Classroom Comparison.....

All of the lab supplies at the school.

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Monday we started teaching at the schools! I observed all day Monday and Tuesday and then started teaching some on Wednesday! San Pedro High School is very different from Topsail High School! I guess the easiest way to explain the school in Belize is to describe a typical day in the life of a teacher. Actually, describing a ‘typical’ day isn’t very easy. Each morning the teachers’ shows up and go to their desk in the ‘teachers lounge’. That’s basically where the teachers go in between classes and spend all of their planning time. (This is about the point in the day when I start sweating because 97% of the school does not have ac). The teachers’ lounge really creates a feeling of community of between colleagues, because all of the teachers see each other throughout the day unlike in US schools where you only see the teachers that are on your wing of the school. Once the bell rings the teachers go to their homeroom class and take roll before proceeding to their first period. This is where you notice a drastic difference between US schools and Belizean Schools… Teachers move around, not students! Students are divided into classes based on their grade level. They stay in those classrooms all day and their teachers come to them. Each classroom consists of between 30-40 students, a chalk board and desks. I actually wrote for the first time on a chalkboard on Wednesday! Everywhere you see desks. The only time that the students leave this room is if they have a computer class or a lab. There is one lab for the entire school, so it is very hard to get time in the lab. In the morning students have three classes, followed by a ten minute break, two more classes, a 35 minute lunch, and three more classes in the afternoon. Their schedule changes daily by week, therefore classes on Monday are always the same, but they change on Tuesday. This schedule really keeps it interesting.

      Generally, students in Belize act very differently than students in America. Students are used to a lot more direct instruction, copying notes from the board, and a lot more homework. I thought I was very laid back as a teacher in the USA, but I’ve learned during my time in Belize that I am not. It is not uncommon here to have students getting up, moving desks, or talking during class. At first I thought it was strange, and wanted to yell at them in class to quiet down. But I’ve since realized it’s a cultural difference. Students here are naturally louder. When they want your attention they yell ‘Miss! Miss!’ When they have questions, or concerns in class they speak up, and voice their opinions. Some of that might have to do with the fact that the same students are in the same room with one another throughout the entire day everyday! It’s going to take me some getting used to the roar of the classroom while teaching, however, I love the fact that the students are so willing to speak up and provide opinions.

     Classes are organized very differently here. For example, soil profiles and types are covered in biology, radioactivity and electrons are covered in physics. While the subject that concepts are placed in is different most of what we teach is similar. I will be teaching an integrated science class for first year students, which is basically like a mix of science from different content areas. They cover some biology, chemistry and earth science. Right now they are learning about nutrition, so I taught a lesson on vitamins. The other class that I will be teaching is a Biology class. Right now they are learning about different ways of collecting population data. Today we spent three hours outside creating line transects of the shoreline. They by far have the BEST natural environment for teaching a biology class. Literally, we walked outside with our materials to the beach to collect our sample data!

Time to go play a round of volleyball with the San Pedro High School Men’s national champs!

Until next time,

AAA