CARLIE
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
CARLIE
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
On Wednesday night, we had our farewell dinner with the people that worked at the Mariposa Foundation. Our Spanish teachers came and the director and some of our guides for the week came as well. Of course, we were given another delicious meal. I think it may have been my favorite meal of the trip. Everything they give us is always so fresh. I'm going to miss that. We had a lot of time to eat and mingle for a while. Then, we had a big group reflection with all of us, our professors, and the Mariposa Foundation staff. This was a great way to end the trip. We discussed so much. They wanted to hear all of our suggestions and were very open to any constructive criticisms we may have had (we didn't have a lot). I thought it was especially important that we talked about everything that we were feeling and how we could use everything that we were feeling to accomplish something positive when we arrived at home. We talked about all of the ways we would be able to help in our own community. Once you go to a place that has this much poverty, it seems like the only way to make a difference in the world is to go far away from home and try to help people all over the globe. However, there is always going to be a need for that kind of help in our own communities. There is poverty in Buffalo. I see it everyday. It's a little different than what I see in the Dominican Republic, but it's still an area of need right in my own backyard. All of the people that work at the Mariposa have amazing stories and are incredible human beings, but they all started small. They didn't try to do something huge from the very beginning, they started off with something that they knew they could accomplish. Then they grew upon those experiences until they arrived at the Mariposa Foundation. We are all overwhelmed with the need to help right now. We don't know how or where or when, so I found it very helpful to talk about this with the Mariposa Foundation staff. All in all, it was a great night and I am going to miss all of the people so dearly. Great food, great people, and a great experience!
0 Comments
This week has been very interesting. We've actually been able to create lessons and teach in the classrooms at the Coral private school. At first, I was very nervous. We were thrown into a classroom full of students that didn't speak English and a teacher that didn't speak English. We had no resources to use and we didn't know what level the students were at or what they were going over in class. It was difficult to communicate with the teacher because of the language barrier, so we couldn't really ask her what they were going over in class or what kind of lesson she wanted us to prepare. We did have a translator from the Mariposa Foundation with us, but we only had that one translator for the whole group. So, it was a huge obstacle trying to communicate with the teacher and with the students. I was totally stressing out once I realized that these were the circumstances that we were going to be teaching under. I had no idea what I was going to do, I had no starting part, I had no resources, and basic communication was a huge difficulty. However, I realized that this is great practice for a teacher in training. It really forced me to get creative and think outside the box. I thought about the activities that we did in our Spanish classes at the Mariposa Foundation. I was very intimidated when we started those classes because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make connections with the girls because of the language barrier. Once we started to participate in the music and movement types of activities that they had planned for us, I found that that was when I was really able to connect with the girls and develop relationships. We were all smiling and laughing with each other, and in those moments I felt like I actually did it: I developed a relationship with these girls. So, I've been incorporating music and movement into my activities that I planned and they've all gone pretty great! I'm so proud of myself for being able to create an engaging lesson without having much to go from. Of course we would all love to have all of the materials we could possibly need, but that's not realistic. We won't always have the resources that we need, but I am starting to see that you don't need all of those material things to create an engaging lesson where the students are really learning. For example, I did a song about the alphabet with the first grade classroom that I'm in, ad the next day the students were all coming up to me and writing out the alphabet while singing the song that they learned the day before. They would get stuck for a second, but just had to go back to the song and then they remembered. It just feels good to know that I'm actually making an impact and the students are actually learning.
