If yesterday felt like a week packed into 15 hours, today felt like a month. We started super early with breakfast at 7:00, and then we hopped on the bus at 7:30 to go to Aquileo Parra, a public school in the northern part of Bogota. When the bus parked to drop us off, I was sure that we were in the wrong place; it didn't look like a school -- or anything, really -- at all. But as soon as we got off the bus, we were escorted down a sidewalk, around a corner, and into a gated area. (I have noticed that all of the schools -- UNITEC yesterday and both of the public schools today -- are all surrounded by fences, usually with razor/barbed wire at the top, and secured with a guard.) And then we entered the school. And were given the most incredible welcome reception I have ever received. I truly do not have words for it, and believe it or not, I have hardly any photographs: rather, I wanted to just experience the moment. Essentially, students lined the hallway, all the way from the entrance of the school to our meeting room. They were waving handmade American flags and welcome signs, they were smiling the biggest grins I've seen, they were waving excitedly, they were cheering loudly. Then, they welcomed us with beautiful cumbia. It was incredible. After all of the students filed in behind us, we had a beautiful welcome from the principal. Much like yesterday, he welcomed us into his "home," into his "family." He then talked about how the students were in a vulnerable environment -- as in lower-economic strata, under-resourced, etc. -- but that they were excelling in tremendous programs. Then, he asked the students to present these programs. These students -- the majority of whom were around ten-years-old -- spoke so eloquently, so confidently. If they were shy at all, they did not show it at all. The first program the students discussed was In The Clouds, a conflict-resolution project that works through dialogue and agreement. The little boy (in the photo on the left) said, "I will change the world, and I'll start by me." He also beautifully stated how school is the place to dream and play, to be loved and to love others; it is a heaven to protect from storms. Another pair of students talked about the three competencies on which students focus in order to promote citizenship: cognitive, communicative, and emotional. The third grouping of students discussed valuing diversity within the classroom, as different people provide more opportunities to learn from one another. They also said that students in a classroom are like different plants in a garden: they all feed each other. One of the students brought tears to my eyes (which we know is not hard to do, but...) when he said, "This is a memorable moment for me. It's bigger than I thought." Finally, we had a presentation from a couple of adults, including the special education teacher. Currently, the school has 49 students with special needs, and these students are served with augmented reality, different technologies, and differentiated learning. The focus of the program is empathy, innovation, and collaboration. For instance, both parents and teachers are involved in the decision-making process, and the school does not wait for an official medical diagnosis prior to providing students with the services they need. Additionally, the school offers opportunities for parents of students with special needs to convene and discuss struggles, successes, and more. After the first round of presentations, we took a tour of the school, which was incredible, namely because we had ample opportunity to interact with the students. This was one of my favorite parts of today. The joy on the students' faces -- and I'm sure on mine as well -- was magical. The girl on the far right in the bottom right picture was in tears (like, wipe-away-with-both-hands tears) because she was so excited to see us. In fact, she initially saw us through the window, grabbed her friend, and sprinted inside to meet us; it was the morning, and they are afternoon students, but they came early because they knew we would be there. Side note numero uno: schools in Colombia have two schedules for all students, similar to how we have morning/afternoon pre-school or kindergarten in the United States. The morning schedule may run from 6:20-12:20, and the afternoon schedule may run from 12:30-6:30. The students are different, the teachers are different, but the principal is often the same all day. Side note numero dos: schools in Colombia offer all grade levels at the same location. So primary school students are on the same campus as students in eleventh grade ("senior year" in Colombia). I also loved this moment in the day because I was able to talk to students. Did they speak English? No. Do I speak Spanish? Un poco. But, we made it work. I know many of you are absolutely shocked by this, but I really hit my stride when talking about cats (and other animals and pets) with some girls on the playground. I also loved observing various posters and just the physical space of the school. After walking around, talking with students, and taking likely hundreds of photographs among all of us, we observed a couple of classrooms. This group of students was participating in Creando Puentes, a program that connects students from Colombia, Morocco, Spain, Peru, Argentina, and Mexico. I have often felt that while global partnerships are incredible for so many reasons, there are so many challenges to actually executing them. However, I have a renewed optimism after seeing these children in action. They got into two teams, huddled up, and named themselves (the Lions and the Cobras). Then, they got into two lines in front of the board, where the teacher had placed two big pieces of butcher paper. The Lions were instructed to collaboratively draw a park, and the Cobras were assigned a landscape. The student at the front of the line drew something first, then went to the back of the line. The second student added to the drawing and then went to the back of the line as well. The process continued until the drawing was complete. Then, the teacher will add the Colombian flag to the drawing and send it to a partner classroom in one of the other five countries, receiving another country's drawing in return. The students in this classroom may not appear to be super engaged, but it's likely because the teacher was explaining her pedagogy. This was an inclusion classroom, so there were several students with special needs, and the teacher was covering phonics. She had an alphabet banner above her board, and it had animals that corresponded to each sound of the alphabet -- not each letter, each sound. She then created stories and songs to help students remember the letter (or letter combination, I suppose). It was a really beautiful strategy. After our tour and classroom visits, we went back to our meeting room and were served a "snack" (which really felt more like lunch). Then, we had a couple more presentations. One was from a science teacher who talked about sustainable living, particularly regarding recycled art. She showed us purses made out of pants, paint brushes and baskets made out of plastic string-type things, and "stained-glass" mandalas made out of CDs and nail polish. It was pretty cool. Finally, we heard from some secondary students, a group of young women who talked about metacognition and critical thinking as well as a group of young men