Presidential Connections

My students just had the coolest opportunity today. Awhile back they did a letter writing unit where they picked a well-known person to write a letter to. They decided collectively to write to Laura Chinchilla, the President of Costa Rica. Upon turning in the letters, one of my more vocal students stood up and said "Miss, this is a little ridiculous. Why are we just turning them in and not doing anything with them? The President is my neighbor. I am going to take the letters and give them to her." WHAT??? Of course the President would be your neighbor. My students have the strangest connections.

Well, she followed through and delivered the letters. The President promptly read the letters and call my student directly on the phone. She invited my student and all of the 4th graders to come to the capitol to get a tour and meet her and her staff. How cool is that? Can you imagine President Obama calling one of your students to invite your entire class to the White House for a private tour where they actually get to meet him? Amazing. They went on the field trip today, and I am sad to report that I was not able to attend due to my responsibilities with my 5th graders. However, I'm sure they had an amazing time and I can't wait to hear all about it!

Tomorrow, the 4th graders are going on yet another field trip. They are going to a coffee plantation for a tour. This time, I get to go! I am so excited to see a part of this beautiful country that contributes so much to the agricultural developments that this country is based on. Plus, I'm hoping we get to sample some fresh Costa Rican coffee. No complaints here!

The projects and testing for the 5th graders is winding down. Today they practiced for their graduation song. It was so fun to see them up and dancing around, singing their hearts out, and beginning to rejoice in their accomplishments. I also was able to work with their class President on her graduation speech. She is so smart. Her speech is incredible and I'm sure my eyes will be filled with tears when she presents it next week. Friday, I get to help her practice, which I am so pumped for.

The project I was working on for the 5th grade graduation is almost complete. I've finished my part, for now, and it has been sent off to the printer. On Friday, I will be putting them all together. They are going to be so cool!

Friday, I will be observed by the Principal. I am excited for this as I am teaching the 2nd part of a persuasive letter writing unit and I feel very confident in this topic. I have developed interactive activities to get the students to understand the connections between the parts of their letters, and make them better. I think the principal will like it and I hope I get some helpful feedback. Being observed always makes me a little nervous, but at this point in the game, I feel confident and focused.

No plans for the weekend yet. As I said before, Rachael and I will be staying around Santa Ana to save money. We might venture out to see Breaking Dawn (we've been told it will be playing in English), but we have to be careful to avoid all of the Twi-hards. I don't want to be trampled by screaming 14 year olds. I'm sure it will be fun though! The mall, where the theater is, is always packed on the weekends, so we might hold off and go during the week next week.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys Thanksgiving tomorrow! No turkey for us this year, but I might enjoy a cup of delicious coffee instead. Have a safe holiday weekend!

The end is near...

Today, the first day of the last week of school for my 5th graders, went great! The 5th graders are just as "energetic" as I imagined, but they did a pretty good job today. We told them that we understand that it's the end, but that it also means that it's their last chance to prove to us that they're ready for middle school. This seemed to be a great strategy. They participated, remained relatively focused, and accomplished everything they needed to.

My fourth graders, are amazing. They worked so hard today! I got to teach a full Spelling lesson which was so fun. I found myself wishing we had more time because we were all having so much fun with it. My cooperating teacher and I discussed the lesson and decided to come back to do more with it later on in the week. The students love Spelling because we get to play all kinds of games. It's so fun to see them excited about their homework/in-class work when it comes to material that I've taught. They just get so pumped to show me what they know, they're not afraid to ask questions, and they work so hard.

In lieu of it being the end of the school year, and seeing my cooperating teacher gradually becoming more and more overwhelmed with the increased workload and approaching deadline, I have decided to take on a big project to prepare for 5th grade graduation. I have been working on the project for a couple of weeks and I am so excited to see the finished product! What I'm doing is creating a portfolio of sorts for each student. The cover is made up of their name, a characteristic that describes them, and words of encouragement. Then on the first page, I have collected and put together their yearbook pictures from every year they have attended the school. Next is a compilation of their best work from each grade level. The parents will be able to see their students' growth and I can imagine that it will be pretty powerful. I can't wait to hear about how the portfolios are received. They did this last year and said that the parents and students were so moved.