My experience here is also going to help me a lot at my placements for my classes at Buffalo State. Last semester I was placed at Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy. I was terrified because I thought it would be so difficult to do anything because I didn't speak Spanish. I knew that there were a bunch of people that spoke English, but I was just nervous that I wasn't going to be able to make connections or develop relationships with any of the students or teachers that did speak Spanish. I didn't really know how to deal with language learners, and I was very intimidated by that. This upcoming semester, I will be at Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy again, but this time I feel like I'm ready to work with English Language Learners, or just to work with anyone at that school that speaks Spanish (teachers, parents). I just feel like I've gained a lot of confidence in myself and my teaching abilities. When I get back to my classes next week, I hope to speak with my professors so I can have the opportunities to help out in the bilingual classrooms. I actually voluntarily want to do that which I never would have said before this trip. Now, I just can't wait to take everything that I've learned here use it when I get into the schools back home! On Wednesday, January 11th, we received a tour of some of the schools in Cabarete. It was a very interesting experience. The schools here are very different from the schools in the United States. First, we saw a couple of the private schools, Cadin and Coral. They were both very similar to each other. The class sizes were basically the same, and the classrooms all looked very similar. However, they were so much different than our private schools in the U.S. They don't have many supplies or resources with them. In the classrooms, there was usually one small bookshelf or cupboard at the most. They were filled with some supplies such as markers, crayons, and glue. Some classrooms had a shelf of books, but most of them did not. I'm so used to seeing public schools in the U.S. that have the latest technology and all of the resources that you could possibly need, so it was very shocking to see private schools that have even less than our public schools have in the U.S. The public schools that we visited in Cabarete, Punta Cabarete and Puerta Cabarete, didn't seem much different than the private schools aside from their uniforms. However, we didn't get to spend too much time in a public school classroom to really see what it is like. Punta Cabarete was just a one room school house with the kindergarten classroom outside. This school was a lot smaller than all of the other schools. They surprisingly had a lot of supplies compared to the other schools. However, after talking to several of the teachers, I realized this was because the supplies that the other schools did have were put in one central place. The supplies weren't spread throughout all of the classrooms. I made somewhat of an inference that this is because they have so little, they want to make sure they have enough to distribute evenly to everybody. It was a lot to take in. It makes me feel like we really take for granted the public education we get in the U.S. We have so many resources to refer to and to use. I'm sure these teachers and students would love to have what we have, but they do all that they can with what they have.
My research project is about the physical classroom environment, and some of my questions take about multicultural awareness and how teachers promote that with the posters, pictures, and information on the walls. In all of my classes at Buffalo State and in classrooms that I've been a part of, multicultural awareness is very important. However, I found it very interesting that in the schools we've been at and with the teachers that I've interviewed, having multicultural pictures, posters, or anything else on the walls is something that these schools are scared of. There is so much tension between the Dominican people and the Haitian people that they don't want to bring attention to the differences of the students cultures in fear that it will cause problems in the classroom. That is what I got from all of my interviews with the teachers. The only multicultural piece that I saw at any of the schools was a mural of the globe and all of the countries outside one of the schools. It was just very interesting. My time here continues to be very exciting and informative. I'm learning something new everyday and that is what makes every day that I spend here so amazing. It's almost time to leave which seems very surreal. I really can't believe it. I just have to keep enjoying what I have left! Our Spanish classes were amazing. All week we’ve been experiencing the holistic approach to teaching that the Mariposa Foundation is centered around. We change scenery by having class in different classrooms, at tables, on the floor, outside, inside, and many other locations. I really loved this because it helped me to learn a lot better than if I was just seated at a desk or table the entire time. It kept me alert and on my toes. Plus, I was never bored because I never knew what to expect. We were also really immersed in the language because my teacher, Mary Jane, would only speak Spanish in class. It was difficult at times, but she spoke very slowly and used physical cues and visuals to help us better understand what she was saying. We were learning things that applied to what we were doing while we were here. For example, we learned many conversational skills and the language that we would need while we were shopping in town or going out to the restaurants. It was cool to have the opportunity to practice what we learned in class every day when we were out and about. The fact that we were really immersed in a culture that speaks Spanish and that we had the opportunity to practice our Spanish in this kind of environment made it so much more interesting. I was able to see how the things we were learning actually benefited me which made me more motivated to learn. It was also really awesome that the Mariposa girls were so involved in our learning as well. As Mary Jane was teaching, they would come around and help us. They were also involved in our activities and games. One of my favorite activities that we did was when we were learning how to ask how much things costed, language that we would need when we went shopping. They have a little shop at the foundation and the girls pretended to be the vendors while we were the customers. It was really fun and was another instance where we got to get out of the classroom and have some real life practice. I could tell that they were so proud of themselves that they were teaching college students. It was really touching to hear that one of the girls told our teacher that after helping out with our Spanish classes, she decided that she wanted to be a teacher when she grows up. She was so compassionate and helpful. I know she will be an amazing teacher one day and make a difference in the lives of her students. I made sure to tell her that before we said goodbye, for now. Knowing that these classes affected her as much as they were affecting me made me feel so much more connected to her. It was really something.
