The adventure continues

We're deep in preparation time because we are literally days away from departure. I'm suffering those dizzying bouts of excitement, doubt, and terror. But I keep working on lesson ideas and try not to add more stuff to my "this must go" pile.

The storage trunk gets more and more full. I've yet to add the scissors I need/want to take, plus some other teacher resources I'll model and then leave behind. I've added some books. Guiness Book of World Records in Spanish! How cool is that?!?!? Okay, and some young adult books that may be of interest to kids in Nicaragua.

That is, I confess, the hard part. These kids are living in a situation I cannot fathom. These teachers are working in a situation I cannot fathom. In addition to being mindful of cultural differences, I have to be respectful of the passion and dedication of the teachers who work in an environment so very different from my own and quite possibly different from some of the most needy of the schools in which I've worked.

Last night I was working on some lesson plans. I'm borrowing liberally--and with permission--from Reading Nonfiction by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst. They have some great strategies, but some of them don't translate so well to Spanish. I mean that literally and figuratively. But I also have to make decisions about what makes sense to try to share with teachers because we have limited time and I don't want to overwhelm them. Being selective is a necessity, but being prepared for options and possibilities is also a necessity.

In our meeting the other night we were talking about having lesson ideas in our back pockets. I joked about how large that back pocket needs to be.

Though I'm a planner, I also love the fluidity of this adventure. There is so much we don't know about the teachers or even about the schedule. Talk about having to think on our feet!

I was in Wyoming for vacation recently. I had to laugh at the temperatures when we first got to Cody, WY. I mean, it was HOT! We had a few other days of upper 80s temps. At home we've had some nice temps, but it's getting hotter. Today is going to be closer to Nicaragua temps. Conditioning? Maybe. I can't help but smile.

So even though I'm not looking forward to temps in the low 90s, I'm mostly looking forward to this adventure in travel and teaching. I leave for NY on Saturday, July 9. I'll stay with a friend who is also a fellow adventurer--the person who got me into this. ;) Then on Sunday, July 10 we begin our trek to Nicaragua.

More to come!