Student Files: Celeste

Simple, quiet, shy, approval-seeking.

Celeste looks like a little angel. She sits quietly, observing the antics of her classmates, usually with a shy little smile playing on her lips. Her dark eyes don't miss much. As the year passed I watched her interact more and more.

I'll never forget one morning....

I walked into class, having dared God to show me that he was somewhere in this mundane, tiring routine.

Celeste showed up at my side on that bright, warm morning. I can still see her beaming face in the morning sunlight that shone through the doorway.

"Miss! My mom will have a baby!"

Next thing I knew, she grabbed me around the waist with stronger arms than I'd anticipated. And she didn't let go! I stood there and held her, trying to ask more questions--"Is it a boy or a girl?" "When will the baby be born?" She either shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and gave me that I-don't-understand-that-word-in-English look. Only her HUGE smile stayed in place. I finally gave up, grinning in return. And I hugged her back.

Student Files: Katherine

Ah, Princess Katherine. She's brilliant and somewhat precocious.

Just last week she taught me about teaching.

Katherine didn't want to do the Science review sheet. School comes easily to her, but sometimes she gets tired of the tedious busy work that is so necessary for some of my students. So she sat there and distracted Geovanny and Andrea, tossing her hair, letting her diamond eyes sparkle as she giggled and screamed in outrage at Geovanny's response.

I kept walking past her desk, encouraging her to finish so she wouldn't have homework. Finally I gave her a time limit for the first 4 questions. When she accomplished those I gave her 3 more minutes for the next 5 questions. She lit up. She loves to rise to the challenge. Soon she had the entire worksheet finished and glowed with pride.

I love watching her shakes her foot back and forth, throw her head back, and raise her eyebrows as she taunts the boys. I love watching her swirl around the classroom with Sally--uniform skirt twirling, black shoes slipping, long brown hair flying--not a care in the world. I love the light in her eyes when she asks me if she can have "Bonus Points" in addition to the "Extra Credit" question at the end of the test.

Today she hung on my neck as we said goodbye. I looked down at her face, trying not to giggle at the body glitter clinging to her cheeks, and realized that she has a piece of my heart.

Student Files: Javier

Every morning I walk towards 5A, with my Mathbook and waterbottle in hand and my backpack on my back. Every morning I get ten steps from the door when Javier spots me and rushes to my side, sticking out his chubby arms to pry the waterbottle from my hands; "Let me help you miss!"

His daily conversation usually starts with, "I am happy today, Miss!"
"Oh really, Javier. That's good! Why are you happy today?"
He cocks his head, tilting his glasses at a precarious angle, then twists his head to the other side as he screws up his nose to think about my question.
"I no know, Miss."
Sometimes I can't help but laugh, and he laughs with me. "Okay, Javier."

Usually he hovers at my desk as I attempt to manage a hundred things at once--write the page number on the board, announce the 60 seconds that the class has until they have to be ready, field any complaints like "Miss! Cristian has my pencil!!!" and answer any questions about yesterday's assignment. Through this mini-crisis, Javier stands and waits for a piece of my attention.

His unending love and patience with his classmates continues to amaze me. They tease him and hurt his feelings, but he never hesitates to lend his eraser or run an errand for them.

Student Files: Kora

Oh Kora. Smart as a whip. Most of the time I think she looks bored in class because she understands things the first time I explain them. She usually starts on her Math assignment before I've even finished the sample problem.



A few weeks ago Kora decided that we look alike (I think our hair is a similar color... it must mean we're twins!). She keeps bugging me to "make an announcement" to the class to see if anyone else thinks we look alike.



On the last day of school I suddenly realized that Kora has attached herself to me. She followed me everywhere, half-hugging me, and tried to use my vocabulary (I told her that "hilarious" means "very very funny." haha!). This realization hit me when I looked down after the bell had rung at the end of the day and saw her eyes misted with tears.



Oh Kora. How did I not realize how sensitive you are?

