I Can't Believe...

I'm going on three months in Haiti. The kids in my class are already 6-year-olds in my eyes and I've grown to believe that I was very egotistical when I arrived in Haiti; thinking I knew what I was here to do and what I was capable of doing. Ha, that's a laugh. After three months, I'm beginning to find out that I have no idea on either front and that I am learning and growing as I go. That, perhaps, this is a stepping stone onto another learning experience. And, that instead of racing through it believing that I'm the best 3-year-old teacher Haiti has ever seen and that my hugs and high fives will solve these kid's problems for life, that maybe, just maybe, I have some growing to do as well. And that maybe after this year I'll come out of this as more than just a better teacher to children.

In the meantime, some shots and videos from our latest expeditions in PSB:
(We started talking about "trees" and made our own using our early writing techniques of, vertical line (the trunk), scribbling circles (the leaves) and points (the red apples). Then since we started talking about blue we made blue bird handprints and put them in our tree. We also tried painting trees
we saw outside with watercolor, Karlens got carried away with the 'blue' but he had such good concentration I let him do whatever he wanted. We also made salt dough 'points', painted them red, and made them into necklaces, which the girls had no trouble modeling; you will spot Rose Darline easily. I'm not sure they are used to mirrors so they're always astonished to see themselves, I was trying to capture that, their faces are incredible when they see their reflection. Also, some photos from Halloween, trick-or-treating between the classes. I just taught them 'trick-or-treat' as we were walking out the door but after candy was placed in their bags, they quickly caught on. Also, Manndy's self-portrait, which I was VERY proud of. We were practicing drawing circles on their little boards and he drew a circle and made it into himself. When he showed me it had no features and I asked him about eyes and he said, "Oh, yeah, eyes, let me draw those." Then a nose, hair, and random other circle I'm guessing is his chin. But, he quickly improved himself and gave himself arms and legs, it kind of does look like him. I'm just glad he got the chance to do what he wanted with a board and chalk, usually it's so prescribed here. And finally, dress-up. I bleached my entire classroom and got rid of furniture that was collecting mosquitoes and hung up a sack of dress up clothes that had been stashed away. The kids are slowly learning what it is to play and imagine and just have fun in their classroom, and, have no hang-ups about who wears the skirt and who wears the fireman coat; yes! However, Manndy does put that skirt on often....)