The adventure begins

The exact date of the adventure is really when I got the Facebook message from my friend and colleague asking me if I'd be interested in going to Nicaragua for two weeks to work with some teachers. My first thought? "Wow, it's hot in Nicaragua." Yes, I'm a terrible native Floridian but there are reasons I don't live in Florida and they are "heat" and "humidity." And so, to most people, Nicaragua. . .in July. . .doesn't seem like a reasonable option.

But then I talked with Nancy who told me more about the school that started in the dump outside of Managua. The dump was bought by a Spanish company. Many of the people were moved from their dwellings in the dump to cinder block homes and a school was built. But many of those same folks still trekked to the dump for food and to scavenge because that was one of the ways they survived.

She told me that one of the weeks we would stay at the Villa Esperanza, with its own story of another way families survived.

There are a lot of very positive things going on at the Villa Esperanza (check out their Facebook page) and it's no surprise that many mission organizations are part of that success.

And why go to Nicaragua (in July, in the heat and humidity) when there is so much need in the U.S.? Because Nancy asked. And maybe, when I'm really honest with myself, because those teachers are asking for help and looking forward to whatever we can offer them.

So we'll be working with K-6 teachers, mostly, and some church and Sunday school teachers in the local community the first week. It's all very fluid so I'll be prepared for pretty much anything. I'm excited to get to show them some possibilities for reading and writing because I've learned this is not a reading culture. But how cool it will be to encourage them to write their own stories to share with each other, and maybe put those stories to music or make them into poetry or create a play!

The second week we'll be working mostly with K-6 teachers in different schools and in a different area. I'm not entirely clear on specific locations but it doesn't matter just now. I'll go where the van takes me and take pictures while I'm there. I imagine I'll learn a smidge more before we go.

Nancy and I met on Thursday, June 9, so I consider that the Official Kick-Off date as we were discussing and planning for possibilities. I spent some time yesterday and today doing some research to buy bulk quantities of craft sticks, crayons, and markers. I bought a few thousand pony beads today to use to create different kinds of math counters. More on those later when I create the samples.

And I'm thinking about ways to create words akin to magnetic poetry but not magnetic. I've got lamination sheets so I may just print words and then laminate the paper before cutting out the word sets. I need to make sure whatever I do can be replicated by the teachers in Nicaragua. But I'm playing with some other ideas that won't be expensive but will give them resources that will last for a while.

I'm going to play with some foldable templates so kids can create their own books but use also help teachers see how different foldables might help students learn and practice their learning. I want kids to be able to illustrate their stories whether we do fancier foldables or just fold the paper in half. There's a Wal-Mart in Managua, so I can buy a carton of paper for us to use.

Finally (so far), I'm looking into inexpensive digital cameras so the teachers can record what their students are doing to upload to share. Most of the teachers don't have smartphones. While there are some laptops and computers at the school, they don't have tablets so we'll be pretty no- and low-tech, which is fine. While I love my technology, what I love more is helping teachers refine and develop the craft of teaching so their students can learn and make a difference in all of their lives.



I'm traveling to Nicaragua under the auspices of Messiah's Outreach. You are welcome to donate to the mission if you are so inclined. If you'd like to help in some way with this mission trip, in helping to pay for materials I'll be taking to teachers and for students, please let me know.