BI-Cycle, BI-Cycle

I want to ride my BI-Cycle...

On our second Saturday, a group of us decided to rent bikes and bike to the north end of the Island. I admit I was a little nervous since I couldn't remembe the last time I got on a bike, but I guess the expression "its like riding a bike" has to come from somewhere right! We ended up biking over the bridge and down to the yoga retreat and hostel called Ak'Bol. The children of the owners of Ak'Bol actually go to Isla Bonita the primary school I taught at. The retreat was absolutely breath taking and the food was good too! It was truly like visiting a paradise. After we ate, we went down to the water and went snorkeling. The water in Belize is so crystal clear and beautiful and it is amazing what you can see under the water. I was having a great time just floating around until someone said "is that a shark" which is about the time I swam to the ladder haha. It ended up being a barracuda, but still marked my offical exit out of the water.


After exploring around the beautiful retreat and taking endless pictures, we headed back to Pedro's. In a all out perfect day, my only complaint was my bicycle seat! It was loose and no amount of tightening on pushing down would keep the seat from angling up. This made for quite the uncomfortable bike ride back and lets just say left me pretty sore for the next few days.

Even with having to deal with the very uncomfrotable bike, having the chance to bike down the beach and take in all the beauty of the island was well worth it!

Children and education in Belize

In Belize, the child are regarded as mini adults. From a young age children are able to just go and explore and in many ways begin looking out for themselves. I was fascinated with the amount of young child left unsupervised so often. I would look over and a 3 year old would be hanging out near the street with no parent in sight. Yet I don't believe it was neglect. The parents of Belize trust in their neighbors and community to look out for their children when they are not. They also don't worry so much about a kid getting hurt such as falling down. I think that in the States we are so worried about our children getting a scratch we restrict them from exploring life. Now I'm not saying I'm going to let a young child play outside without keeping a firm eye on them, but in this society that is okay. In the while time I was there, I never heard about a kids getting seriously hurt or kidnapped or any of the things we fear in the States. It was refreshing to see kids able to play without those fears.

Children are taught to work at a young age. Parents begin training their children the importance of money and the art of selling very early on. I was often suckered into bying something from a sweet 4 year old when on any other day i would have just walked past. In Belize, everyone works, including the kids. I was served by children at restaurants and sold jewelry at stands and on the street by kids of all ages. While some children seemed to work along side their parents when they weren't playing in the background, children as young as 8 would walk around the town selling jewelry and other tourist items by themselves. Many of the kids will never be able to get off the island, so these skills they are learning at a young age is what will support them in the future.

I viewed education as well as many other aspects of the Belizean culture including technology to be 20 years or so behind that of America. It has really only been recently that school has become such an important focus in America. As a first generation High School graduate, let along a college level one, I know first hand how education wasn't always what it is today here in the States. Growing up in the fifties and sixties, my dad dropped out at 11 to get a job to help support his familiy. My mom dropped out at 16 not seeing the importance of an education. Now it is almost impossible to become successful without an education and more and more doors are opened to help students achieve their goals.

If you feel you can support yourself at 16 just as well as you would at 18, would you continue school. Many students have no hope of higher education on the island, so as long as they have the minimum amount of education they feel they have no more use of school.

In Belize I feel they are working towards bettering their education, they just aren't there yet. Teachers are being required to have higher level learning to teach which would be great if they were given the opportunities to take these classes. Right now higher education is limited on the island. Steps are being taken for improvement in this area, but it will take years to make any real progess. The more qualified the teachers the better the education the children will receive.

The importance of education is also at a point of change and improvement. The need for a better education system has been realized, but as of now the improvements are only just beginning. Where our classrooms were 20-30 years ago is where many of these schools are. They still see teacher lead instruction as the best kind of instruction, fact based instruction over creativity and critical thinking, and little importance in electives. I feel one thing holding them back in many areas is the lack of supplies and technology. How can you have a music class without instruments? If all you know is workbooks, why would you use anything else?

A culture and society adapts to the roles that are available to them. As more opportunites become available I believe that education in Belize with improve. I also believe that as the importance of education becomes realized and the access to it becomes more available the children of Belize will be able to help grow the nation into a productive and prosperous country.