The Beginning of the End

Last weekend we traveled the Lake Yojoa region, hitting up our favorite spots--it turned into a ''Goodbye Tour'' of Honduras! We spent Friday night and Sabbath hiking the mountain and swimming in waterfalls at the Parque Nacional Cerra Azul Meambar (a repeat of our first trip of the year). On Sunday we stopped at the Puhlapanzak waterfall--a few of us waded in the crystal clear river above the waterfall (which probably shouldn't be allowed).

On our way back we stopped at another Adventist orphanage in Peña Blanca and I met Verlene Youngbird. She's worked at the orphanage for 49 years, and is connected to my home church! I realized while talking to her that her orphanage is the reason why I'm in Honduras this year--I grew up hearing stories about Honduras, so when it came to choosing a call I specifically looked here! I'm so glad we stumbled upon it!

Today the principle came to my door and told me to get my students out of the classroom (mini fire alert--some of the wiring in the building had sparked). While trying to keep my kids in some semblance of order on the cancha (basketball court), I tried not to laugh as Geovanny (from 5B) ran around from teacher to teacher with his "microphone." One of my 4th grade students, Geovanny's camera crew, bent his right arm and stuck it out as a video camera. Geovanny thrust his fist under my chin; "This is Maranatha TV. How do you feel???"

This morning Bethani and Hannah put their suitcases in the back of one of the school administrator's truck (the same one we piled our mountain of stuff into at the beginning of the year) and drove to the airport. Two more missinaries fly home June 2. The last of us leave June 10! I have exactly 6 days of teaching left. Then final tests. Then I have to say goodbye.

How did it happen so fast???

Hogar de Ninos

Hey world!

I don't think I could exaggerate the highs and lows of teaching. Lastweek I felt like a failure. Eduardo openly disrespected me 3 times inone class period. I gave him a warning.... but detention doesn't scarehim anymore. I kept 5 of my fourth graders a total of 11 minutes afterschool. They couldn't sit quietly for 5 minutes altogether, so I hadto keep restarting their time. Sigh.

This weekend four of us visited Reach International's Hogar de Niñosin Santa Barbara--a small orphanage of 40 children. I enjoyed sharingwith the SMs there (from Andrews, Southern, and Germany???),discussing our Honduran experiences and hearing their thoughts duringSabbath School (in English!!! how refreshing!). I loved thefamily-feel of the small community of workers and kids. On Sunday wehelped out with chores--I peeled and chopped potatoes and made a messof the green peppers. One girl, Martha, followed Andrea and I aroundall weekend. haha!

Today Eduardo handed me my waterbottle as I left the classroom andgave me the most adorable shy smile and hug that any 12-year-old boycan give. Those darn kids.

Glimpses of Honduras

As of this week I have four more weeks of normal teaching. Every other day brings alternate reactions. Yesterday I couldn't imagine leaving my students, my fellow SMs, the people I've come to know, and this beautiful country. Today I can hardly wait to see my family and friends and to simply be home.

On Sunday we made another day trip to Valle de Angeles, the little tourist shopping town on the other side of Tegucigalpa. I stocked up on souvenirs I've wanted all year. The best part of the trip would have to be our stop at a park in Tegucigalpa--Cristo de Picacho!

We took a taxi to the top of a hill and enjoyed an amazing panoramic view of the city! We payed the 5 Lempira charge (25 cents) to get into the zoo and watched leopards groom themselves, alligators sit like bumps on a log, and monkeys swing and perform for their audience. My mouth dropped open when one baby monkey wriggled through the chain link fence and scampered away free of its cage... I guess that happens all the time? ha! Then we took pictures with the actual ''Cristo de Picacho'' a HUGE statue of Jesus overlooking the entire city. Awesome!

I wish I could describe how much I love my kids. I wanted to tell you a cute story from today's classes to illustrate my feelings. Only distinct images came to mind:
--Katherine's hair and uniform skirt twirling as she landed gracefully in her desk.
--Little Ana pressing herself against me, ducking her head shyly and asking, ''Miss, am I a candidate for Student of the Week tomorrow?''
--Orlando's quiet shrug and half smile, half grimace when I asked him to come do a problem on the board.

Yes, they're adorable when they're not running around yelling their heads off! haha!

Still Teaching!

We just finished our first week back at school after Semana Santa! It sure kept me busy.

