Teaching some, learning more

Today is Wednesday and our second day of professional development with teachers. We had about 35 teachers and administrators yesterday. We had almost 50 today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

As is the case with most teachers, they're looking for ways to manage their classrooms and they're looking for creative strategies to help their students be more engaged in learning. They have fierce challenges these teachers. Most of their kids read nowhere close to grade level. This is not a reading culture, which is evident when you see the places in which many of these folks live.

The other morning we drove past a property. I can't call it a yard. There was a building of sorts. Pieces of old wood propped up. Some old pieces of siding. I remember seeing shacks like this when I was in South Africa because people scavenge whatever they can find. A woman was bending over a wood fire. A pot was on the ground next to her. There was virtually no grass on the property and there were chickens wandering free.

The bus pulled up to another dwelling. He worked loose the lock to the gate. An old woman was on the front "patio" sweeping. Her dwelling was also old wood but mostly nailed together. Her whole house was about 12 by 12. She had ducks in the yard, again mostly dirt.

We're teaching at a community building of sorts. It's used as a church as well as a place for "conferences" like this one. The building is unimaginably hot. Yes, there are windows and we keep them as open as possible. Yes, there are fans. But the roof is metal and when it's in the upper 80s or low 90s, it's like being in a slow cooker.

The kids come to this place after school because it is right in their neighborhood, if we can call it that. There are swings and a basketball court, provided the goats from next door haven't wandered in if someone forgot to close the gate. The kids are curious about the gringas who are talking to their teachers and who seem to have so much fascinating stuff. . and who look very different from them.

These teachers are incredibly passionate about their kids and their work. Their frustrations are very similar to ours in the US in many ways. But the fact that there is rampant poverty and so few ways out makes their battle are particularly difficult one. Because many of the homes have little or no electricity and because money is so scarce, books are hardly a priority. Most of the parents did not finish high school or even grade school. They might understand that education is important but they are ill-equipped to help their children be successful. That's why a host of programs in Nicaragua make painfully slow progress.

My skills and knowledge as an edtech specialist are of little value here because there are so few computers in any school. Teachers who have cellphones have flip phones though I have seen a few smartphones. My skills and knowledge for classroom management strategies seem to have limited application so I spend a lot of time watching and listening (with the help of an excellent translator) and figuring out how what I know might be tailored for these teachers and their students.

I've been able to introduce a few strategies that are completely no-tech and perhaps tomorrow and Friday will yield more opportunities. So far, however, I've learned more than I've taught.

My critical thinking and problem-solving skills are on overload right about now as I get to think through how to adapt strategies for a classroom and a culture that is so different from mine.