Sponsoring

This is not exactly about teaching... but it is important!

Sponsorship.

I know many people are skeptical of sending $35 a month to some kid somewhere in the world that you will probably never meet, but it is so much more than that.

I realized, recently, that my monthly phone bill (iPhone and data plan) costs more than what my sponsored children's parents make in a month. That's right. My phone bill costs more than all of the money that Ashifa's parents make, combined, each month.

At some point during my teaching career, I also realized that many of the kids who I absolutely adore could have been the faces posted on World Vision's website. If they had not moved here, they could have been "those kids" waiting for a sponsor. Hungry. Not going to school. Living in trash heaps.

Here's another thought- what made me so lucky to be able to pay my silly phone bill? I was born here. That's it, really. Because I'm not a genius or an inventor or a super talented entertainer. Those are things that, every once in a while, lift people out of poverty.

No, the only reason that I am able to afford all of the crap I have is that I was born here to educated parents.

In other words, it could just as easily have been ME waiting for a sponsor. Or you. Or your kid.

God has seen it fit to give us a lot.

Share. That's what we tell our kids to do in class!

Go to WORLD VISION and sponsor a kid... now!

A New Blog

Una manaza dulce... a sweet apple. The first day of school is always a little crazy. This year was no exception. As I took my students to the bathroom, I stood with my hands behind my back, modeling the expected behavior. Suddenly, I felt a small hand cupping mine, and something round being placed into my hand. I turned around to find a 3rd grader, who had never been in my class, smiling, as she said, "una manzana dulce para ti, Señorita!" A sweet apple for you!

I was so touched that I took a picture of it!

I've decided to create this blog to discuss the unique challenges that I face as a first grade teacher in a Spanish immersion classroom.

Immersion is a form of foreign language instruction in which I (the teacher) deliver my instruction IN Spanish. This means that when I teach math, I speak Spanish. When I teach social studies, I speak Spanish.

Oh, and the kids speak Spanish, too.

Yes, I did say first grade, and no, they are not all native speakers.

The kicker? The district is broke and we have very few materials in the language!

So here is where I will post my thoughts on immersion, my trials and tribulations, my failures, successes, and the inevitable crazy story.