I was in the beginner group with our teacher, Mary Jane. I loved her. I don’t know how to express how much she inspired me as a teacher candidate in words. There is no way to capture the kind of person Mary Jane is in writing. She was so flexible and really did whatever she could to make us feel more comfortable. She was so compassionate, kind, and strong. The girls loved her and they listened to her. She was always smiling and the room instantly got brighter when she arrived. I just hope to be a teacher like her someday, especially the way she worked with us as language learners. She knew exactly how to deliver the information to make sure that we were following along, but she also was able to be flexible and change things up on the spot while still delivering the information in a way that was easy to understand and catch along to. I don’t want to leave! She was amazing. I can only hope that I’ll get to see her again. Like I’ve mentioned, I’ve never been away from home for this long, and Mary Jane made feel at home. I have been so busy this week because of our Spanish classes and our longer days in the schools and at the Mariposa Foundation, so my plan was to wait until the weekend and write about a few of the days in order. However, I had to ditch that plan because of my experience today. It was our last day at the Mariposa Foundation, and it was so emotional that I had to sit down and write about it right now while the feelings are still fresh.
This is the first day that we were at the Mariposa Foundation for the whole day. First, we spent the morning with the maripositas (little butterflies). Because we hadn’t met the younger girls yet, we started with an ice breaker that really got them to be silly and comfortable with us. It didn’t take long at all for us all to be laughing and having fun together. Then it was time for the girls to go to their classes, art, English, and health. We were all divided into groups and we rotated classes with the same group of girls. Health class and art class were very interesting, as we talked about healthy foods and how to obtain them and drew beautiful pictures. However, the final class, English, had a huge impact on me. We were able to read to the girls using bilingual books. I was reading with two young girls not more than 10 years old, and I figured they wanted me to read it in Spanish because they speak Spanish. However, they told me they wanted me to read it in English. They were so eager to learn the language, they just wanted me to speak in English so they could look at the pictures and try to figure out what I was saying while I was reading. We went along as I used the visuals in the book to help them with some English vocabulary words. They were so happy to be adding new words to their vocabulary. It was amazing to see how much they wanted to learn. It makes me think about when we are learning a foreign language in school in the United States. We take it for granted because we don’t necessarily need to know those languages to lead a sustainable life. We have a good life in the U.S., and it seems to me that we don’t take foreign language class seriously because we know that we are in a developed country and that we already know the language that we need to know to survive and communicate in this country. What about people who are living in a developing country such as the Dominican Republic? They know Spanish, but they want so badly to learn English so they can have a chance at a better life in a developed country such as the United States. They want to learn English so they can communicate and survive in a better place. I’m not saying that the U.S. is a better place than the Dominican Republic, because I’ve been met with more kindness and warmth here than I ever have in the United States. However, it is hard to survive here. I see the poverty and talk to the people who work at the Mariposa Foundation. These girls, much like most of the local people that I have met, don’t take anything for granted, especially the opportunity to learn English. I also enjoyed my time in the English class because as I was teaching the girls English, they were teaching me Spanish. They would help me read and pronounce the words by moving their fingers along with the words, and then they would show me visuals to help me add some new Spanish words to my vocabulary. I could tell that they were so proud that they were able to teach me something, and I think this is a big part of teaching. Yes, I would be the teacher and I would be teaching my student something new every day, but it’s a two way street. At the same time that I am teaching them, I’ll be learning so, so much from my students. I was really connecting with the girls because we were all earning from each other. I hope these kinds of connections will be made once I become a teacher. Then, the afternoon came, and so did the waterworks. The older girls that we have been working with all week arrived and the games began! First, we basically had a giant pool party. We were playing a game in the water, but we ended up taking out the big speaker and dancing up a storm. Then we played a game of hopscotch in which we had to do something depending on what number we landed on. This helped us to practice some of the Spanish that we had been learning