[Vision2020] Second of Dave Barber's letters from Nicaragua

[Louise Barber]

            I have taught-observed various groups of younger kids, but have
met my main group, the high-school seniors at Instituto Zamora Carrion, only
once.  Their level is much lower than I had hoped, so my lovely ideas are
out the window.  But we'll see.  Ruby Rigby, the regular teacher from
Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast, and I are splitting the class, which has
62 students(!!), in half, and each taking one half for 45 minutes, then
switching.

            I am to visit all seven of the big schools, which go from
pre'escolar to secundaria, while I am here, as well as some of the
satelitos, which are primary only and often only one room. Yesterday I
visited the school of which Mario is principal.  I was greeted like a
presidente, or caudillo [leader], we walked between two lines of students,
many boys with drums and many girls in their gimnasium costumes--quite like
cheerleaders, with similar routines.  Mario and I then sat down on a
platform and two pairs of dancers did Nica dances.  Then the drummers
drummed and the girls danced, with one boy playing a vertical kind of
vibes-chimes instrument, including “John Brown's Body” --don-t know why this
is an important tune, but I also heard it at a school ceremony (Alba-s
school) Monday.

            This is my 2nd attempt to write these notes.  My Hotmail crashed
earlier.  I am in the computer room of Instituto Gustavo Carrion Zamora
[IGCZ], in the center of the pueblo Villa El Carmen.  I cannot stop:  on the
wall it says:  Mientras todo no este hecho, no hay derecho a descansar.
'Clase 7C [while not all is done, one doesn't have a right to rest].  They
learned English numbers last year in 6th.  This is -- Feb 5-- their second
day of year Septimo.  They can recite in a group their numbers but falter
around 11.  They can recite the alphabet but falter around J and K.  They
can SING the alphabet and falter only with the words:  NOW I KNOW MY A B Cs,
WON´T YOU COME AND . . . .  An idea for Moscow’s Sister City Association
[MSCA]:  Buy dictionaries!  Though many have their own paperbacks.  Or buy
for the schools.  At IGCZ the library has 8 copies, some very worn.  At the
other school I visited last week, Instituto Martha Susannah Gutierrez, Henry
the teacher has at least 15.  They both use dictionaries in classes.  Ruby
says there are other English books in the library, but when I was there I
didn´t see any.  

            Primaria meets 7:30 to noon, secundaria 12:30 to 5:15.  IGCZ has
some 450 students in secundaria, which is grades 7-11; IMSG has probably
300, is more rural, more tranquilo by far [much less noisy].  Here noise is
a huge problem.  The aulas [classrooms] are built in rows, about 20 feet
wide and 35 long.  The long walls are open, so all noise from outside comes
in, including from the adjoining aulas.  Students outside can look in from
the open sides, and some generally are lingering around, and sometimes they
are a distraction.  Ruby frequently has students come to the front of the
class to recite, and -- at least when I am there --their voices are very
soft, and there is no way students in the back can hear.  Sometimes from ten
feet away I can´t hear, and my hearing´s not THAT bad.  After a VERY loud
wedding reception Saturday night, four hours of Latin (and some American)
dance music at full blast, I wonder about the hearing of Nicas generally.
But they seem OK.  I also wonder about vision problems.  There is one
whiteboard at the front of the room, and students have to copy a lot from
it.  But Ruby writes fairly small, and it must be hard to see from the back.
In any given class of 40-50 students, there may be one student with glasses.
Uniforms:  white shirts, dark trousers or skirts.  I did see a few older
girls with pants.  They are all very neat and clean.  The Ortega government
has promised to make the schools truly free so that parents don´t have to
pay for uniforms or school supplies – a major cause of students not
attending school.

            Last week, after observing-participating in Ruby´s younger
classes, I met the seniors in Quinto for the first time on Thursday.  The
class has 62 students!  Ruby had the brilliant idea of splitting the group,
with her taking half and me half, for 45 min of the 90 min period, in
different aulas.  I gave my students an index card and asked them to write
their first names and where they live, and then write anything at all in
Englishi.  Here are some samples:

            My friend work in the hospital.  I am girl happy, and mother is
happy.

            My family and I is unite and I is happy for is with they.

            your is a goob teacher thank you.

            The shool is bseautiful!  

            Hello I´m Mario a me I live my shool.

            I have a father and have a mother and a family.

            I´m student of the shool, and I´m learning English, tankiu for
that is a good theacher.  I´m you frieng.

            I am happy to have with we.  thanks by tocome.

            I have a mother very beatiful end witch a smile large inside the
I love much. 

            Welcome to class.  And one wrote, 'The nomber is Deybi.'  I
think that means:  his name is David.

 

            Students address Ruby as Teacher.  I found it very difficult to
get the students to speak in English, and not much easier in Spanish.  Ruby
said they are all terrified of me, but if so they show it with smiles.  I
got more aggressive in asking questions in the second group, and it got
better.  I decided over the weekend to try to find a few students who WANT
to and CAN converse a little in English, and meet with them in the mornings,
an hour before class.  If I can get three, or six, I´ll be happy because I
think that is the best way to make a difference and help them to a sense
that they can succeed in English.  

            My most extraordinary school experience last week, except for
the ceremony at IMSG with boys with drums and student pairs demonstrating
dances and gimnasia girls with cheerleader-like costumes and routines, was
Henry´s quinto class, where there was one girl in particular who was at ease
with English and asked me many questions.  Then she was persuaded to sing a
song, and she had a great voice, I thought.  This was the song with which,
with a partner, she had won prizes last year in a song-in-English national
contest.  They won locally and regionally and so competed nationally --
didn´t win but the school is filled with pride, and two framed certificates
hang in the principal´s office.  Reminded me of my son Steve, when he was
teaching English in Hiroshima in 1992, and his student won a
speech-in-English contest.

            If one thing is predictable around here, it is that the
schedules change constantly.  Por ejemplo:  my quinto class will meet
Tuesday and Thursday.  Today I was to get up at 8, after Ana, who leaves
before 5am, and Aura their niece, who leaves at 7:30, and Mario had all had
a chance to have their shower.  But Mario woke me at 7 to say that I was
meeting my class today, and it was starting at 7:30 because for some reason
the primarias were not meeting today.  So I rushed, sin ducha [without
showering], and made it on time, only to learn that although the secundaria
students are here today in the morning, MY class still meets tomorrow.
That´s why I´m here happily typing away and hoping this one will go.

 

Dave [from Villa El Carmen]

 


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