ABC...easy as 123

http://www.islabonitaelementaryschool.com/


As part of my teaching internship here in Belize, I have been assigned to Isla Bonita Elementary School. The grades here are different then that of the States. Here the grade levels go from Infant 1, Infant 2, Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5 and Standard 6. Since my placement back in North Carolina 2nd grade, I was placed with the Standard 1 class. While it is compared to being more like 3rd grade, to me the ages as well as many aspects of the curriculum seems to reflect 2nd grade more.





During my time at Parkwood Elementary School, my class consisted of 23 students ranging in ages from 7-9. Here in San Pedro, I only have 8 students in my class all 7 years old. I have 4 boys and 4 girls making the class even. Of the 8, 7 are from some kind of Central American or Spanish decent and one of African decent. 5 of the students speak Spanish fairly fluently as well as the more local Creole. The other 3 have an understanding of the Spanish but mainly just an undestanding of it and do not speak it fluently. All of the students appear to be able to speak and understand the Creole, although I have notice that they rarely use it compared to many others.





I was surprised at how much of the curriculum here mirrors the curriculum used in the States. Students here are learning things such as matter, fractions, time, adjectives, syllables and more. In much of my planning for my student teaching in the States, I had taught each of these subjects as well as others. While the subjects are similar, how they are taught is can be different. Here the classroom is still more teacher directed and note driven. Students are often given the information on a board or a poster, and instructed to copy the notes word for word. Workbooks are also a large part of the everyday instruction. I do feel that my teacher is stepping away from this learning style and more towards a student driven instruction. She provides many hands on activities and chances for critical thinking.

I have noticed that subjects that are more fact based in nature such as Science and Math are enjoyed both by students and teachers while Language Arts is obviously disliked. From talking to various teachers at a few of the schools in the area, each teacher expresses concern and questions in teaching Language Arts. They want to make it more enjoyable for the kids, but lack the training and confidence in the subject area.

Regardless of the similarities and differences in the schools here in Belize and Back in the States, one thing is for certain, Kids with be Kids!

Under the Sea aka (The Little Mermaid has nothing on us!)

The first view of the ocean here in Belize will absolutely take your breathe away. Never in my life have I seen water that was as blue and clear as it is here on the island. Standing on the dock, you can look down and see the various sea life such as the colorful fish and even crabs. (Ah! I know I hate crabs!) I knew the first day I stood on the dock looking out over the water I had to go snorkeling for a closer look.

Friday afternoon, when our work day was over, Stephanie, Aubrey, Katy and myself grabbed our gear and our underwater cameras and headed to the dock at Ramon's. Ramon's is one of the more 'touristy' resorts and the place you probably imagine when you picture staying on a beach in the Caribbean. Their dock has a wonderful place to snorkel with a man made reef right off of it as well as a convenient ladder to help you out of the water. Katy was our resident expert, so following her lead we jumped in!

The view above the water was amazing, but the view under the water was absolutely indescribable. Under the dock, there was a school of fish with over a hundred fish just hanging out. Swimming out to the man-made reef, the variety of fish you could see was fascinating. The fish were all different colors swimming through the reef creating a rainbow of color. Not scared at all, the fish would come up and swim right up to you and go about their way. The water was so clear you would think you were looking through an aquarium. I thought the water was a perfect temperature, cold enough to cool you off from the hot day, but warm enough where you could enjoy your time swimming around. We had such a great time we returned the next day. I look forward to going snorkeling more during my stay here at a variety of different places. I have hope my next snorkeling adventure will take me to swim with some sharks!

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...

BIG ones small ones, some as big as your head!

Here on the island, there are LOTS of coconuts... everywhere. Whether you are walking down the beach or down the street, you will see your fair share of coconuts. Many vendors sell coconuts to eat but if you don't want to buy one you can pick one up yourself. You just need to figure out how to open it.

Since being here many of us have tried to open the coconuts we have found laying around... unsuccessfully! We have smashed them on the ground, on the corner of the sidewalk or even against a tree. Who knew coconuts could bounce!

Native Belizean's we are not, so instead if you need a coconut opened you need to find this man here...Coconut Joe! Now kids, don't try this at home!!

We did get to try a piece after he cut open the coconut, but I think I'm just going to stick with pineapple!

Schools of San Pedro

So far we have had the opportunity of visiting many of the local schools in the area. Of the 17 student teachers here, 5 are going to be teaching at San Pedro High School. The High School has 500 students with about 30 in each classroom.