Last weekend we went up to Siguatapeque for the national Pathfinder Camporee--my first Pathfinder Camporee ever! The Pathfinder Club from our church had been there since Wednesday, but we watched them on Sabbath morning march down the main street, along with all the other clubs. I loved watching each church present themselves in their khaki uniforms, holding signs with memory verses, and marching in patterns! :D That night we camped--Andrea, Sasha, and I tried to smash down any twigs to keep them from sticking into our back and crammed into a two person tent. In the morning we helped take down the campsite, packed the refurbished high school bus, and rode back down the mountain to Comayagua.

The heat has finally struck! Every day I attempt to stand under the fans that oscilate from the classroom ceilings as I teach. I think my students in the front row might have figured me out. :D

I keep realizing what a never-ending process teaching is. I don't just mean the grading and the planning--I am continually learning new ways to respond to situations in the classroom and how to love my kids individually. I love that! I'm still not sure if this means I'll end up teaching in some capacity in the future, but I guess I won't rule it out.

Student Files: Allison

Wow! This picture is old. Since the time this picture was taken, Allison chopped her hair and shot up 3 inches vertically!

Allison is my typical quiet, super sweet, friendly, shy, adorable girl.

Two weeks ago she came in the Teacher's Room looking for her mom (the Art teacher). She ended up telling me all about her aunt and uncle who are visiting from their missionary post in Albania! Her little nervous smile shone through with excitement as she told me about her little cousin "who has four years" and already speaks English, Spanish, and whatever language they speak in Albania.

Then she said, "And I already know words in Albanian!" She rattled off strange sounding words that meant "cow," "friend," "hello," and "Happy Birthday." In her excitement she tucked her hair behind her ear for the thousandth time and clapped her hands together. I smiled proudly and asked her if she liked learning Albanian.

She nodded vigorously. "Yes! I want to learn. Then I know 3 languages!"

Student Files: Kimberly

Haha! I can't even think of Kimberly without laughing!

She is so smart. She is so goofy. She is such a tomboy.

For the Science Fair I let 5B choose their groups to work in. They split into two groups; one group was all the girls and the other group was all the boys... and Kimberly. She was totally fine with it. I think Katherine teased her about it. Kimberly shrugged, sat down, and smiled.

Kimberly was named Star Student because of an incident that happened in class.

Alondra would NOT share her Bible book with Byron. Byron had forgotten his and I asked him to share with Alondra (it's punishment--I make the boys and girls share books if they forgot theirs... they do NOT like sitting with a member of the opposite sex! haha!). Well, Alondra didn't just complain, she flat out refused. Poor Byron looked confused and bewildered! Alondra moved her desk two inches farther every time he tried to even look at the book to follow along with the story.

I kept my eye on the situation--Alondra, displaying her stubborn streak, would not give in. Suddenly I saw Byron turn around. Kimberly nodded at me and handed him her book with a smile. She scooted her desk quietly next to Andrea's chair and kept following along. All without saying a word.

Oh, and she's a Math wiz like no other. I love having Kimberly in my class!

Copan!

Happy Semana Santa!

Last week kept me busy with recuperation tests and Parent/Teacher Conferences.

I can't believe it's April already! On Sunday Andrea, Kandice, and I took two buses and 7 hours to the little town of Copan Ruinas, on the Guatamalan border. It's the home of the famous Copan ruins, some of the most intricate Mayan ruins in Central America. We found our hotel and hunkered down for some real vacation time. On Monday we went on a horseback ride on tiny, but very determined horses. Our guide Ephraim explained history of the Mayans and pointed out notable sites in very very slow spanish. I felt quite accomplished when I understood almost everything he told us (or at least the main points! haha!)

On Tuesday we took a tiny little mototaxi to the actual ruins. I loved exploring the temples, seeing the famous ball court, and climbing the centuries-old steps! I can hardly believe how intricate everything is! We thought we were fortunate to have an overcast day for our exploring. Unfortunately, it started drizzling. Then it rained. Then it poured a good, sturdy rain-forest rain. haha! We took cover under trees on our way back to the museum at the entrance!