As my time student teaching is coming to an end in a few short weeks, I am finding myself trying to take advantage of any and all opportunities that exist. It's nice to still have the motivation and drive to keep going. Don't get me wrong, some days are a lot harder than others. But my students are just so motivating. When my students understand a concept I have taught, and they are excited to share what they know, it affirms to me that I am in the right profession. I am so happy. :)

I'm dreaming of a WHITE Christmas!

Bazaar. It's that special time of year when people are bustling to put up all of their Christmas decorations to welcome in the holiday season. Now, I'm from Minnesota. Where it snows...a lot...like it's supposed to this time of year. I didn't give it much thought prior to now but it's very weird to see Santa Clause leaning against a palm tree, penguin figurines everywhere, snow men next to HUGE flowers, and Christmas lights when it's 80 degrees outside.

Imagine this: Instead of putting up all of those outdoor lights and decorations while protecting against hypothermia, you could be doing it in flip flops, shorts, and a tank top, and probably break into a sweat and get sunburned. It's very different and I'm not sure I'm going to get used to it. The other day, I was speaking with another 5th grade teacher about how great the weather was. It was one of those perfect days; 75 degrees, a little windy, not humid. She said to me "doesn't this weather just remind you of Christmas?" Ummm...NO. Not even a little bit. It reminds me of the 4th of July, or Flag Day or something, but definitely not Christmas. Just an odd reality we are adjusting to down here.

Rachael and I have decided to spend the next few weekends around Santa Ana/San Jose. We are saving our funds for some traveling that will come when school is out. To be honest, we're both a little relieved to just be homebodies. We are both teaching full-time the next couple of weeks and we'll need the time to prep for that. Plus, we need to be saving money. Costa Rica is not as inexpensive as we were expecting. In fact, it's pretty similar to home in terms of food and transportation. I even pay more for rent here than home. We'll be learning together how to be creative money-wise when we travel.

The students are all gearing up for the end of the year. My fourth graders are using the last of their energy to commit to their projects. They are working hard and are actually more focused than I have seen them so far. On the other hand, the 5th graders are losing their minds. It's like trying to herd cats with them. They "graduate" on the December 2nd which gives them 2 weeks left. The last week doesn't really count since it's all testing. So, they pretty much know that they're all passing 5th grade and are moving up to the middle school, so they have this wonderful pre-teen attitude of "I don't care anymore." I think it's karma from when I was that age.

My cooperating teacher and I will be working hard this week and next to be sure that they are as focused...well...as productive as possible. At this point, we're working to use their energy and enthusiasm to allow for more choice in our structured activities and projects. The students are willing to do the work, but are so excited about being able to chose their topics, rather than being assigned. I think it will go really well. I hope so.

The fourth graders are taking another field trip this week to a coffee plantation. I haven't been approved to attend yet, but I am hoping I get to. The principal sees these types of excursions as being really beneficial to me as a new teacher, so that's great. She has been wonderful about being sure that Rachael and I are able to take advantage of every professional development related activity.

So, things are winding down for the students, as Rachael and I become more busy. I think this is a great opportunity for me to learn how to use the end of the school year "energy" and channel it into productive work. I hope it goes well! Does anyone have any questions about teaching/living in Costa Rica? I would love to answer them here :)

So I realize that I'm not very good at keeping this current. I'll try to do better :) Anyway, life since the last post has been pretty steady. I've been able to do some cool things, both at school and away, and I'm feeling more and more comfortable here.

In terms of the classroom, I am finding myself being more and more involved, which is great. I have been helping co-teach lessons since the beginning, but I've gradually been doing more and more of them. This week I start teaching full-time and I am so excited. The planning process for this has been a little stressful, but I'm excited to get going. One thing that is interesting to me at this school, and I can't decide if I like it or not, but the principal is SUPER involved in the planning process of all lessons. Each week she meets with every grade level/subject team and discusses their plans for future weeks. She is sure that their objectives, activities, and assessments are all aligned and well-thought out. She also has them do mini reflections for each lesson taught. I think she uses these for evaluation type supports, but I'm not sure.

