After a well rested night and a great first day with our host familias, we headed over to meet up U of Cuenca. There, we had a special orientation about the do's and don'ts while staying in Cuenca. Shortly after, we got a quick glance at some parts of the university, like the psychology building. Hosting 6,000 students, the university is quite expansive and diverse.
With our packed lunches made with love by our host moms, we boarded the bus for a one hour journey to the town of Huantugloma. It was a bumpy ride, complete with mountain views and steep cliffs. As we approached the village, we saw the sweets faces of dogs and realized we'd have to hold back the puppy love, as hard as it might be.
When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by the bright and smiling faces of curious schoolchildren. Our tour guide Javier took us to the main building where we had a warm welcome from each one of the teachers. Unfortunately, there are only 4 full time teachers at the Efrain School, and they are severely outnumbered by students. They then introduced us to each of the grade levels, and we were able to exchange names and greetings without a hitch. Initially we were supposed to meet the parents of the students, but this plan was canceled.
Next came the part we had all been waiting for, the reason we traveled to Cuenca -- it was time to teach the kids. Since we weren't sure who was being taught what, we randomly split up into 4 groups. Now this is when we all ended up having different experiences, which is expected when dealing with kids of such diverse age groups. The kids ranged from first to tenth grade and the the subjects we them taught covered everything from math to nutritional science. The language barrier was definitely an obstacle many of us face as we realized our knowledge of Spanish only takes us so far. But as time progressed we were all able to be involved in some way! During recess we got a chance to interact with the kids outside of the classroom. Just like we saw in our own schools, the older kids were to cool to play and went off on their own while the little kids were pulling us in every direction with their energy. Overall, all of us were surprised at how much these kids knew as they all seemed to be adaptable.
After our first goodbyes all of us AB members came back together to take part in a group reflection. Things got deep and we stretched our brains even more as we focused on thinking about and discussing the definition of service and the act of service and the controversial viewpoints that come along with it.
Ending a little earlier than planned, we boarded the bus home.
One very important thing we learned today is that flexibility is key when teaching. Regardless of what happens, when you have enthusiastic learners and are willing to open up, no lesson is a failure.
As we continue on our journey, we hope to learn more about the strength and weaknesses of the kids and exactly what we can hone into to make a lasting impact on this community.
Tomorrow we'll get to experience their version of recreation day, cultura fisica.
With our packed lunches made with love by our host moms, we boarded the bus for a one hour journey to the town of Huantugloma. It was a bumpy ride, complete with mountain views and steep cliffs. As we approached the village, we saw the sweets faces of dogs and realized we'd have to hold back the puppy love, as hard as it might be.
When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by the bright and smiling faces of curious schoolchildren. Our tour guide Javier took us to the main building where we had a warm welcome from each one of the teachers. Unfortunately, there are only 4 full time teachers at the Efrain School, and they are severely outnumbered by students. They then introduced us to each of the grade levels, and we were able to exchange names and greetings without a hitch. Initially we were supposed to meet the parents of the students, but this plan was canceled.
Next came the part we had all been waiting for, the reason we traveled to Cuenca -- it was time to teach the kids. Since we weren't sure who was being taught what, we randomly split up into 4 groups. Now this is when we all ended up having different experiences, which is expected when dealing with kids of such diverse age groups. The kids ranged from first to tenth grade and the the subjects we them taught covered everything from math to nutritional science. The language barrier was definitely an obstacle many of us face as we realized our knowledge of Spanish only takes us so far. But as time progressed we were all able to be involved in some way! During recess we got a chance to interact with the kids outside of the classroom. Just like we saw in our own schools, the older kids were to cool to play and went off on their own while the little kids were pulling us in every direction with their energy. Overall, all of us were surprised at how much these kids knew as they all seemed to be adaptable.
After our first goodbyes all of us AB members came back together to take part in a group reflection. Things got deep and we stretched our brains even more as we focused on thinking about and discussing the definition of service and the act of service and the controversial viewpoints that come along with it.
Ending a little earlier than planned, we boarded the bus home.
One very important thing we learned today is that flexibility is key when teaching. Regardless of what happens, when you have enthusiastic learners and are willing to open up, no lesson is a failure.
As we continue on our journey, we hope to learn more about the strength and weaknesses of the kids and exactly what we can hone into to make a lasting impact on this community.
Tomorrow we'll get to experience their version of recreation day, cultura fisica.
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