Escuela Mayatan

Back to School

Copan Ruinas?....a place where the sweat NEVER stops!

My first week as, Miss Jenny the 5^th grade teacher at Mayatan Bilingual School, was nothing short of exhausting, thrilling, and completely unforgettable.  Is there life after 9:00pm…because I am telling you this gringo is horizontal and eyes closed tight!

Monday was an Open House where both students and parents were invited to the school.  The school staff was introduced during an assembly and afterwards students, along with their parents, made their way to their classroom.  This was another moment where I kicked myself for slacking off in my high school Spanish class and immediately regretted every day dream…”Can I go to the bathroom?” excuse to escape class. As parents and 5^th graders began to file into my classroom, I came to the realization that the parents of my students did not speak English.  Again, my Spanglish skills (that are now growing since I have been taking Spanish lessons from a local Honduran woman once a week) were put to the test.  This was my first hurdle of the school year.  Here I am, my first classroom, the parents of my students sitting in front of me, and I was unable to communicate my excitement, expectations, and goals as their child’s teacher this school year.  Hello…Spanish Lessons!!  Luckily the parents were extremely kind and accepting of the fact that I was unable to speak Spanish I vow to make a better impression the next time we meet!

The view from outside my classroom!

Primary Wing at Escuela Mayatan

If only you could see the cows roaming outside my
classroom windows..

Notice all the Pepto-bismol on the ledge, after asking
them why they brought it... I found out that it
was on my students school supply list! 

Reading Nook

Tuesday was the first full day of class and I was so excited to spend time getting to know my students.  I arrived to school about 45 minutes early and I already had 5 of my 5^th grade boys waiting outside my door…REALLY?? What is this place??  They stood with their backpacks weighing them down full of school supplies, wearing white Mayatan polos tucked into their red plaid pants with a black belt and black shoes. While their uniforms looked extremely uncomfortable in the 90+ degree heat, there was no denying how completely adorable these children looked.

We spent the day playing fun getting to know each other games and discussing our classroom rules and procedures.  My students seemed to catch on quickly, (literally… amazing how effective catching a beach ball can be) to all the new rules and expectations. Although there was one rule that created a lot of room discussion and stories…The “Bathroom Rule”.  This rule took a while for students to comprende?  and realize that I was in fact serious.  My class has two breaks throughout the day, recess and lunch.  There is enough time during these two breaks to eat, play AND use the restroom, therefore they are only given two extra bathroom passes per quarter.  This was my first “test” as a teacher.  While I made the rule and wanted to be true to my word, I couldn’t help but notice about 10 different students throughout the next three days wiggling around, tapping their feet, with a look of panic on their faces.  As I asked them what was wrong, they quickly replied with “Mizz, I have to use the bathroom.” Ah the potty dance… lets just say that they have not forgotten to use the bathroom during our breaks since.

My class is extremely well behaved, sweet, and well mannered.  I am greeted every morning with a “Good Morning, Miss” (Pronounced Mizz, in their adorable little accents) and a huge smile.  It took me a while to realize that it didn’t matter if they knew my name, that I would only be called “Mizz”.  For every question or comment they have during class, their tiny hands shoot up and immediately say, “Mizz, Mizz, Mizz.”

Snap shots of 5th grade during Art class: 

La Pintada

Every Saturday, there is a group of teachers that go on an hour hike up to a village called La Pintada.  The veteran Mayatan teachers have been doing this every Saturday for the past two years.  This has quickly come to be one of my most favorite places within Copan.  As we hiked up and up and up…did I say it was UP?  to this small Mayan community, we were immediately greeted by the most adorable barefooted children ranging from 3-13 years old.  After we arrived, we passed out books, math worksheets, and coloring pages to the kids. It is so relaxing to spend time with them.  After an hour or so, we got out the soccer balls and played games with them.  

Last weekend, Naizer brought his homemade bow along.   He also made his own arrows out of sticks and thick bamboo-ish grass. He would not let the bow leave his sight.  HOW CUTE IS HE? I couldn’t get enough.

Food of the week

Alright ya’ll, the food here is different.  But different is good! Here is my find of the week.  They are called lychees and look extremely freaky.  On Saturday after hiking to La Pintada, we were walking past the open market and found a man selling these by the vine in the back of his truck.  So of course I had to buy some…

You begin by opening them up and getting rid of the spikey outside.  What you find in the middle is a clear round squishy substance.  It tastes like an extremely sweet grape!