I like that she is really involved because she has a lot of great input. She wants to be sure that every lesson consists of direct instruction (teacher lecture), guided practice, and independent practice. She is an advocate for small/cooperative learning activities, to an extent. I like her involvement, but it seems to me that it may be something that could be delegated. I'm not sure...I can't decide. For me, as a first year teacher, it would be nice to have someone who was so involved in my learning and supportive in helping me understand the ways the curriculum standards are directed. I don't know...

One thing I got to do last week on Thursday, was go with my 4th graders to Guayabo! I have never been with students on a field trip before and it was so cool! Guayabo is located close to the city of Cartago, in the Province of Cartago. It's a national monument that consists of Pre-Colombian ruins dating back to over 4000 years ago! We hiked through the rainforest discovering hidden secrets left behind by these ancient civilizations. Our students had been placed into small groups in their Social Studies class and they researched different native tribes from this era. This was a very neat experience for them to see that their research had led them to correct information, and they were able to put their hands on the things they had only read about. How many people get to experience something like that?!?!


The field trip was a very powerful experience for the students. At the park, with the ruins as their backdrop, the students presented their research only to be congratulated by the expert tour guides that were with us all day. They all felt so proud of themselves by the end of the day. It was a LONG day, 12 hours, but every minute was worth it. I was given the opportunity to gain insight into something that the locals haven't even seen. I kept telling people where I had been, and many of them had no idea where I was. I feel very fortunate to have been given that experience.

The past 2 weekends have been great for excursions. Not this past weekend, but the one before, we went with Rachael's friends to Heredia. We stayed there one night. We managed to go to a semi-pro soccer game (Heredia vs. Limon, both provinces in CR), have dinner at a mountain top restaurant/karaoke bar/discotec, hike Volcan Irazu, and visit amazing botanical gardens. It was a lot in 24 hours, but so fun! You'll have to check out facebook for more pictures, because I can't really describe in words just how awesome it was.



This past weekend Rachael and I ventured for the first time to the Caribbean side of the country. We spent the weekend in Puerto Viejo. This was a different kind of experience for us, and not quite what we had expected. It was beautiful, but it rained all day Saturday, which didn't give us much to do but nap and read. Both things were of course done sea-side, so no complaints, but I think I would have rather spent the day on the beach...I know...I'm a brat.

One thing that we were told A LOT before going to Puerto Viejo was to be REALLY careful with our things as theft has become an increasing problem. We are already aware of how not to be idiots while traveling, but I think the amount of advice was just too much, and quite frankly freaked us out a little. Now, when traveling in Costa Rica it is extremely important to keep track of your things and not flaunt your self as a tourist and what not. But I think that had we been a LITTLE more relaxed, we may have enjoyed ourselves a little more. But, overall no complaints. It was very nice to get out of the city and onto the coast for the weekend.

This week has started slow. I seem to have come down with some sort of illness, I'm not sure what but I am sure that I'll be fine in a couple of days. I think the next couple of weekends will be spent around Santa Ana/San Jose. As many of you know Twilight comes out on Friday, and we're not going to miss it. Call us nerds or whatever, but they're showing it in English at the Multi-Plaza, so that's where we'll be on Saturday...with all of the Twi-hards.

The next couple of weekends will be slow but nice. We're saving funds for our traveling that will come in a few weeks. I think the biggest expense until then will be the movie and a pedicure for $3. I'm pumped. Well take care and I'll try to do better at keeping this more up to date. :)

Ah La Playa

So I know that it's been a few days, well almost a week since my last post, but I've been super busy! Since my last post, I've traveled across the western part of Costa Rica, and been planning a lot more of the school day.

Last weekend, Rachael and I went to Manuel Antonio. I'm so proud of us that we made it there and back, all by ourselves, safely. Everyone warned us about being protective of our things and we were! No problems and nothing lost...well almost nothing. I lost my Nalgene :( Oh well. Pura Vida.

