Teaching in schools, and other thoughts.

Hello all!

So I´ve started working in the schools this month. Last week I gave a class to the second graders about oral hygine. I didn´t know this, but I guess whenever an outside person comes into the class, doesnt matter if your nicaraguan or not, they give the kids food. I didn´t know this, nor do I have the money to do so, so I didnt give any to them. I´ll have to go back and appolagize, I was wondering why they all looked so dissapointed when I left.

Well I´ve discovered how fun little kids can be for 30 mins.anything I do is completely hilarious (I can be funny!) and the teachers thus far have been really supportive. this morning I taught in the third section of the second grade, and they kids were really involved (although a bit rowdy, discipline is different here), but were engaged, and taking notes, and copying my pictures (which are actually quite clever if i do say so)...

So yesterday I went to one of the outlying communities with a Doctora, a nurse, and a community health worker to visit with a new mother and her 5 day old child, to register him with the government, and examine the mother and child. The little boy ended up being extremely yellow, eyes and all. So the doctors told the mother that she needed to go to the health center for a more throurough examination. She refused. the nurses instisted, but she still refused. We could have given her a ride, and there was potential free overnight housing, but yet she still woundn´t come. I can understand that is scary, and inconvient to leave your home, and go to somewhere new and far away, but really this is your kids life here! I wanted to yell at her and say, yes its inconvient, but so is having a dead, or chronically ill child. But its not my place to say anything I feel. I come from a completely different experience, different culture, and language.

So I work also with youth promotors, but we´re in a motivational slump. Anyone know how to motivate a group of 20 highschoolers?

Hazel