A Day at School

Today we had the chance to visit two different schools. The first one was a public school and went all the way up to 8th grade. I visited a fifth grade classroom (I think). The children were so excited to see us! They all welcomed us, and then their teacher read them a story from one of the books from Biblioteca Th´uruchapitas. After she read the story, the children had group work. During this time, I decided to walk around the room and see what the students were working on. Apparently, the students were answering questions. One of the groups had a school book on the table, and I asked the little girl if it would be ok if I looked through her book. She gave me permission and I browsed through her book. It had 3 subjects: science, math and language. When I gave it back to her I asked her how old she was. She quietly told me she was 10. She was such a cute little girl! When we were getting ready to leave that same girl walked up to me and handed me 2 of her crackers, which I assume were for snack. While this gesture might not seem significant, I was truly touched. She offered me some of her food, which was all she had to give me. I held on to my crackers for the rest of the day. As the entire group was getting ready to leave, the students decided they needed our autographs. I have never signed my name so many times in my life. I know we all felt like celebrities. Finally, we were able to pull ourselves away from our adoring fans and head to the next school.

The second school we visited was a private school. Once again the principal was so thankful we came. We visited each classroom, and one class spoke a little bit of English. They told us good morning and thank you. When we entered a classroom the students stood up and said Buenos Dias, or good morning. They were so polite. Once they realized we were taking their pictures, they all wanted to see their pictures on the digital cameras. They were completely fascinated with being able to see their picture right then and there. I think we showed the whole entire school a picture. After we visited all the classrooms, the principal invited us into an empty classroom to say a few words. She was so thankful that we had come. She thanked us and then we were served hamburgers and tea. It was so thoughtful! After we ate we were treated to some entertainment. The teachers sang songs and then they brought out the accordion! We watched the teachers and principal dance, then Russ danced with one of the volunteers from the library, and then we all joined in and created a type of conga line. It was so much fun! I never thought I would see a principal and teachers dancing during the school day. Needless to say, this was a school day I will never forget!

Nina