Manuel Antonio was so beautiful! We set off to San Jose around 4:00pm to catch our coach bus to the coast by 6:00pm. San Jose is only about a 25 minute bus ride, so we figured it was no problem. We made it to our bus stop at 5:45 pm and still had to take a taxi to the coach bus terminal! We made it to our tourist bus door at 6:01. Almost missed it, but we got on. We ventured into the dark wilderness (I say wilderness because I still have not idea how we got to and from Manuel Antonio and it was pitch black the entire time). After a 4 hour tour, we made it to Manuel Antonio. We were let off the bus in the dark and told by someone outside to walk up this little road 150 meters to our hotel. We were super nervous about this, but what choice did we have? We trusted our advice and made the trek. To our surprise, the hotel staff were waiting in the street for us. They took our luggage and got us checked into the cutest little hotel room.

In the morning, Rachael and I woke up early to an included, Costa Rican style breakfast consisting of the best toast I've ever had, a jam made from local fruits, and STRONG coffee. After breakfast we ventured to the National Park. We opted against the $20 per person for a tour guide and just rode the coattails of the other tour groups. We saw sloths and a weird crab/frog thing, and more! It was so cool to be exploring the rainforest. After a 30-40 minute hike, we approached our first beach. This was my first time at a beach in a tropical place and I fell in love. We ended up exploring 3 beaches that day. It was amazing.

Everyone in Manuel Antonio was so nice and helpful for us. We only got taken advantage of money-wise one time, and that was with a cab driver. But what can you do...live and learn. It was hard to leave the beach on Sunday, but we felt rested and ready to enter another school week. We had figured out how to purchase our tickets home, and thought it would be a relatively painless experience. HOWEVER, the bus was not direct to San Jose and ended up making so many stops I lost track. It took us over 6 hours to get to San Jose. This time, however, it was light outside during most of the drive, so we were able to see parts of the country that we would not otherwise see.

The countryside in Costa Rica is beautiful. There is a lot of crop land, but it's spread over picturesque, foggy, lush mountains. One thing that I did notice about the countryside, is that instead of smelling like animal bi-product/fertilizer, it smells like coffee, flowers, cinnamon, rain, fruit, and fresh air. It was hard to be stressed on the bus when it smelled so great outside.

We made it home by 8:00 Sunday night, just in time for the Mariachi Band to play songs for our host mom's 50th birthday party! What a surprise! All of her family and friends were there, the band was amazing, and they all welcomed us to join in the festivities. Our host mom was happy to introduce us to the people closest to her. It was so cool.

For school this week, I'm taking on more of a prominent role in the classroom. I began writing quizzes, administering them, and assessing them. This is so helpful to me to get to learn the students and their academic strengths/weaknesses. My 4th graders have been doing book report presentations all week, complete with costumes. It's amazing to me how smart and confident they are while presenting. It seems as though presenting their material and what they've learned is so natural for them. It's really quite impressive to witness.

In 5th grade, my students are working on developing scripts for a role-playing activity they will do. They will be acting out a chapter from the book they are currently reading. They have started to try to test me this week and see what they can get away with. For example, during their spelling assessment, one student kept asking me to spell words for him. After explaining to him that I'm not new at this and that those tricks won't work with me, he stopped. I can't figure out why he needed help, he got the highest score in the class on his own.

The weather down here has been good for the most part. We had an earthquake today, apparently. I totally missed it. Only I would be totally oblivious to the entire ground shaking beneath me. It's usually sunny during the day, but without fail, whenever Rachael and I decide to leave school, no matter the time, it starts to downpour. Murphy's Law?? It's weird. For anyone who will ever go to Costa Rica be sure to bring an umbrella. We're not talking a few sprinkles everyday. We're talking full-on downpour, monsoon, thunder, lightning, sky exploding rain. It only lasts for an hour or so, but it will always wait for Rachael and I to step outside at the end of the day.

Things here are going great. This weekend we're going to be staying near Santa Ana but taking day trips to check out a volcano and some botanical gardens. I'm so excited! I'll try to post more often. I added some new pics of Manuel Antonio on Facebook so check those out if you'd like. Below is a link for Manuel Antonio National Park. Take care.

Manuel Antonio National Park