Greetings from Corozal, Belize

First off I have to apologize because I've been spelling Corozal wrong this entire time. I've been thinking that it was spelled with two A's but I guess it's actually two O's. My bad. I finished up my time in the classroom today. It was depressing leaving the school and all of the students. I know I've only been around for a couple of days but the children made me feel so welcome and showed so much love and compassion it was hard to tear myself away. I promised to e-mail the teacher all of my pictures, which I think the students will love. I've really enjoyed taking pictures of the classrooms, other student teachers, and the students. They are so willing to have their picture taken and I've gotten some great ones. I can't wait to get to my own computer to download and post them.

Class at St. Paul's has been really great. I sat down with the principal, Mrs. Rogers, to talk today. There are about 180 students in the school, which is relatively small to many of the other schools in Corozal. Mrs. Rogers said that she caps each class at 25 students and tries to keep them small. Although the classes are smaller, I've noticed the students do not receive a lot of individual attention. The teacher stands at the front of the class and lectures. She usually has the children recite readings and math problems out loud. It's incredibly easy for students to mouth the words or quielty mutter them.

Most of the students are incredibly bright but don't seem to try very hard. There is one student the teacher calls "Sleeping Beauty" because he is always laying his head down on the desk. I've realized that he is a very smart boy, probably smarter than the other kids in his class, and sleeps for most of the time because he is not being challenged enough. Students don't seem to jump ahead or move up grade levels. They are, however, held back in primary school. I have two children who are repeating the fourth grade this term.

There is also very little order in the classrooms. I completely understand how hard it would be to hold an eight year old's attention for an entire day, but the students are constantly turning around in their desks or getting up to move about the classroom. The teacher tries to maintain order, but more often than not, she just lets the students roam. It's a lot different than the structure that we are used to in the States. I've heard from other student teachers that they are experiencing the same problems.

Although things are differnt I'm really enjoying myself. I know that we have a lot of experience to offer these teachers and could teach them a lot. I've only taken one education class and I don't want to act like I know everything, but I have a lot of faith in the other teachers and the student teachers who will be staying here for the next eight weeks.

The other teachers at St. Paul's and I went to lunch at a Belizian restaurant today and it was delicious. The locals say they are known for their beans and rice with stewed chicken so I tried it and pretty much ended up licking the plate clean. There's no way I'd be able to eat so much food everday though. My teacher saw me out running for exercise yesterday and asked me about it during class today. She was shocked that we were running and asked if exercising was big in America. I was shocked that no one here really exercises. I guess all the fresh fruit and vegetables that they eat cancels out the need for exercise. Greasy McDonald's and processed food in the States makes it a necessity.

The weather's starting to warm up again and the sun was shining today. We walk along the bay to get to St. Paul's and the walk was gorgeous this morning. The sun was shining and bouncing off the sea so the water sparkled. I couldn't stop staring. Unfortunately the sidewalks are pretty cracked and falling apart so I had to tear my eyes away to watch where I was going.

The sidewalks aren't the only thing that is not being taken care of here. Trash and garbage litter the sides of the streets. Turns out, the garbage company is on strike because the government is refusing to pay them. We were thinking about cleaning up the streets but if we did we would ruin the statement that the company was trying to make. Looks like our good deed will have to wait for another day.

I'm planning on traveling to the schools with the other student teachers tomorrow and for some of next week. I'm excited to see what the atmosphere is like at these schools. I'm hoping for some great pictures too.

We're also headed to Tikal, Guatemala for the weekend to see the ruins and sleep in a hostel in the jungle. We will most likely be stopping at the Belize Zoo too. My teacher told me that was a great idea to see the tapir (Belize's national animal), the black orchid (the national flower), and the mahogany tree (the national tree). It should be a great weeked.