The Wrap Up Begins

Where to begin as we move towards the end. Isn't that an oxymoron? As I prepare to tie up loose ends and venture back to the home I love, I am reflective, thankful, and conflicted all at the same time. It has been an amazing experience in Belize. As I reflect back over the last couple of weeks, I am proud, exhausted, renewed, hopeful and concerned all at the same time. I am so proud of the people of Belize and the work they are attempting to do. I am proud of the partnership that UNCW has formed, and I am so proud that the Onslow County School System will be able to continue the work that has been started here. I am proud of the UNCW interns. What a brilliant, motivated group that will enter the teaching profession at a time that we may need them the most. I am thankful. I am thankful for the time that I have had in Belize and for the work that I have been blessed to complete. I will never forget working with the San Pedro principals!!! What a gift!!!! I will not soon forget working in the schools, checking on the interns and finding that "district administration" faces the same joys and challenges that we do at home. And yet, I am conflicted. Just as I feel our work at home is never done, I know the work in Belize is not done either. This has the potential to be a powerful partnership. There is always good work to be done that will benefit children; regardless of the geographic land form we serve!!! I have said before, "I Belize It!" I truly do.

Go Team Go

What a Kick!!! SPRC was raising money to put whiteboards in every teacher's classroom. As part of the required service project, the UNCW interns agreed to play the parents in a soccer game fundraiser. Boy am I old!!! But
thankfully my team was awesome. The parents won 4-3 in a well fought match and SPRC gets one steps closer to whiteboards in every classroom. Progress is a wonderful thing. I was so proud to be a part of it.

Hello Pretty Birdie

While at the Belize Zoo, this young man was very pleased to pose for a picture. His eyes were a beautiful yellow!!! One more sign of the beauty that exists in this land.

Just for Fun

This is my bed at the Education Center at the Belize Zoo. It reminded me a lot of Camp Don Lee. Good stuff.

Belizean Paradise

Afterr meeting with he Minister of Education's representative, this was the view from the restaurant where we had lunch.

San Pedro High School

I was standing on the second floor of San Pedro High School when I took this picture. As you can see, the ocean is directly behind the cafeteria (which is the structure in the picture).

A Trip to The Public Library

This side of the public library is ocean front and gorgeous. The collection is limited at this time.

SPRC

SPRC is the public school for the equivalent of our kindergarten through 8th grades. There are approximately 800 children at the public school.

La Isla Bonita's Mural

Outside the lovely school of La Isla Bonita, the UNCW interns painted a mural of the school's mission: Brightening Our Future.

The Walk Home from School Each Day

Pedro's Inn has been home to the UNCW crew during this experience.

April 18, 2011

I am back!!!! We have been without internet service for the last two days. But what an excellent adventure I have been on. Saturday morning we headed out via water taxi back to Belize City to catch a bus to the Belize Zoo and the education center there where we would be spending the night. The zoo was a real tribut to Belizean culture; small but meaningful. I was introduced to the national animal, the tapir. Very interesting fellow he is. The birds, monkeys, the jaguar and the puma were amazing. From there, we went back to the education center for a homestyle meal with the interns and an evening that reminded me much of summers at Camp Don Lee. Very rustic, very simple, but very simple and reflective. I was once again reminded of the beauty of this country and at the same time the struggles that define their work ethic. On Sunday morning, we got back on the bus and headed an hour and a half west to the ATM Cave Adventure. We travelled in teams of 8 with lighted-helmets into the mouth of the cave. The entire tour was probably 2 hours. Numerous artifacts and formations had been excavated throughout the cave. Our guide did an excellent job of unveiling the mysteries of the Mayan civilization. After a heart-racing, physically exhilarating tour of the cave; we were back on the bus and headed to San Ignacio to prepare for the Mayan ruins and to finish up this wonderful cultural part of the experience. I am hoping that I will be able to post some additional pictures before I head home at the end of the week.