Today we're back in Comayagua because tomorrow is the big Semana Santa celebration. Comayagua's got the second largest celebration in Central America, so we have to see it! They decorate the streets with intricately designed carpets made out of colored sawdust. It sounds amazing!

On Friday I will have exactly 2 months left in Honduras and only about 8 weeks of teaching. I'm starting to think about what I want my kids to remember when I leave. I hope they remember the important things. Will they remember how to change an improper fraction into a mixed number? Or will they remember how much their teacher loved them?

Twenty-one.

I'm officially super late at posting this, but here it is.

On March 25, 2009, I turned 21!

I woke up to smiley-face post-it notes put up by my very awesome housemates saying "Happy Birthday." All the missionaries made me an awesomely huge breakfast. Aren't these girls amazing???

At school my 4th A girls came running up to me--"Miss! There is a cake!!" They were so proud of themselves. (Erick, the trickster, tried to take credit for it all. He said, "Miss, look what I did for you." Dariela and Raquel almost screamed, "Noooo, Miss! He did nothing!!! It was us!" haha!)

My 5th graders hugged me, sang for me, and in general were everything a teacher could want. Sally looked up at me with her mischievious eyes as she hugged my middle, "Miss, I forgot it was your birthday!" I should've suspected then.

As it was, Alondra found me after school. "Miss!!! We came back to the classroom from computers and there is a big frog in there! It's thiiiiiis big!" I had to smile to myself. (I'd seen them trick Miss Emily for her birthday). I have to admit, they surprised me with all the confetti they pelted me with as I opened the door! Balloons, confetti, Dunkin Donuts, and soda. I love my kids!

My 4A girls demanded that we cut the cake after school. I think their favorite part was smearing pink frosting all over Miss Kristen's face! haha. Kora said she liked my "make-up." :D

That night the Missionaries made me a surprise Italian dinner--I'd gone to a soccer game out in the country with Andrea (little did I know, she was babysitting me!) We ate such good food, took tons of pictures, and didn't stop laughing.

What a perfect way to turn 21!

Student Files: Geovanny

Ahhhhh.... Carlos Geovanny. This is the second Carlos in 5B, hence, we call him Geovanny.

I don't think I've ever met a crazier kid. He bounces off the walls, all over the place, touching everything, falling everywhere. I call him a sloppy genius--his Math book looks like he scribbled all over it, but all his answers are all correct.

Every week he comes to my desk to tell me the memory verse and puts on a show for the class. I need to take a video of it.

When I call him for his turn he shouts from his desk, "No! Geovanny no come today!" Then he stumbles out of his desk like he's marching towards the guillotine. "No, Miss!" He collapses against the wall behind my desk and waves his hands all over the place. He grabs my arm, pretends to cry, and more likely than not, falls on the floor in a pretty realistic panic. By this time most of the class has stopped working on their worksheet and is laughing histerically. Finally I say, "Geovanny, you have 20 seconds."

When the majority of the class finally ignores his show, Geovanny stands, back against the wall, swaying back and forth, waving his hands like a conductor, and repeats the memory verse flawlessly.

Messy + brilliant + wayyyy too much energy + performer + always happy = Geovanny. :D

Student Files: Daniela

Daniela. I think she's a new favorite.

Last partial Daniela didn't pass Math. This partial she's one of my few faithful participants.

"So what kind of fraction is this? Anyone? ....Daniela."

"An improper fraction."

"Very good! And how do we fix an improper fraction? Eduardo, turn around. How do we fix an improper fraction? Alessandro, where's your notebook?"

Daniela's concetrated expression reaches me from the back of the classroom. "Daniela, what do we do?"

"We divide?"

"Very good!"

Last partial her dad was in the US buying products for the family company. When he got back, she couldn't talk about anything else. A lot of families live that way--one parent, or even both parents, work in the US and send money back home, so our kids live in single-parent homes or with their grandparents, aunts, or cousins.

I adore her hardworking, non-complaining, positive attitude, not to mention her quiet teasing. Plus, she's always at the door when I come into class, "Miiiiiss. Good morning! Can I help you?" (As she pries the water bottle out of my hands.) :D

Parciales otra vez.