throughout the week. Next, we did karaoke as a group to Spanish songs and songs in English that the girls loved. We were all so connected with the girls. This was the first time that it felt like we were one group, not the students from Buffalo State College and the Mariposas. We really were just one big group of friends. Once we finished our games, we all stood in a group with our teachers who worked at the Mariposa. We were given the chance to say whatever we wanted as a farewell. In the first few seconds of one of us telling one of the teachers how inspiring her and her story was to us, she started to cry. Then we all started to cry. Then we all went around and said what we wanted say, choking up the whole time. It was so difficult to speak that I was nervous to even start. These women are such role models for me. I’ve developed so much as a teacher just from watching my teacher, Mary Jane. I can’t even think about not having her in my life after just knowing her for a week. That should tell you how much I look up to her and admire her. I took a few deep breaths to hold back the tears, but I really couldn’t. We just let everything out together and it was very apparent how much this experience meant to all of us. I will miss these girls dearly. Their smiles and their upbeat attitude, their laughs that you can hear at all times, and their kindness and warmth will stick with me forever. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have had this experience at this incredible foundation. This weekend was incredible! We started out on Saturday with a trip to the Mirabal Museum which was especially interesting because we read the book, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez. This novel retold the amazing story of the four Mirabal sisters that fought for their rights and the rights of their country under the rule of the harsh dictator, Trujillo. Three of the sisters, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria, were assassinated for rebelling against the dictator, but they live on as a symbol of strength and hope here in the Dominican Republic. The final sister, Dedé, was the only one who was not assassinated and lived a full life before she died in 2014. We were able to have a tour of the both houses that the family lived in and visit the site where their bodies are buried (which happens to be at the museum). They called themselves the Mariposas (or butterflies), which relates directly to the Mariposa Foundation that we are volunteering at. This is such a perfect name for the foundation because they are encouraging their girls to be strong, smart, brave, independent, and capable women like the Mirabal sisters. It was a huge surprise to hear from our guides and workers and the foundation that the Mirabal family is still very involved. They've spoken to members of the family, and the girls at the foundation even got to meet the grandaughter of one of the sisters. To me, they seemed like celebrities, so I wouldn't have thought that so many people here would have met the family and have close relationships with them. It's so amazing that this family is so involved in Cabarete and the local communities. They still contribute and fight for the rights of women. Knowing all of this, I got goosebumps when we arrived at their childhood homes. I respect these women so much, I just couldn't believe I was standing where they once stood, looking at all of their belongings. I was just in awe the whole time we were there. I can't believe I was privileged with that amazing opportunity. We also made a pit stop at a small restaurant that provided us with an absolutley gorgeous view. It was so peaceful and it was actually a really good break from the heavier stuff we were talking about at the Mirabal Museum. I felt so serene and calm. I wish everyone could have the experience of seeing this view, but a picture will have to do for now! Sunday was one of the most fun days I've ever had in my life. We took a trip to the Monkey Jungle to go ziplining and feed tiny squirrel monkeys. It was a blast! The people that helped us with the ziplines were hilarious and honestly made the experience so much better. They told us their real names, but not before they told us all of their celebrity names (because they really did resemble these celebrities!). So, now I can say that I've been ziplining with Will Smith, Kendrick Lamar, Steph Curry, Justin Beiber, and Usher. There were seven ziplines in total, each one longer and faster than the last. At the first zipline, I was terrified. This was my first time ziplining, so I was a little bit nervous seeing as we were going to be high above the ground. However, after psyching myself up and taking that leap, I couldn't wait to get onto the next one. I felt like a professional by the end of the day! Next up was the Monkey Jungle and the part of the day that I was the most excited for: we got to feed and interract with the most adorable little monkeys. Our tour guide led us through the gate into the monkey sanctuary and I didn't see any monkeys at first. As soon as we were given plates of food, the heard of squirrel monkeys came out in full force. They were jumping and crawling all over us. This was absolutely the coolest things I've ever experienced. I got great pictures too!