April 15, 2011

Greetings from Beautiful Belize!!! Wow, what a week. As much as I miss everyone at home, this week has simply flown by. I had the honor of attending a presentation that made SPRC an official UNCW partnership school. Not only is this great for the school, it is also great for the university. The principal and teachers truly embraced our interns and the university as a whole. Whereas RC does not have all of the resources in the world, there is a tremdous amount of spirit, culture and heart in that building. I next went to La Isla Bonita to work with Principal Addie to load children's books on the e-readers. This will be an excellent pilot project for 3 of her teachers as they focus their efforts on teacher read-aloud. I had the absolute honor of playing on the teachers' soccer team with 4 of our interns this evening. We played a group of parents and all of the money went to raising money for RC to install whiteboards. Boy oh boy, I am not as young as I use to be but it sure was fun. Keep in mind that we played on the concrete field; similar to an outdoor basketball court. Addie and her family hosted a big party at La Isla for our interns and visitors from UNCW. The food and fellowship were outstanding. The best coconut tart I have ever eaten. Tomorrow we head in to the Belize City Zoo. If you have noticed that there are no pictures for the last few days, I have had a small internet glitch and cannot get my picutes to attach. I will try again in the next couple of days. Now I just need a little time to truly reflect upon and digest this experience. I truly Belize!!!!

April 14, 2011

I began my day at ABC preschool!!!! What a highlight. I was really hoping to find a preschool to partner with TECC and I believe we have. It is a beautiful little preschool full of beautiful children. The principal lives on the top floor and has worked for 21 years to build a quality institution. I left there and went to meet with the principal of SPRC. She is delightful and very focused. We were able to begin our partnership work with JCE, CFE and JCMS today. She shared a very insightful need for counselors. She also has begun to work on professional develoopment for her teachers for the 2011-2012 school year. UNCW has established a formal partnership with SPRC this year. I see evidence already that this will be a valuable partnership for everyone involved. My afternoon was spent at La Isla Bonita. We have worked on a small e-reader pilot with the principal and three of her teachers to focus on the importance of teacher read-aloud. Currently, I am looking for high-interest excerpts on google books that can be loaded onto the e-readers. Again today I have been reminded of the meaningful work that we are all blessed to do in education. While we are all in different places in terms of educational services and resources, the work is remarkably similar.

April 13, 2011

Another great day in Belize. We were actually in Belize City today for a meeting at the Ministry of Education. The Ministry, on a smaller scale, is similar to the US Department of Education. Over a very productive luncheon, the officials shared their concerns, aspirations, and hopes with us. The needs are very similar to what has been shared by teachers and principals in San Pedro: leadership, early childhood, literacy and exceptional children's services. The really good news is that there is a plan in place. It is refreshing to see that the focus is the same throughout all involved. Teachers are sharing the same needs as the ministry. But the themes remain the same: quality education for each and every child!!!!!! This evening we went to a dinner fundraiser for the Humane Society at the Tackle Box. Fun and good stuff. My eyes continue to see boundless possibilities for international partnerships and true global awareness.

April 12, 2011

What a beautiful day!!!! I began the day at SPRC. The students in Standard VI had done some work on simple machines and were prepared to present their machines to the class. They did an incredible job!!!! I next ventured into the language arts class where the intern was leading the students through the entire writing process to create group books to be published. From there, I attended a professional development session for teachers from all over San Pedro. It was beautifully done. The teachers were responsive, engaged, and even humorous at times. They were so receptive to new ideas and just simply asked for more time to do these types of things. TIME!!!! Boy, is that a universal theme!!!! My next stop was San Pedro High School which is also home to the San Pedro Junior College. As we arrived, the students were trying out their Science Olympiad projects before they take a trip inland for three days to attend a science conference and visit a manufacturing company. This will be an excellent partnership school for Northside High School. And then we went into our first planning session with the San Pedro principals and the Minister of Education's representatives. Remarkably, we were able to draw connections between successes in NC and San Pedro, challenges in NC and San Pedro and the principal evaluation systems for the two. The principals conducted a needs assessment that revealed leadership needs in the areas of teaching critical thinking and problem solving, capacity building among staff, and exceptional children's learning strategies. Now my friends, does any of this sound familiar? Finally, we were given a moment to thank the principals for sharing San Pedro with us!!!!!!! What an experience. When we open our minds and hearts to the possiblities of this world, our opportunities are boundless!!!!! My eyes, mind and heart are open. We all want to make a difference in the lives of children..... in San Pedro, North Carolina, etc. etc. etc.