Hello from Partials week!

Last week we held our evangelistic series in the school auditorium! Every night the missionaries led song service (I had so much fun singing familiar praise songs in Spanish like ''Abre mis ojos, oh Cristo'' which is ''Open the eyes of my heart, Lord'') Kandice's brother flew down and did the preaching--it was so nice to hear sermons in English! The school arranged transportation, so every night a bus load of people poured into the church. I think there were 12 or more baptisms on Friday night--one of them was Sheila, one of my 4th grade girls, and her mom!

This past Saturday night the missionaries played a soccer game against the girls of a neighboring church. We tied 2--2, playing harder than ever. Those girls were good! After the girls game (while the guys showed us what a real soccer game should look like!) we played games with the church kids--London Bridge is Falling Down, En la Mar y En la Tierra (On the Beach, On the Shore--which I always knew as On the Line Off the Line), and Simon Dice (Simon Says). Those kids went wild!

This week I plan to kick back, relax, finish all my grading, and maybe see a little more of Comayagua. During Partials week we have only three class periods so my school day ends at 9:30! It's always a bit of mini-vacation! (Of course, this means we're starting the fourth quarter already... which I'm not quite ready to realize yet!)

Mindy and Karen (two girls who taught here last year) are visiting from Walla Walla during their Spring Break! It's been fun to compare stories and experiences with people who went through the same thing!

Happy Spring Break to most of you! I hope you're enjoying some much needed R and R.

Buses!

On Friday I named our new Star Students for the week. I came up with a new system--Emily and I decide on one student (one in 5A and one in 5B) who we've noticed and then that student gets certain privileges. We chose Keila in 5A. She'd been busily coloring her Bible worksheet and looked up in shock when I called her name. She ducked her head and smiled shyly the whole time I gushed about her helpful attitude. Made my day!

I spent most of the weekend on buses! Friday night we packed up and headed for Lake Yojoa again. When we got off the bus at the station I heard one of my favorite worship songs playing in spanish--we stepped right into a Friday night evangelistic series on the side of the road! I loved it.

We had our own church service (I read scripture) before heading down the dirt road. We stood next to the paved highway, waiting for the next bus to Peña Blanca. From there we hopped a Rapidito and then walked to the Centroturistico for the Puhlapanzak Falls. If you've never heard of this place before, google it! It's the biggest waterfall I've ever seen! Next time we go we're going to hire a guide to take us to the caves behind it!

Yesterday Bethani, Kayla, and I took a day trip back to the Valle de los Angeles. We went there 2 months ago to do our Christmas tourist shopping and since then we've wanted to go back. I bought myself a sarong for the soon approaching summer, we ate baleadas at a local Comedor, and hopped buses back and forth.
I'm beginning to understand the bus system here. The bus stops anywhere, as long as you're standing on the right side of the highway. The ''money man/guard" hangs out the door to see if you want his bus. You flag him down and the bus pulls to the side long enough for you to scramble onto the typical yellow high school bus that's been converted to a passenger bus. When you take your seat, the ''money man'' comes by with a stack of Lempira and collects your fare. Now you brace yourself to spend the ride (which can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 1/2 hours) trying not to watch the road curve around mountaintops and the pine trees pitch past you. As long as you don't watch where you're going, you don't have to worry! :D

Science Fair and Aguas Termales

I'm exhausted because this weekend kept me busy!

Friday: Science Fair!!! I spent the first of the morning arranging kids, finding extension cords, and moving tables. Finally all 6 of the 5th grade projects had their experiments and presentations ready to go! The 5A boys proudly displayed their experiment: they broke a glass bottle by tying an alcohol-soaked string around it and lighting the string on fire. (Thank goodness they also had a bucket of water.... just in case!) For an hour and a half the judges walked from table to table--I'd never seen my kids so nervous! By 12:00 the students cleaned up their booths!

Friday night: We stayed up to midnight our time (which is incredibly late--my bedtime is around 9:00 here!) because we had a Skype date with the WWU Church! Unfortunately, the connection was wayyy worse than during our test call earlier that day, but we got to see the church and even talk to some people! Thanks to all you who said hello! It totally made my WEEK!