Today was our second day at the Mariposa Foundation and it has been incredible thus far. Yesterday we were given our very first tour of the foundation where we met the girls that we’ll be partnered with for the next two weeks. We also got to meet the professors that work at the foundation and will be teaching our Spanish classes. First of all, our introduction to the Mariposa Foundation and our Spanish classes really got me excited to begin our work (even though it’s so interesting and exciting that it doesn’t feel like work). Yesterday started off with an ice breaker with our group and all of the girls. Then, we played a couple games that incorporated Spanish, but also allowed us to let loose, get comfortable with each other, and have fun. When I learned that many of the activities we will be doing in class would be games and hands on activities, I was thrilled. I know that I need more of these activities to really remember what I’m learning, and it seems that one of the main goals of the classes there are to get us as active and involved as possible. After all of our introductions were finished, we played a game of baseball with the girls. The professors and the volunteers let us know throughout the day that they were all obsessed with baseball, so we should’ve known what we were in for. The Mariposa girls kicked our butts. They were amazing! After an embarrassing loss, we had an amazing meal. They put American guacamole to shame. It was so delicious. That was the end of our first day at the Mariposa Foundation. The girls were so sweet and friendly. I can’t wait to get to know them better.
So, today was our first Spanish class. It was three hours long but it went by so fast. The Mariposa girls helped out our professor and participated in the activities with us. It was very intimidating to be in a Spanish class with the girls when I speak no Spanish. They were all so helpful and taught us in a way that was easier to understand, but it was still scary. This really opened my eyes and gave me a sense of what English Language Learners feel every day in the classroom. I had to be alert at all times so I could try to pick up what the professor was saying and try to understand her. At some points, I just had to stop and ask for a translation because I had no idea what was going on. I could follow along for a short time, but then, when I got lost, it was so hard to get back into the conversation again. I was only in this class for three hours and I was exhausted, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for English Language Learners to be in that situation every day for six hours in school. As a language learner myself, I found that it helped when the professor talked slowly. It was a lot easier to follow along. It also helped that she stopped every couple sentences to check for our understanding and ask for any questions that we had. Something else she did was use a lot of physical gestures to act out what she was saying in Spanish. This approach saved me during class. I was able to follow along much easier and try to figure out the words myself instead of just having her translate them for me. These are all things that I will do as a teacher if I have English Language Learners in my classroom. I got to experience being a language learner, so I was able to see what kinds of teaching methods were the most useful in understanding a different language in the classroom. I just can’t wait for next week when we’ll get to be at the foundation for a longer amount of time. It’s going to be such a great experience. I’ve been loving my time here so far. This weekend we get to tour the Mirabal Museum and go zip lining in the monkey jungle. I can’t wait to add these experiences to my list! This first full day here could not have been a better introduction to the Dominican Republic. All I have been hearing is how warm and welcoming the Dominican people are, and I’ve experienced this with every single person that I’ve met. I’ve been greeted with nothing but smiles and warm welcomes from some of the most amazing people I’ve ever encountered. I’ve only been here for a day, but honestly, I don’t even want to think about leaving for a second. Sarah, the volunteer coordinator at the Mariposa Foundation is probably the most interesting and amazing person I have ever met. She told us about her background as a Spanish teacher and how she felt that there was more she could be doing. She brought other groups down to the Dominican Republic while she was a teacher, and eventually bought a one-way ticket with no plan of what she was going to do or where she was going to stay when she arrived. She has just been so fascinating to listen to and learn from. I can tell that she truly loves what she does at the Mariposa Foundation and that she is living an incredibly fulfilling life. We were also introduced to Patricia who is the executive director of the Mariposa Foundation. She is equally as friendly and welcoming. I can’t wait to work with them for the remainder of our trip!
