Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Camora

God is good...all the time. All the time...God is good. Today was good. It started off with me going to one of my schools to pìck up the stories that the primero students had created. I´ve just skimmed over the stories but they already look very promising. A couple of my students came up to me asking me for their agendas (planners) because, as the y told me, they needed to put down their homework and know what classes they had the next day. Say what? They are actually using the planners I made them make. I told Profe Juan that if all I take away from my two years here is that students become more organized, that would be enough. I´m only partially serious in saying that but I am so happy that they are actually using them. We have gone from maybe a tenth of the students in each class using planners to more than half using them. Another student named Cristian always asks how I´m doing and for me to be careful. This boy has an extremely special place in my heart. His mom abandoned him and his sisters when they were small and he was in a gang for a little bit of time. He is extremely hyper but a good kid. He is going to help me with some projects at that school. Ok...going back to my day, I hop on a bus to go to my other school, I get off and I wait for the other bus, and I wait and wait some more. Get to my Instituto and work with my 2B students. Communication taller went so well. It was great. Then I moved on to Tercero. Now the reference to the title...camora. Camora is like a nuggie or when kids beat you up for your birthday. Someone shouts camora to Jose. And everyone goes and hits or smacks Jose on the head. It can be somewhat playful and innocent, depending on whose doing it or it can be violent. Today some of my tercero boys did camora to one of their compañeros. This boy was crying so hard he could hardly talk. I was livid (to use Perla´s words). The principal came in and threaten them and what not (hes really not fit to be a leader of a school) and then I spoke to them. I basically told the whole class that I didn´t know what had happened but school was a place where people came to better themselves and a place that they could feel safe. They shouldnt feel threatened. I told them they needed to support each other. Everybody has other stuff going on outside of school but that school should be a haven. I don´t know if they took it to heart. I then went on to play a Juanes song called La Vida es Un Ratico and we talked about Juanes and what he was trying to convey to his audience through his lyrics. It went well and we´l l continue next week with another Juanes song that talks about not giving up, and persuing your dreams. Then we will go into decision mkaing. God knows some of them need it. Or all rather. The school day ended well with my Primero babies as I did a little communication skit where I brush the teeth of an alligator. It takes awhile to explain it so I wont but the students really enjoyed it and were extremely attent. Lastly, I went to one of my teachers house to help her with her English. She made me delicious homemade pizza. It was leet.

I just bought some jobos. Its a little red and yellow fruit. Its good but I think the ones I bought might be bad. Of course.


Besitos a todos!

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