Sabbath: Four of us hopped on a bus, then on a Rapidito (a little bus--20 people crammed in a 12 passenger van) and found our way to Aguas Terminales... the hot springs! These hot springs boiled out of the ground and joined a cool river, where we did most of our swimming. If you didn't watch your step you could scald your foot! It looked like something out of Lord of the Rings, with the trees hanging down over the river. Unfortunately, the manager of the motel-type place wasn't there, so we rode with some friends who'd come to meet us and stayed at their house in a town 30 minutes away!

It's so nice to get out of the city every once in a while and remember how GREEN Honduras is! :D

Student Files: Linda

Ah Linda. Cute. Spunky. Tattle-tale. Has an excuse for everything and the most adorable impish smirk.

This girl knows it all. Every day I laugh at the mischevious look she gives me as she answers questions like, "What is 3/4 + 2/5?"

Yesterday I looked down and saw her gluing fake nails on during Bible class with normal school Elmer's glue.

Thanks to a new seating arrangement she now sits between Eduardo and Cristian (which spells trouble for ANYONE), but Linda eats it up. Usually the commotion involves an eraser or pencil that Cristian threw to Eduardo and managed to hit her with. So, of course, she howls and chastises the boys for being such boys, disrupting everything.

Today I wandered around while the three groups assigned materials to bring for their Science Fair experiment. As I walked towards the girls group in the back corner, Linda squirmed, gave me a huge, overly-innocent grin, and whispered to Onintza even faster. I stopped, shook my head, and told her, "Linda, you always look like you should be in trouble."

An Apple a Day...

This morning Christopher in 5B placed a guava on my desk as I opened my Teacher's Mathbook. I thanked him and then looked at it sitting there, in just the place where an apple should sit on a teacher's desk.

Apparently in Central America, they give guavas. Ha!

(Props to Sasha for suggesting that I blog this interesting tidbit. :D)

Today of all days I forgot my camera, but here's a basic idea of what appeared on my desk.

The small victories...

The Science Fair approaches!

Last week was a flurry of group rearranging, brainstorming, and confusion on my part. After the drama of choosing and rearranging groups (''Miss, pleeeeaaase let us split the group into two! Those girls no work!'') I was just glad for the weekend. This week I finally have 3 groups in each class and they have all decided on their Experiment for the big day!

Little Sally Batres (check out the Student Files for more info on this overachiever) glowed at me with her big gorgeous eyes, ''Miss, we will not do a poster. We will borrow Pastor Roy's, uh, como se dice....'' and she motioned a light to show on the wall. ''A projector?!'' I asked. ''Yes. I will make a presentation,'' she nodded vigorously. I shouldn't really be surprised.

Today I won a battle I've fought since day one. I walked into 4B for our first Bible class of the week and, instead of reigning chaos, kids ran to their seats and had their Bible books out before I even wrote it on the board. (!!!!!!!) Instead of tackling Ramon, Rolando had his notebook out. Instead of making eyes at one of the girls, Jesus sat at the front of his row already memorizing his memory verse. Marvin, who I'm convinced is ADD, raised his hand and asked for permission to go to his locker. I wanted to die! ;D

What miracle brought about this change??? Group points. No joke.... they all desperately want to be the group that gets whatever the ''prize'' is on Friday. Now I have to figure out what that prize will be! Ha!

Valentines!

Happy (belated) Valentines Day!

Last week went by fast! We had a mini-party in 5th grade to celebrate Valentines Day on Thursday. Each kid made themselves a special box and then made Valentines for the rest of the class! At lunch they all walked around the classroom, handing out their special cards, heart-shaped lollipops, or candy. It was good to see the kids appreciating their classmates! I can't lie, I probably had just as much fun as they did reading the cards I received!

On Friday the grades went out for 2nd Partial (quarter). This means that classes are cancelled and all the teachers sit at tables in the auditorium for the school day while parents stop by to pick up their kids official grades. Basically, it's an exteded Parent Teacher Conference.

This Sunday we threw a combination Valentines' Banquet and Birthday party for Sasha, one of the missionaries. Chef Heidi cooked some amazing food, Kayla decorated our front room with red streamers, hearts, and Christmas lights, and we all dressed up and had a blast! It was so fun!

