All of my classes begin with conversation and sharing time. I do this because if you can read and write in a second language, that's great. However... and I base this on my own personal experience, it's much more difficult to speak a language well than read it or write it. During my 1st year here, if I could have written down everything I needed to tell those around me, communication would have been a breeze. I'm certain that my students feel the same at times.
Anyway, I begin my days with 2nd grade English class and they always have plenty to say. Conversation topics are usually light-hearted. Something like "Teacher, I am happy because today is gym class." or "I am sad because the weather is cold." is the norm but occasionally we discuss more serious topics. So on Wednesday when one little girl raised her hand and told the whole class that she was sad her because grandfather had died I really wasn't that surprised. The kids are pretty open about what's going on in their lives. What did surprise me was when another little girl chimed in with "My uncle died." and then used a flurry of Spanglish to describe how it had happened in a huge fire that morning in Comayagua(a city about 45 minutes from Siguatepeque). That was how I found out about the prison fire that killed at least 382 inmates Wednesday morning.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17055231
Basically what happened is that a fire started in the overcrowded prison sometime on Tuesday night and quickly spread. By the time the guards had found the keys to unlock the cells it was impossible to get everyone out. Everyone seems to know someone who was at the prison and there are several Destino students who had family members there. In addition, this morning a huge fire burned down part of a market in the capital. To sum it up, this has not been a great week for Honduras. House visits are coming up within the next couple of weeks so this will be the perfect opportunity to see exactly how many families have been affected and how we can support and encourage them.
David(2nd Grader) and I
Gaby (2nd grader)
Love reading your blog. Will pray for your students who have lost love ones in the fire.
ReplyDeletePraying for all of you Amanda! Stay safe! Miss you! Dana
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