Teaching in Belize

Being in San Pedro, Belize has drastically opened my eyes to what life really is for most Belizeans. I know I have stated it before, but I am still blown away by how simple and adaptive the people are here. Knowing what there is out there, it still saddens me by how little the people have here.

In my class, most of the students do not even have the basic utensils for daily activities. The students are suppose to have the basic items in the beginning of the school year (notebooks, erasers, pencils, etc). But the fact is they are kids, and they often lose items. The kids have to share pencils and erasers because they cannot afford to buy more with the cost of imports being so expensive.

It is just crazy to me to see how the people here are not dependent on technology and luxuries of life. Yes, there is some Belizeans who are, but for the most part life is simpler here. It is also a whole new world here with teaching. Integrating technology in the United States is such a huge part in the schools, but it is rarely if ever used in the schools here. We were lucky to get blank paper for copies let alone have access to any type of technology. There is only one computer at Ambergris Caye Elementary, but it is in the hallway.

Most of the teaching is done through direct-instruction and note-taking. It has been fun to see the kids grow and grasp the information not only taught by the teacher, but that I have taught as well. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to include more hands-on critical thinking activities for the students. I do believe this component is a detrimental attribute for students to acquire and use. Without critical thinking skills, real-life situations will be more difficult to comprehend and solve. From first talking about this notion with my teacher until now, I have seen the students grow and now enjoy the activities. In the beginning, they were very hesitant to be creative and explore the materials, and now they are flourishing with the activities.