Visit to the Minister's Representative's Office

SPRC

April 11, 2011

I spent my day at the San Pedro Roman Catholic Public School for the equivalent of our grades first through eighth. When we first arrived, we were reminded that today was the day that the eighth graders (Standard VI) had gone to the high school to take the first part of the PES which is the equivalent of our EOG/EOC's. In the cantina, I had a very healthy and delicious smoothie!!! There are approximately 800 students at the school with an average class size of approximately 29. The concrete soccer field is an important gathering place for the children. It is also important for the community as we will be attending a parents vs. the teachers soccer game on Friday evening of this week. In the Infant I and Infant II classes (our 1st and 2nd graders) I was immediately amazed at the fact that almost all of these children are TRILINGUAL. I was next drawn to the vendors who stand outside the fence and sell the children snacks. At the first bell, all 800 children line up outside of their classrooms in a male and female line. It was awe-inspiring. The children are so respectful of their teachers. They rise when a teacher enters the classroom. I am still figuring out the entire Minister of Education and also the Standards that are utilized in place of our grade-levels. The teachers' plan books are monitored by the minister's representative. The children, in addition to the core subject, take religion, Spanish, creative writing, and Health and Family Living. They all speak English which is truly unique for a Central American country. My biggest take away from today: no matter how different we or things may be--- we are all remarkably the same. Same successes, same challenges, same hopes, same fears..... The teachers and children at this school were amazing and displayed a tremendous work ethic. BIG IDEA FOR TODAY: More with less; quality not quantity. The San Pedro Roman Catholic School will be an excellent partnership school for CFE, JCE and JCMS.

This is my April 10th Reprisal: After realizing that I really was going to have to be away from Bob and the boys for two weeks, my day did begin to get much better when I landed in Atlanta and then again in Belize. Right now, I think because we are all so busy, it was just very hard to leave them. But I collected myself and reminded myself that I am doing the right thing and that I really will finish this degree and Belize is simply an added bonus. My taxi ride from the airport to the "express water taxi" was eventful and informative. The driver was born and raised in Belize and was an absolute delight. He exuded the work ethic and pride that I have witnessed in many of the natives we have met. As for the "express water taxi", what a most excellent adventure. My first thought was, "I am not getting on that boat." My second thought was...."then how do you presume to get to San Pedro?" We were going so fast and the water was so choppy that I banged my head on the window much to the fascination of the San Pedro folks on the boat with me. One older gentleman was nice enough to move up front and look out for me for rough waters. He would turn around and shout to me to "hold my head." Needless to say, everyone on the boat got quite a kick out of that. And then we pulled in to San Pedro... what a small slice of paradise. It reminds me a lot of a Central American Ocracoke Island. It very much has the village-feel but it is bigger than Ocracoke. I found my way to Pedro's Inn which reminds me a lot of the Trinity Center. (except we have Texas Hold' em every night at 7:00 pm). I immediately ventured over to the beach..... INCREDIBLE. When I returned to the inn, I met with some of the UNCW teaching interns and was immediately fascinated with our discussions about Integrated Science and public v. private school settings. I am more convinced as we all continue to move into our global initiatives and international undertakings that experience and cultural awareness are key!!!!!! They might be the biggest of our BIG ideas. Signing off via one of my favorite t-shirts.... "I Belize It."

April 10, 2011 Picture

April 10, 2011

Just typed up an elaborate account of yesterday, and lost it when the internet blinked. Will try again when I return from the schools today. What an enchanting country.

3 More Days

Fly out Sunday morning at 6 am. What a great opportunity!!! While I will certainly miss my family and Onslow Schools family, I know this is a great experience that will broaden my awareness. I am especially looking forward to working with the principals and meeting the teachers and students. I will be blogging each night I am in Belize and will try to attach pictures as I am able.