The Gym/ Auditorium is located outside, with only 1 completed wall, and the other walls were half walls so that the space was very open. Students were participating in a lightly structured P.E. class while we were there.

The school itself is separate from the gym and where the classes are held it is one solid building. There is no air conditioning at the High School so classes are taught with open windows and sometimes open doors. I have to say, that when I went to High School I wish I had the view these students have everyday. Located right on the beach the view truly is breath taking.

While we will only be doing our student teaching in 2 of the Elementary schools here, we have seen and learned a little about some of the other schools in the area.

The San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School is the only school considered to a public school. Each school requires a fee that is to be paid monthly for attendance, but the Roman Catholic school is the cheapest.

Because many of the locals can not afford to pay for school at the other Elementary Schools, the Roman Catholic School is heavily populated. Classroom sizes are close to 30, yet the rooms are very small.

The Island Academy is very much a Private School. The Students that attend are those whose parents are the more wealthy population of the Island. These families are generally from the United States, England, Australia, and Canada. They own many of the local properties and large businesses in the area, and the school was created to accommodate their children. The school is located right on the beach on the more resort side, with a fence surrounding the buildings. The school is very spacious with a few small building as classrooms and a large play area.

One of the Elementary schools we will be working in is Ambergris Caye. 6 of our student teachers will be teaching there during our stay. It is a very small school with only 50 students. Located on the other side of the island than the other schools, Ambergris is located in a large area with space for kids to run around during lunch and break.

There is a decent playground area with a wooden play set that is similar to what many have built in the states. The school is managed by a woman from the states who has lived in Belize for over 10 years. While degrees are not required to be a teacher, she does require at least a 2 year degree from all of her teachers. Students have to pay to attend the school. The price is much lower than that of Island Academy, but it is still more than many locals can afford. Classroom sizes are very small, with as little as 2 in a classroom to as many as 14.

The last Elementary School we have seen and the one I will be at with 5 others is called Isla Bonita. Slightly larger than Ambergris Caye the student population is 80. The school has more of an urban atmoshphere reminding me of schools located in some of the cities of the states. It is a closed off school surrounded by a fence and barbed wire.

There are 2 stories to the school, and each classroom size is small with an average of 8-10 students in each class. Just like Ambergris Caye, a fee is required for students to attend. Students who do not pay the fee are sent home from school and will more than likely move to the Roman Catholic School. During lunch many of the students go home since they can not afford the lunch provided by the school.

Primary school is slightly different here in Belize than in the states. Instead of grades, levels are separated by what are called standards. The levels are Infant 1, Infant 2, Standard 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Infant 1 begins at about age 4, although is is considered to be that of our 1st grade. At Isla Bonita I will be in Standard 1 which is linked with our 3rd grade with students aged 8-9.

English is the language of the schools even though many of the students speak spanish at home. The subjects they are learning in the classroom are similar to what students in the states are learning. In the class I will be in, some of the things my students have recently learned are matter and adjectives, and they will be focusing on subjects such as time and recycling as I step into the classroom.

Students in the area attend school no later than the age of 16. After graduation of High School, further education on the island is fairly limited. If they are able to even afford school, the only courses to major in are Tourism and Business. If possible some travel to the mainland for further education. Since money is not readily available to many of the locals, education generally ends after(or even before) high school completion. Jobs are taken around the island at many of the tourists traps, restaurants, stores or other local businesses. Some of the locals take jobs as teachers in the schools. There is no formal education required to be a teacher, and many of the teachers at the schools are as young as 16 teaching with only a high school level education.

Hello Belize!

Our Belizean adventure began with a really early morning flight out of Wilmington. After a connecting flight out of Charlotte, we had about a 3 1/2 hour flight into Belize City. We checked in through customs and I got my very first stamp in my passport which was exciting! We had to take a short flight from Belize City in to San Pedro on what is called a Puddle Jumper. It is a very small plane that seats about 12 people plus the pilot. A little scarey :) but the view was AWESOME.

Once we landed we took a cab to Pedro's Inn where we are staying. We had a wonderful greeting by the owner of the place and settled into our rooms. While waiting for the rest of our group to join us we set out exploring the island a little. We walked around the town and down by the beach where we had a quick dinner. I tried their BBQ Chicken and while it is WAY different than NC BBQ it was excellent.

We rejoined the rest of our group and had a nice relaxing evening and settled in for the night. I am looking forward to enjoying the rest of my adventure!