Monday at Guillermo Borja
Before I begin: “Pan Dulce” is the Salvadoran term for a
general category of sweetbreads that one might dip in one’s coffee, such as
muffins. It is the general consensus down here that the E Salvadoran division
of Bread Loaf – the Salvadoran Slice – be known as the “Pan Dulce.” We are
looking in to having t-shirts made.
Wow! An exhilarating, educational, inspirational and
generally amazing day one at the Guillermo Borja School in Apopa today. It’s
5:43pm local time on Monday August 7, and I just finished a refreshing nap
before we head to dinner at 7pm at the Pupusa Factory around the corner. (Pupusas
are a Salvadoran favorite – a corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and one’s
choice of meats, beans, or vegetables.)
My friend and ABL colleague Ricardo Dobles once described
those special moments of moral clarity that come along once in a while, when we
realize a clear moral truth in a singular moment. I had such a moment today,
observing a class. The students were stunningly smart and capable of greatness,
but I realized that if they do not develop tools for critical analysis, if they
are not encouraged and given the resources that they need to grow
intellectually, then the economic, political and cultural growth of El Salvador
will stagnate, and the population will be vulnerable to corruptive forces both
from without and within. It was absolutely clear to me today, the direct
correlation between an education that develops critical and creative thinking, and
the future of a country. I suppose this is just as true of the US as well as El
Salvador, or any country.
Our day began with a light breakfast of coffee and breads on
the balcony overlooking the city as the sun rose. It rained heavily overnight,
and a rainbow took shape with the dawn. At six we walked the one block to the
ConTextos offices, where we met Anne, old friends Enrique Quintanilla (ABL
2017), Carlos Recinos (ABL 2015) and Jennifer Correas (ABL 2014), plus new
friends Melvin and Esmeralda, ConTextos staffers. Melvin is starting a family
literacy program at the women’s prison in the next few weeks, and promises to
keep us informed. We boarded a 15-seat bus and headed out to Apopa, a 45-minute
drive, picking up Lorena along the way. She is a teacher and a leader in the
ConTextos network.
We arrived at the school about 7:30. Like most schools in
warm-weather climates, it is open-air – lots of outdoor pathways and windows
with grates but not enclosed glass. There are walls around the school and armed
security patrol – incidents of violence have occurred in the neighborhood and
gang activity is not unknown – but within the walls it is idyllic. The school
is constructed among nature – carved into the hillside. Pathways wind through
gardens. Plants abound, as do lovely flowers, stray dogs and the occasional
chicken. We were warmly greeted by the
principal Karina Cerritos and invited to attend the morning assembly.
Once a month the school day opens with an assembly, and as
today was the first day back from vacation, it did so today. The school runs
two shifts, serving about 600 students in the morning shift (7:30-12) and a
about 400 students in the afternoon shift (12-5pm). Today the morning assembly was for lower
school students, and was run by the first graders – it was their turn in the
rotation. The assembly took place in the center area of the school, an open-air
cement floor basketball court (adorned with Gatorade ads on the baskets and at
center court) topped by metal roof. Students stood in organized groups by
class. (You know, I’ve visited schools in ten different counties, and kids all
behave exactly the same at assemblies in every country. Mostly paying
attention, but fidgety. Kids are kids.)
As the first grade was in charge this month, a first grader
was the master of ceremonies. She introduced a series of speakers, all fellow
first graders, who led the assembly in a prayer, the pledge of allegiance, and the
national anthem, and gave a series of talks about the School Value of the Month
– humility. A four-person honor guard of
first graders marched in with great dignity and pride to present the flag. Cute
is an insufficient word. The kids were immensely proud, and the M/C was
impressive. She has serious leadership skills. She commanded the stage, got the
attention of hundreds of her classmates, and was absolutely comfortable using
the microphone. If this seven year-old she ordered me to do something, I would
do it. After the first-grader-led ceremony, the principal took the microphone
and welcomed the students back from holiday, offered some inspirational words,
and explained that there were visitors this week. She then called up Jennifer
Correas to the stage to introduce us, and Jen brought Alan Nunez up with her.
They spoke on behalf of all of us, thanking the school for welcoming us.
Principal Cerritos also presented medals to the winners of the poetry contest
(yay!) and there were two student performances, one by a beat-boxer who was
absolutely stunning – his voice sounded like five musical instruments playing
at once (echoes of Kevin Olusula, for those familiar with Pentatonix).
After the assembly, we reconvened in the library, located
just off the assembly area. The library was put together by ConTextos as part
of their library program. It is a bright, airy, colorfully decorated space with
500 books. The principal met with us and welcomed us again, answered questions,
and expressed her enthusiasm. We learned that students do tend to drop out in
the upper grades, and only 8 in 100 make it to University. I thanked her on
behalf of Bread Loaf and Phillips Academy. Then we broke off into team of 2-3
to observe classes. Carlos and I visited two classes in the morning, taught by
Ana Ruth Pinera de Rodriguez. She is a wonderful. enthusiastic, and smart
veteran teacher.
