the poem, and what/who they are speaking about. The students had a lot of knowledge of poetry vocabulary, helping me define stanza, line, rhyme, and alliteration, but struggled a bit at first to read the poems. However, once they got into the swing of it and really started looking at the context clues and making predictions, their comprehension was beyond impressive. They were using cues like the word “children” in the first line of Maya Angelou’s poem to predict that the speaker was probably a mother. They noticed the theme of love in Baca’s poem by looking at the repetition of the last line in each stanza- “I love you.”

My co-teacher, Hannah, works in a day care in the states and had her students write letters to our students in Belize. Today at the end of my lesson, to give the students a “brain break” I had them read the letters and write their own letters back. I was completely blown away when the students opted to miss out on recess to continue writing their letters. They told the students in the states all about their homes in the village, their favorite foods, their pets, and what they like to do for fun when they are not in school. They were so surprised that students all the way in the states would write to them and that their own letters would make it all the way back to them!

Since I am teaching two classes and we will have a half day tomorrow, I had to say goodbye to one class today. It was emotional and a tough goodbye but tears flooded my eyes when two students brought me hand-written notes that they had worked on at home. The heat can be tough and the days can be long but I have never been a part of a more rewarding experience and moments like that one will stay with me forever. These students have a passion for learning that is like nothing I’ve seen before and I am blown away every day by their willingness to work hard and try new things. It will be another emotional goodbye tomorrow but I am looking forward to a tour of the village given by the student government while their teachers work in PD. It is hard to believe this experience is coming to an end already but I am so grateful that I’ve been able to be a part of the classrooms and community at Red Bank.

Sarah Pierce

Sunday Photos

Sunday Reflection - Hannah Boyle

After a jam-packed week of teaching, snorkeling, and hiking, today was all about relaxation, and what better way to do that than to spend ALL day at the gorgeous Belizean Dreams Resort. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this place truly blew us all away. From the warm and accommodating staff that went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, to the amenities offered such as kayaking, paddle boarding, massages, hammocks, a pool, and a volleyball court, to its breathtaking view of the ocean, many of us found ourselves never wanting to leave. We were given the entire day to do whatever we wanted. I chose to simply lay on the beach, put in my headphones, and soak up the sun.

Then the day got even better as the sun started to set. We had just finished our beautiful, delicious dinner prepared by Chef Luis when a group of Garifuna drummers and dancers called “One Love” joined us by the pool. They performed various songs from their Belizean culture and encouraged us to jump in and sing and dance with them. At first, many of us were hesitant, but gradually more and more people joined in and soon everyone in our group was up and moving! There were two female dancers who demonstrated all of the dance moves for us to follow along and one of the male drummers lead us in call-and-repeats that we sang throughout the songs. Their dynamic energy made it easy for us to break out of our shells and let loose. My face and stomach still hurt from smiling and laughing so much! It was the perfect way to end this incredibly relaxing day, and I personally feel like it was one of the most fun times we’ve had on the trip thus far.

Although we miss our kiddos back at the schools, being surrounded by palm trees and the smell of salty air today was definitely just what we needed to get our minds right for the rest of our stay here in Belize.

Saturday Pics

Saturday Excursion and Activities - Amanda Fiedler

A couple slips, lots of heavy breathing and breaks filled our morning as we trekked the Waterfall Trail and Ben's Bluff Trail at Cockcomb Wildlife and Jaguar Preserve. The trail was steep with rocks and roots protruding from the ground. At times some of us did not think we were going to make it. After many breaks and pep talks the support of our co-teachers got us through to our destination. Although we were not fortunate enough to see any jaguars we were surrounded by some of the most breathtaking views most of us have ever seen. Lush green mountains stretched far out into the distance fading in to shades of blue with white puffy clouds rolling over top. We took goofy pictures and selfies to celebrate our triumph! 

Hungry, tired, and dripping in sweat we returned to the hotel. After devouring our lunch we rushed off the finish our Derby hats before our grand celebration. Everyone showed up in style. Fancy hats filled the room made of everything from worry dolls to toilet paper. After much deliberation my hat was chosen for best in show! The festivities continued as we watched the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby, a first for me, and played Derby themed games. 

Amanda Fiedler

Excursion Day Reflection from Ashley Carrithers

We have been so busy! Yesterday was Labor Day here, which means we got the day off teaching! Although we all missed our students, a day off was much needed.  We began the day by sleeping in a bit, and heading out to Placencia! We took the Hokey Pokey Water Taxi (a boat) down the river to get our snorkeling gear, and then got on our hour long boat ride to the island.

The island was about the size of half of a football field…and it was so beautiful! The day started out with an overcast, but by the time we had gotten to the island the sun had begun peeking through the clouds and we could tell it was going to be a beautiful, sun-shiny day! While some of us were a little scared of the ocean and its creatures, we all chose to go snorkeling. We saw barracudas, “Dory” fish, and all different types of coral! This was one of the coolest things I have ever done! At this time, the sun was completely out and we were reminded to reapply our sunscreen and drink lots of water!

We were also given the opportunity to snorkel in the deeper water to see rays and sharks! Again, most of us were pretty nervous (especially myself), but most of us faced our fears and jumped in with the sharks! It was such an awesome experience, and we saw many sharks, rays, and other fish!

During the boat ride back, most of us began to realize how burnt we were (AKA Dr. Pentecost was right about the sun—oops!) However, we strongly pushed aside the fact that our skin was on fire in order to help the local economy (shop)! The shops of Placencia were so fun and colorful, and had the best gelato! We ate a delicious dinner there at Tipsy Tuna, and hopped back on the Hokey Pokey Water Taxi. While the sun took a lot out of us, we had a great and much needed day for fun and new experience.  However, I’m pretty sure most of us are so ready to return to our students on Monday.                                            Ashley Carrithers 

Silk Water Caye Excursion

May 1 is the Belizean Labor Day, so school is canceled and many people have the day off.  We joined those enjoying the holiday and spent the day snorkeling off Silk Water Caye and shopping in Placencia.  It was a perfect day!  The rain stopped during the night and the sun came out while we were on the caye.   All of the UofL students tried snorkeling and got to see many fish and types of coral.  I will leave the details for the students' reflections, but I wanted everyone to know that we had a great day and have arrived safely back to our hotel.

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Margaret Pentecost