There is only two days left before we depart for the Dominican Republic. It feels so surreal to be leaving so soon. This date has come up so quickly. Ever since the moment that I decided that this was an opportunity that I wanted to go after, it feels like time has just flown by. I remember when I first started at Buffalo State College as a freshman, the idea of studying abroad intrigued me. I went to so many meetings about the different opportunities and study abroad experiences that were offered. I researched so many different places and read all about the previous trips that had been taken and the experiences that those students had. I talked to the students that went on these study abroad trips and corresponded with them so I could really get a sense of what I would be experiencing if I took part in these study abroad opportunities. However, I was never able to pull the trigger and actually apply for any of these opportunities, until now. I think I had such a hard time committing because I was afraid. I've lived in Buffalo my whole life in the same house. I'm so close to my family, who all live in Buffalo as well, and I've never been away from them for more than a couple days, let alone in a different country. I've never been on an airplane either. There is just so many things that I haven't done yet that scared me to think about. I thought that I wasn't capable of stepping this far out of my comfort zone. However, as I thought about how much this kind of experience will better me as a teacher candidate and as a person, I had to say to myself that this is something that I can do. There is always a million little reasons not to do something, and it is always scary to encounter something that is unfamiliar, but sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith and believe in yourself. I know that this is the best decision I've ever made, and even though it is scary, I know that stepping out of my comfort zone and taking this amazing opportunity to better myself as a teacher candidate and as a person will all be worth it in the end.
The key to keeping myself calm is making sure that I have everything thing packed and prepared so I'm not rushing around at the last minute. I've had a lot of trouble with packing. I've never been away from home this long and I find myself trying to pack up my whole bedroom and bring it with me! As I'm writing this, I'm still going over my packing list in my head and searching my stuff to make sure that I have everything. I don't know what life is like in the Dominican Republic and what I can and cannot get while I'm there, so I'm trying to pack stuff for every possible scenario that I might encounter. In our meetings leading up tp this trip, we've been told time and time again that there are drug stores and grocery stores there, but I can't help myself! I need to know that I'll be prepared! I know that I will be able to go to the store while I'm there, but I just need to have some peace of mind that I definitely have most of what I might need. It's been hard preparing for the plane ride as well. I've never been on an airplane, so I don't have any experiences to go from. I've just been looking over the information that we've gone over in class (probably about one hundred times) and hoping that I've followed all of the airport and plane rules correctly! I'm just waiting for the moment that we arrive and finally set foot in the Dominican Republic. There was so much to do leading up to the trip and so many preparations to be made that it will be so amazing to actually be there. There is only two days before we leave and this moment could not come soon enough! |
AuthorMy name is Carlie Mogavero and I am in the combined program at Buffalo State for Early Childhood and Childhood Education (birth-grade 6). I have lived in Buffalo my whole life and I attended the Buffalo Public Schools from kindergarten all the way through high school. I absolutely love the outdoors and being active. My family and friends are the most important thing in my life. I wouldn't be where I am now without them! I've worked at a daycare for almost 3 years now and it hasn't even felt like a job. It has been an amazing experience to develop meaningful relationships with all of the children. This IPDS trip to the Dominican Republic is going to help me develop more meaningful relationships and further develop me as a teacher. I can't wait! ArchivesCategories |