The first class was an 11th grade language and
literature class with just ten students. They used Kindles, provided by
ConTextos as part of their Kindle program. it is the second year of the program
for ConTextos, but the first year for this school. The school is provided with
several class sets of Kindles, and instruction on how to use them. Carlos has
worked extensively with this school on the Kindle program. The class began with
students copying the day’s objective from the board (objective writing is an
initiative of the El Salvadoran Ministry of Education), and Ms. Pinera went
over the objective: how can these tales of literature apply to my life?
Students used the Kindle to read independently from the “Tales of Panchita.”
When they finished, Ms. Pinera asked a series of questions, eliciting responses
from students, especially around parts they struggled to understand. Several
were stunningly articulate in their answers.
We had a break for a mid-morning snack. The school is somewhat
free-flowing – no bells, and a relaxed, but decidedly orderly and organized
atmosphere. The breaks between classes are generous, and students can stop at the
snack bar (decorated with ads for Pepsi) or play a quick game of soccer. Some
stared at the strange white bald white man walking around, a few brave enough
to offer a “buenos dias,” wondering how I’d respond.
The second class was a 12th grade language and
literature class, with a more-typical 22 students. The class engaged in a discussion, and again I
was impressed with their level of thinking. They vastly outstripped my ability
to follow along – school here is of course conducted 100% in Spanish, and my
skills in Spanish are quite weak. I can usually get the gist, but often have to
nudge Carlos for clarification.
At 11am we all reconvened in the teacher’s meeting room,
where Anne facilitated first a brief discussion of our impressions of the
morning, then rearranged us into teaching groups to make plans for the next
day. AnaRuth, Carlos and I co-planned, and I had to rely on Carlos as my
translator. We developed a plan to teach
a class tomorrow using a Write-Read-Talk-Write model, to promote higher-order
thinking and engaged academic talk. Students will write for 5 minutes on a high
order question, share briefly, then spend 15 minutes reading the story “Un
Arbol Para Una Vica” on the Kindle, selecting quotes they find applicable to
the question. They will then work in small groups of 3-4 to discuss those
quotes, before writing a paragraph based on the opening question, using quotes
from the text. We’ll see how it goes.
AnaRuth’s later classes are giving presentations. We
developed a note-taking model for the listeners, asking them to write about
what they learned from the presentation, what the presenter did well and not so
well, and questions they have for the presenter. The goal of this model is to
promote active listening and critical thinking.
Planning with AnaRuth and Carlos was a pleasure. I hope the
plan comes off as well as we think they look on paper! The other groups planned
other lessons. Lily and Enrique’s team is working on an I am/I am from poem
model for eighth graders. Rex’s team will teach math (fractions) in small
groups to fifth graders. Alan and Melvin
are working with the pre-K, four year-olds. They are planning a lesson on using
musical cues to raise the attention level of students as they read and listen
to stories. Maria’s team, working with second graders, plans to watch a short
video about environmental contamination, have a discussion, then invite
students to write about how they can help solve the problem. Very Bread Loaf.
After lunch, it was time for second shift, and the high
school was in charge of the afternoon assembly for second shift. Again, a
series of student speakers impressed me with their leadership skills and
confidence. Alan and Jen reprised their roles addressing the full assembly to
introduce us visitors.
After the assembly we checked in again in the library, then
headed off to more classes. Carlos and I stopped by a sixth-grade English class
to field questions from the students. One student asked how old I was. I told
her I would tell her, if she would tell me in Spanish how old I was. After some
help from classmates, she was successful!
We then visited an 11th-grade English class. The
teacher introduced us to the class – about 28 students. I was asked to
introduce myself, which I did first in my limited Spanish, then in English,
then I read a short book to the students in English. I summarized the message
of the book as the importance of using one’s mind to pursue a dream. Then I
fielded questions from the students. The conversation was mostly in English,
with Carlos translating bits and pieces both ways to help us understand each
other. The students asked my impressions of El Salvador, what I enjoyed about
the country, if I had been to the beach, and why I was there. I was asked about
the US, about our network, and about other countries I had been to. As they
grew more bold, I fielded questions about violence in El Salvador and US
immigration policy.
As our time grew short, I asked each student to define their
own dream, and to come up with this sentence: “My dream is to…” We went around the room with each student
stating their dream. Some included, My dream is to be a teacher… My dream is to
be a doctor… My dream is to be a mechanic… My dream is to be a soccer player…
My dream is to travel the world… Once
every student had stated their dream, I told them that knowledge was the power
to pursue their dreams, and had everyone repeat after me: I will achieve my
dream.
We left the school a little after 3pm, exhilarated, and
returned to Casa de Izel about four. I
am heading to dinner soon, and expect an early night. We leave for school at
6am tomorrow, and it’s time to start teaching! Tomorrow we also will welcome
our colleagues from Starfish, the teacher organization in Guatemala. I am sure
they will bring even more to the table.
Thanks for reading,
Rich
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