Here's the scoop...in about a week and a half I will be leaving the good 'ol U.S. of A. for the Central American country of Honduras. I will be teaching at a bilingual school in Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras. This little city is in the western mountains of Honduras, near the Guatemalan border. It isn't the Peace Corps or Teach for America (you'd be surprised how often I get asked if this is a TFA thing), rather this school recruits independently, hiring 3-6 native English teachers every year to teach and practice the native English accent with their students. I will be teaching entirely in English, and not ESL. These kids have had English class from a very young age.
The school's name is Hector Emilio Medina (HEM) School and is a private school for grades K-11. Because it is a private school, the students are not the underprivileged third world country kids you're probably picturing in your head. These students are actually from fairly wealthy families in the area. However, I'm sure it will still be very different and I am also told there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer in the community with NGOs, orphanages, and even teach dance and theatre classes at their local Casa de Cultura! For more info and pictures check out the school's website: www.hemschool.org.
I'm very excited to move but at the same time have absolutely no idea what to expect. I'll be living in a house provided by the school with other English speaking teachers in the center of town. I really hope I like the people I'm living with, because I will be spending A LOT of time with them. It's basically like the Real World Honduras- 4 strangers, picked to live in a house together, work together, and have their lives taped. All but the last part.
Throughout my time in Honduras I plan to track all my adventures with this blog. Come visit it frequently! I guarantee witty posts and amusing pictures. They'll be so life like it'll almost be like I'm right there reading along with you!
I am going to miss you all so much. Leaving Ann Arbor was hard enough, I don't know what it's going to be like to leave the entire country for a whole year. Thank you for all your encouragement so far. I feel extremely blessed to be able to fulfill this dream of mine and I could not have done it without the support and guidance from all of you.
hugs and kisses,
Sarah
About Me
- Sarah
- I decided to have a little adventure before I entered the real world. I'm teaching for a year in Western Honduras. Visitors welcome!
1 comment:
Now you know all teachers' dirty little secret -- you don't have to be smarter than your students, you just have to know more than they do. (And be a few pages ahead in the textbook.) That, and experience in improv helps. It's funny how, once you're plopped down in front of a classroom, you start channeling every teacher you ever had -- the good ones and the not so good ones. It's like being a parent and hearing yourself say something dumb like "You need to finish your food because there are starving children in China..." and you can't believe you've become your mother after all.
¡Buena suerta, Sarita!
xo Aunt Mary
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