who talked about a Model U.N. group that they brainstormed and then executed. Again, their speaking skills was incredible. Finally, we headed to the secondary side of campus for a very, very quick tour. And then we had a very, very brief visit to a secondary classroom. What was super cool about this group was that these were afternoon students -- who came in the morning just to do an extra project. Students identified a problem, created objectives, and implemented a plan to research the issue. The work they were doing blew. my. mind. After, it was time for lunch. I'm not sure any of us were really ready for lunch since we had a "snack" just a short time before, but we went for it, and it was incredible. Side note: I need some synonyms for incredible. #sorrynotsorry for completely over-using that word. For lunch, we went to Casa Viejo, an amazing restaurant in a really cute part of town -- the San Antonio neighborhood. The streets were narrow and adorable, and I wish that we had had more time to explore. But alas, that'll have to wait for another time -- like the next time I come to Colombia. Thanks to a translated menu, I was able to quickly determine my order: Camarones a la Criolla. I also ordered a jugo de lulo as well as café con leche, since I was two seconds from falling asleep at the table. Side note: I have gotten four hours of sleep the last two nights and have had days that have been so jam-packed they have felt like weeks. And, I feel like I need to blog every night so that I don't forget a single moment. Exhaustion is real, y'all. After lunch, we headed to our second school of the day, I.E. Distrital Usaquen. This was another public school, not too far (I don't think) from the first public school, and it was close to the Spanish Embassy. According to our in-country consultant, while our first school was on the first economic strata, this school was on the second. Side note: Colombia is divided into ten socio-economic stratifications. Bogota, however, is the only city that goes up to ten because this includes children of Ministry officials, children of ex-pats, etc.; most cities have 1-6. Generally students in strata 5 or higher are in private school. After a quick visit to the teachers' room (a room filled with lockers and separate desks -- slightly larger than student desks) and a welcome from the principal and the academic and disciplinary directors, we went to individual classroom visits. My friend Estéfani led me around campus, and we each practiced speaking in each other's native language. I attempted Spanish, and she attempted English, and we had a conversation. It was beautiful. We went to an English classroom, which was wonderful. First, the teacher was amazing, and I want her to be my new best friend. I am bummed I didn't get a photo with her, but I gave her my card, and I'm hoping that she contacts me for some classroom connections. (And if you're reading this, heyyyyyyyy!) Second, the students practiced their English skills by asking me questions -- with guidance, corrections, and prompting from their teacher. I then practiced my Spanish -- with guidance, corrections, and prompting from their teacher. They asked me questions about where I'm from, whether or not I'm married, if I have kids, if I have pets (you know I talked about Charlie and Chloe), who my favorite singer is (I eventually just went with Adele since they mentioned Adele and really wanted me to love her as much as they do), what my favorite color is, if I play video games, if I play basketball (huh?), whether or not I like Colombia and their school, and more. Then, one of the young women asked if she could sing a song for me. Um, YES. But, she was too shy to sing in front of the whole class, so she pulled me into the hallway (which was really the sidewalk outside of the classroom), put an earbud in my ear and the other in hers, huddled with me thisclose in a little alcove, and sang Sam Smith's Stay With Me. It was one of the sweetest moments ever. The teacher was then super apologetic, thinking that the class was unprepared, rambunctious, etc. I was floored, as I thought it was absolutely amazing. I assured her that kids are kids -- everywhere -- and that my kids would have been just as "spirited." She mentioned that it had been a tough week with some drama (and lots of tears) but that their attitudes and demeanors changed before her eyes when they were interacting with me. I only wish my Spanish were better so that I could have interacted even more with them -- but I also acknowledge that we all learned a lot and had some excellent practice with one another. After our individual classroom visits, we reconvened for a panel discussion from our student hosts (Estéfani and her peers). We asked them many questions, particularly ones that targeted our research questions. For instance, I asked about the difficulty of their courses and how they approached challenges, what supports were offered for assistance, etc. (They all stressed that their teachers are wonderful, that they help all ways and with everything.) One of my biggest takeaways from this session is the students' self-efficacy and acknowledgement of personal responsibility. For instance, they mentioned that their schooling gives them the basics that they need in order to go to college but that post-graduate work is competitive and that if they want an edge above their peers, that's on them. If they know what they want to do, if they want to go above and beyond, it is their responsibility to make it happen. One of the students also stated, "If you want to do it, you can. You just have to work hard." Another moment that stuck out to me was when one of the students asked us about our preconceptions about Colombia. Another fellow mentioned that while she wasn't scared, many of the people we told were nervous and worried for us. The student then mentioned that he had preconceived ideas about Americans, that we were going to be tough, stern people, but that we had countered his beliefs, that we were kind and compassionate and loving and happy. It just goes to show that this is a two-way street, everyone learning from one another. Citizen diplomacy, y'all: it's real. And it's important. After, we took an informal tour of the campus. Y'all know I loved me the cats. But, I've been forbidden to pet and/or snuggle them. Wah wahhhh. My favorite part of this tour was visiting the itty-bitty kiddos in their classroom. You may be wondering what in the world is happening in the bottom right photo. Well, friends, that is a tiny human "dog pile" on top of Dave (pictured in the top middle photo, showing students the pictures that he had just taken of him). These kids loved Dave; the joy on their faces and the laughter in the air was so beautiful.
It was just one more reminder that kids are kids -- everywhere, no matter the country, the language, the age. Kids are kids. Our school visit concluded with yet another snack. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo, and I did not catch what it was called. What I can tell you is that there is no chance of us going hungry on this field experience. After our time at I.E. Distrital Usaquen, we boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel. And I've been blogging ever since. Now, though, it is 11:30 and time for me to hit the sack. I. Am. Pooped. But oh, so very happy, very grateful.
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