Today I'm giving a Science quiz over concepts like Matter and Energy. Oh boy. haha! Is it really February already??

Student Files: Alessandro

Ohhh Alessandro. What a kidder.

I'm ashamed to say that last Thursday I let myself get annoyed by his antics when I should've laughed and appreciated his quirkiness.

Eduardo came back to Math class from a bathroom break without his uniform shirt on, only his undershirt. I frowned at him and he explained, "Miss, the cleaning ladies took it to clean it. I spilled food during recess." (As weird as this sounds it actually happens a lot.)

Alessandro spotted Eduardo and demanded to know, "Why is Eduardo in his shirt sleeves???" I told him not to worry about it. His warbly little voice croaked, "There will be a REBELLION!" and he started picking at the collar of his own shirt.

Sternly (it had been LONG day) I told him to be quiet and pay attention. He pulled at a miniscule stain on his shirt; "Miss, my shirt is dirty, too!" Once again I told him to stop and continued my Science lesson.

Less than 5 minutes later I looked back at Alessandro just in time to watch him spill red ink ALL OVER the front of his white uniform shirt! Frustrated, I gasped, "Alessandro! What are you doing?"

Meekly, mischieviously, and with the most angelic little face, he asked, "Can I go get my shirt cleaned?"

I said no.

At lunch I saw him walking around in his undershirt. He persuaded SOME teacher (definitely not ME!) to let him go.

Suddenly, I realized how hilarious the situation was! This kid cracks me up! :D

Experiment day!

Today I conducted my first Experiment day in Science class. It rocked. I handed out an instruction sheet and all the kids sat on the floor around the teachers desk, where I'd set up our three experiments.

Experiment 1: Make a Fire Extinguisher (aka Vinegar + Baking Soda = Carbon Dioxide). After using several volunteers to make our mixture I needed help lighting the candle. I must've tried 5 matches before Eduardo said, "Miss, let us do it!" I said something like, "The wind must be blowing through the window." Brilliant, right? Eduardo and Cristian raised their eyebrows at me. I laughed, shrugged, and handed the matches to Eduardo. He lit it with the first match. Haha! (These kids have been lighting fireworks since they were 2.)

Experiment 2: Super Chain! Each kid brought an index card and scissors. We cut the index cards so that it formed a big circle--Alessandro could fit it over his entire body! (It was an exercise to illustrate the Changes between the States of Matter--the index card still had the same texture and color, but the shape was entirely different!)

Experiment 3: Expanded Air. I plugged in the electric stove and had Amy pour water into a pan. Then I put a balloon over the top of an empty glass bottle, and put the whole thing in the pan. As the water heated, the air in the bottle heated, and the balloon filled with air! My little scientists had to answer the questions on their handout.

Also, today I started tutoring a 7th grader in English. His dad went looking for a tutor after Parent Teacher Conferences on Friday, so I agreed!

Yesterday we watched the Superbowl at one of the Honduran teachers' houses! I think that was the first time I've heard the US National Anthem in almost 6 months. It was definitely the first time I've ever heard American Football announced in Spanish! haha!

Happy February!

Partials and Chapel!

Oh man, last week filled up with review sheets, test writing, grading, and recording in preparation for the end of the 2nd Partial (aka Quarter). Thankfully, this time around, it's much easier now that I know what I'm doing!

And now..... Partials week!

Oh, I've been looking forward to Partials test week. Each morning the students and teachers show up for 3 class periods. And then it's over. After giving my two Math tests this morning, I was free at 8:30! Of course, I had to do an awful lot of grading and recording, but I still managed to finish my To Do list for the day before the seven of us took off to buy baleadas for lunch! (Baleadas are like quesadillas, but with beans and Honduran cheese. SO GOOD!)

(By the way, it was so cold this morning I could see my breath on the walk to school! Last night I bundled up in as many layers as possible and almost froze, but by noon today the sun pronounced its presence and scorched us as usual. Weird!)

