We All Have Gifts

If you had been in 10th grade English at the bilingual school today, you would have heard the "lead-in" discussion I used to engage my kids at the beginning of the lesson; I used a bit of dramatic storytelling and acting to relate the true story of the way my older brother would enlist my services for proofreading his love notes for girls when we were kids.

Guess I always had a knack for language, grammar, and writing.

Vroom

Waiting in the eternal line at the bank, I didn't expect to see my 15-year-old student there doing the same thing.

When we talked for a minute, I found out he had come to pay the fine for a ticket from the police. The ticket was for operating a motorcycle without a license. Apparently, he had jumped on his brother's motorcycle to run an errand. Police officers pulled him over just as he was arriving back home.

My favorite part of the story came when he told me, "My mom was so mad, she told the officer that she didn't even know I took the bike. But I was running the errand on the motorcycle at her request."

Loved this photo that was captured by a fellow teacher at the bilingual school.
I guess my young friend in the bank line would've been better off borrowing transportation
like this to run errands.

Sniper

When one of my 8th grade groups filed in today, I was finishing up some reminders I needed to jot down.

The bell wouldn't be ringing for another couple of minutes, so I kept my attention on what I was writing. When I put down the pen and looked up, this is what I saw all across the room:

I sniped a picture of my kiddos.

Made me smile to see how well they're responding to my expectation that they always bring a novel to class and read it quietly as soon as they arrive.

Last year, the same group of students was famous for being...difficult to corral - that's one way to put it.

I remember thinking those teenagers would be in for a rude awakening if I returned to the staff for a second year and became their teacher for Literature and English.

For the first month of school, they've been learning how my classroom runs and getting a taste of ways in which they will be pushed beyond the expectations of adults in their past. This is true when it comes to behavioral expectations and also academic rigor.

Those things are very necessary, but I also have a goal of creating a learning experience where students regularly smile and laugh more than in other classrooms.

Already, they've heard some of my life's most embarrassing stories...including the time in elementary school during relay races when I was hit with a case of diarrhea and could not manage to hold back the flow. That one's always a crowd pleaser.

Dreams Come True

I call myself a dreamer.

I was in undergrad when I first saw myself this way and recognized my tendency to engage in waking dreams. To me, plain old daydreaming is one part of who I am as a dreamer. The other part is that I'm always getting ideas in my head for ways to help myself or help other folks on the road of life.

It's almost like I have an internal mechanism designed to detect and seize upon anything that will further the goals, potential, or happiness of my fellow man or myself.

It's a good life.

And the icing on the cake is that sometimes - whether for another person or for myself - sometimes I get to play a role in actually making dreams come true.

In fact, living out my own dreams and watching them come true has been so normal that when I think about it, it seems like kind of a strange reality. I have the sense that already I've been blessed to live a life more rich than that of someone twice my age.

And what is interesting to me lately is a growing awareness that living my dream in Central America is opening up a new world of dreams for me to dare for.

It might not be easy, but anything is possible.

Today, I made this extemporaneous and sincere promise to a room of Honduran teenagers:

"You are going to work harder this year than you have ever worked in your life. The hard work will take place in this classroom.
And you are going to be more successful this year than you have ever been in your life."

I'm Honored

In the middle of today's Independence Day parade, something hit me. Not literally: I mean to say something occurred to me.

The realization was that it is a privilege to be made part of the town's parade - a parade celebrating the independence of a country of which I am not a native son.

Cool stuff.

Tip Of My Tongue

I still have a hard time finding the grammar structure and words I need during spontaneous conversations in Spanish.

That stuff doesn't come to me when I need it...it comes ten seconds after the person I spoke with has walked away! Right then, I know the way to express perfectly what I had wanted to say but couldn't manage on the spot. But late is, of course, better than never. It took work to progress to my current state, and I'm glad to be here and not still where I used to be.

"Thank you for letting me be myself."

One gift I'm thankful for today:

having a job that lets me be who I am.

I've not yet reached the end of my first ten years as a professional, and already I've spent more than enough time working jobs that involved putting on a face that wasn't natural for me...performing roles that didn't come naturally at all.

There is great value in environments (and also relationships) that allow you to be yourself.

Do You Like Parades?

Marching practice for a parade is not one of my favorite things. But plenty of practice is necessary in order to prepare our students to represent the school in the town's annual parade later this month.

Students and staff make their way through the streets of Copan in the parade every year as part of the country's Independence Day celebration.

A moment captured during last year's parade.

There are definitely worse things, so I try to keep a good attitude no matter what.

It's kinda funny to think about the fact that for an introvert who doesn't care to be the center of attention, a parade is probably the last place he'd like to find himself obligated to appear each September!

Striking Gold!

As a Language Arts teacher, there are times when I stumble across a nice grammar game somewhere - one that gives students an opportunity for play while also compelling them to correct or fill in the errors or gaps in their understanding.

"Whose Line Is It Anyway" and other games can boost the enjoyment AND the effectiveness of grammar practice in classrooms. For this reason, they are like gold to me.

Here's To You, Diana

Getting a new school year underway makes my thoughts to turn to educators I received instruction from during my days as a student.

It seems appropriate to say a word about one living legend in the world of education - a teacher called Diana Mayhall. She was the one back in high school who taught me to hold both the beauty of the past and the awareness that the future will bring beauty of its own.

Here's to you, Ms. Mayhall!

The Real Thing

I have spent several years working in education - an environment that involves emergency situations and hazards sometimes.

For most of my career, I have served on teams where I was to be the first responder in the event of an emergency. People working alongside me during mental health crises or potential campus violence situations have remarked about my ability to remain cool in the face of perilous incidents.

What happened in the school's outdoor cafeteria today could have blemished my record.

Not a toy.

That's When You Know You've Got It Good

Thankful today for a life so satisfying that though penniless, it makes Americans here say things like, "The money that could be made by returning to working in the U.S. is irrelevant to me.”

Creative Space

A favorite spot in town for me is this poolside bar area where I'm known to sip Coke with cherry flavoring while spending quality time with my writing notebook and iPod.