Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Small School Teaching in Haiti

by Jimmy

I was thinking today why I love my job. Teaching at a (very) small school can be quite advantageous.

1. I have the best co-teacher EVER - my wonderful wife!

2. My daughter comes to school with us.

3. The students get individualized attention, support and help.

4. Parent/teacher conferences always involve food, good food, and sometimes swimming.

5. I can farm on the side, and call it a science project.

6. Each student is unique, very, very unique. No generalizations here.

7. Any and every subject is available to teach and learn.

8. The brain can stretch as it tries to comprehend Senior level Physics, while getting asked about what a particular word means, by a 5th grader - who also should be in Senior level English.

9. Flexible time - If we go long on History because the students are still asking questions, we can go long. No bells here.

10. I get to experiment with curriculum. If something doesn't work, I get to change it quickly. If something does work, dances get made up.

Some small school pics...

Small school PE time... Trampoline in the rain.


 Hard at work. Paper snowflakes take a lot of concentration.
 Classmates, friends, brothers, and sisters, all interchangeable.
Noisemaker in training. 
 Dissection 
 Computer class
One of the drawbacks to teaching in Haiti - termites are bookworms as well.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

One month to go!

by Jimmy

With exactly one month to go before "THE RUN", I figure I better update better. I ran today for the first time in a week and a half. I contracted some strange skin infection in my left leg, and could barely walk, much less run the past week. Thankfully, we have connections for antibiotics. I only ran half the 10 miles I was scheduled to run, and my legs are complaining, and I am not sure I got anything else accomplished today, BUT I am back running. I cannot say I am excited.

The running had been getting better, and I honestly feel better, and stronger, but I still really dislike running. Especially once it goes into that second hour. I don't even know how it feels going into that third hour. I thought I might be a decently fast runner, but No, I am not.

On the farming front, we had triplets again! Two weeks ago. However, one of the umbilical cords became infected, and between accidentally eating the medicine and the maggots, one died last night. Sad times. I know the Heartline students will be sad to hear it. So we are down to 10 goats.
We have reached full production on the eggs though! I averaged over 14 eggs per day out of 15 chickens last week. Pretty crazy. I will take it though.

Teaching is going very well. So glad our students are learning so much, and still enjoying it. I have a couple ideas running around my head for next semester. Hopefully they will work out in reality as they do in my head.

...And as a dad, awesome! Abbi is incredible. Growing so fast and so smart. She knows how to wave, sign for "more," crawl forwards, say "momma" and "dada", pull herself up, and communicate to a degree. Love, love, love being a dad. That big 'ole smile when I walk in the door sure helps.