Also, last week I figured out my new favorite system for Friday chapels. In theory, each grade is supposed to be responsible for one chapel (the chapels are divided by grades, and I attend the chapel for 4th--6th grades). However, since I teach 4th and 5th grade Bible classes I am responsible for chapel every 2 out of 3 times! In general, I love chapel because we get sing camp songs for about 30 minutes! These kids know everything thanks to the missionaries from previous years---I Like Bananas, Deep and Wide, Making Melodies--and I've added a few of my favorites--I Am a C, Let There Be Light, and the "shoo-bee-doo-wop" version of I Like Bananas. :D

So I let my 5A kids spend their Bible class period writing "dramas" to answer the question, "How does God help us every day?" Group 1 answered with, "God helps us every day by giving us a family." Group 2 said, " God helps us learn in school." And Group 3 decided that.....drumroll please..... "God helps us every day by giving us food." Haha! Oh, they were so proud of themselves! They loved performing and I didn't have to tell a story, for once! Good deal. :D

Student Files: Emilia

Possibly the shyest creature you've ever encountered in your life.

I love Emilia! Every once in a while she overcomes her shyness enough to tease her teacher. This only happens when the other girls have been teasing me for a while before I see a little mischievious light gleam behind her normally placid eyes. Oh--what a dear!

First partial, poor Emilia had an awful time in Math. She didn't understand and she was too shy to ask for help! When I looked at her grades, I realized she wouldn't pass this Partial (aka Quarter) without some tutoring help.

One day in Math I called Emilia to my desk and told her what I'd found. I told her that I could tutor her after school, she just needed to talk to her parents and then tell me what they decided. I ended my little talk with, ''I know you're smart Emilia and I know you can do well!''

She'd stood at the corner of my desk, big doe-eyes as wide as possible, biting her lower lip and looking incredibly pitiful. When I finished my speech I assumed she'd head back to her seat. But unexpectedly two tiny arms flung around my neck and her little frame held on to me. I hugged her back and realized again how precious this little girl is!

Of course, we never set up a tutoring appointment, but Emilia is improving in Math this Partial!

Student Files: Diana

This girl is drama, but usually in a good way.

Between every class she stands by the door to usher in the new teacher, carrying their books or just giving them the customary (between women anyway) kiss on the right cheek.

Last Friday 5A presented for Chapel (4th-6th grades assemble in the church each Friday). We'd practiced skits all week long in answer to the question ''How does God take care of us every day?'' Diana was the ''spokesperson'' for her group so she took the microphone when I called up Group 1.

Her classmates performed their skit, complete with embarrassed looks and an incredible amount of giggling, while Diana said things like, ''God helps us by giving us a mom to take care of us.'' At the very end Diana turned to me. Her hands waved violently and she whispered in panic, ''Miss, they're not doing what they're supposed to do!!!'' Diana looked back and forth from her confused classmates on stage to her teacher, who was trying desperately not to laugh. Finally she threw up her hands, put her hand on her hip, and basically gave up. In confusion, the group finally sat down.

Diana practically ran back to her seat, holding on to the other girls, almost dead with embarrassment--at least, that's what she told me. Haha!

Vacation Recap

Happy New Year! Feliz año!I'm in Honduras, starting our first week back at school. I'm so excited to be back, but vacation sure did rock. A few highlights include:

--hiking the rainforest.
--swimming in the warm waves at Tela!
--3 days on the island of Utila (my first REAL island experience)
--scuba diving the reef off Utila!
--landing in the Houston airport (i bought myself an Odwalla, first thing. haha!)
--waking up my siblings at 1:00 am the night I arrived and openingChristmas presents with my family until 3:00 am. (that's one uniqueChristmas).
--watching Amye's Pohnpei video slideshow she sent us for Christmas:now I have an idea of what her life's like!
--being home with the family.
--reuniting with fellow SMs back in Comayagua.
--getting my AMAZING WW Student Missions Christmas packages!!!!!Totally made my day yesterday!

It's hard to believe that we're two days into the school week already! We looked forward to Christmas for so long and now it's over. Allthat's left is the long journey til.....June! Wow. Good thing my kids have a little too much energy--it'll keep me busy. :D

Here we go again!