Week 1

05/11/2018

What have you learned about yourself as a teacher this week and what happened that helped you realize this?

I learned that I would rather work with a few kids and assist them in their success than stand up in front of the whole group and be responsible for the entire class' success. I realized this when I naturally preferred working with one table this week than being the one in the front of the room giving instructions. I like to see how each student works and what they struggle with. I can't believe that teachers in Belize, and even in America, are responsible for the success of up to 30 children. It is hard to pay attention to each one equally and make sure they are succeeding at the same rate. 

What have you learned about the culture and people of Belize and what happened that helped you realize this?

I learned that English is the national language, but English is many teachers' second language. I noticed this in each classroom I was in. When a child also spoke the first language of that teacher, she tended to speak in that language when clarifying a subject to that student individually. I also learned that Spanish is taught in every classroom, which is different from the United States. I like that all students are expected to learn English and Spanish because Spanish is becoming so important around the world. There are so many people that speak Spanish now, especially in careers. 

What happened this week that was a surprise or not what you expected? How has this impacted you?

I was surprised with how well these teachers ran their classrooms. I expected so much worse. I know that we demonstrated good teaching techniques the first two days, but when I was observing teachers yesterday it seemed like they already implemented good teaching techniques in their classrooms. I can see how they struggle with the amount of students in their classroom and how certain activities may not work because of the way their classrooms are set up, but I was impressed with their techniques despite these challenges. If they had access to the picnic tables that we had access to I think they would be able to implement more group work in their classroom which is what they are lacking. I was pleased to see that they're already doing centers in their classroom, but group tables would make this process easier.