A Weekend Away This past Tuesday was a holiday for Ecuador...Labor Day...so schools were closed.  We thought this would be a great opportunity to travel someplace we hadn't been yet.  After much research and consideration we decided on Mindo, Ecuador.  We found a hostel to stay at for $16/night, figured out a bus schedule and began packing.  Up and at'em early Saturday morning to catch the 8:20 bus out of Quito.  When we arrived at the bus station they first handed us a piece of paper and told us that the road to Mindo was closed between 8-2 due to road construction caused by a small rock/mud slide.  We were devastated.  A few minutes later the bus driver said that since there were so many people that he would try it and if it took longer than the 2 hours it normally would, well, that was ok with him!  How much was the bus fare you ask...$2.50!  WHAT!? So cheap!  We had no problems with the construction.  The road was open when we came to that part and we arrived Mindo safe and sound. We had a wonderful time there!  In fact, on Monday as we were packing our things to leave, we decided to stay ONE MORE DAY!    This place represented everything I thought Ecuador would be.  The cloud forest, waterfalls, and village were beautiful!  We were surrounded by the forest.  While we were there we took a cable car across the cloud forest and hiked to a waterfall.  We zip lined across Mindo Cloud Forest.  We took a walk through an orchid garden, filled with butterflies, and then rested in a hammock listening to the hum of the hummingbirds that surrounded us.  This was the first time since we've been here that we truly felt independent! It was so nice to walk around the village alone and not worry about being robbed or kidnapped!  We were able to take our iPhones out and take pictures-something we've been told not to do in Quito!!  We loved every minute and we can't wait to go back if we can!

Welcome to May!!

My time here is moving quickly and I still feel like there's so much to learn, see, and do!   A new month brings a new pillar of character - and this month is Trustworthiness.  The students will focus on *working by themselves and *have the courage to do the right thing. On the board Tisa has written Trustworthiness and listed several ways to show how to be a trustworthy character! These six pillars are similar to the 7 Habits and The Leader in Me! Chow!!

The More They Seem the Same!

The longer I am in the classroom the more they seem the same!  Having this cultural experience has shown me that although we live miles apart, students are students and their behaviors are not very different.  The classroom here is very similar to ours in the States. We have high frequency words listed on the walls, the number line, alphabet, long vowel word charts, etc.  The students are placed at tables with either 4 or 5 students at each.  The biggest difference is that the students call the teachers by their first name!? Very different from the States.  Also, the conversation is louder than we would prefer in a classroom.  Tisa uses a call and response of   "1,2,3 eyes on me" and the students are supposed to stop what they are doing and say "1,2 eyes on you!"  They don't always stop the first time as they don't really have any consequences.  This week the pillar they are concentrating on is Fairness.  A new behavior/reward chart has been placed at each table.  Each student needs to earn 1 hand each day in responsibility and fairness this week, then 1 each of the other pillars for a total of 14 hands.  There will be a reward at the end of the week.   The students are called to the rug or carpet for instruction and then released to their tables for instruction.