Day 3 Training

This morning we had the opportunity to visit a bilingual school - St. David. We were interested in seeing another school in the DR and are hopeful a partnership may develop here for teacher training in the Dominican Republic.  It was a great place and we were treated very well!

This afternoon Casey has presented on how a teacher could use leveled readers in their classroom, even modeling a lesson.  The teachers seemed very engaged and interested in learning more about what Casey was showing them!  Our prayer is that the Internet is hooked up soon so that the teachers can access all of the great resources that are available!

Good Morning from the DR

Good morning!

Last night we were able to participate in a worship service at Concordia, Palmar Arriba.  It is a special experience to worship and commune with believers from all Nations.  A special event that happened during the service was witnessing Estephani, a student from the Good Shepherd Group Home, getting confirmed.  What a blessing to see that happen!

 

Estephani is 18 and uses a wheelchair to get around.  She has some developmental needs.  She loves using the English she knows and is usually smiling!








Below are some pictures of yesterday's training.  Dawn was able to present on using white boards as a form of formative assessment in the classroom - especially in math.  The teachers were communicating well and sharing lots of ideas.  Things as simple as using flash cards or playing Around-the-World are new to these teachers.  The excitement in the room was contagious!  The group picture includes the teachers from Concorida, Palmar Arriba and the preschool teachers from Lise

This cute little girl was Casey's buddy during the church service last night.  Too precious not to post!

Dia 2 - La Republica Dominicana

Today brought us back to the school in Palmar Arriba.  It was great to be in the classrooms again and we were able to see progress from our in-service with the teachers yesterday.  We started our day in a 3rd grade classroom where the teacher taught a lesson very similar to the lesson Casey modeled yesterday.  She read "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" in Spanish and then talked to them about how the stories ends just as it started (with the pig wanting a pancake).

The children are hungry for attention and love.  We had many students who chose to stay inside at recess and requested that we play Uno, read books to them, or draw with them on dry-erase boards.   Edwin and Estefania were two of the kids whom we were able to love on.

We also had the chance to roam around the school and watch a variety of learning activities, including the song book the children were reading below.

Later, we had a chance to tour the inside of the group home and meet some of the residents there.  It is a blessing that they are able to have a safe home where they are cared for, both physically and spiritually.  Below is Dawn with Ramona, one of the residents of the Good Shepherd group home.

 

We got many hugs and high fives when we left the school today and were reminded that children are basically the same, no matter what country they are from.  We worked with those who like to talk, those who are quiet, those who can't keep their hands to themselves, and those who love to learn.  No matter where you go, kids' favorite subject is recess!

The First Training

After school was dismissed we all boarded this bus to return to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, Casey is modeling a "read-aloud" for the teachers using the Spanish version of the Little Red Hen.  Casey asked the teachers to predict what will happen before she read the story.  After reading to her class, she is presenting how the teachers can then use the story to engage the students in recalling the "beginning-middle-end" and comparing and contrasting the characters.  We are very thankful for Ruth, a missionary who works at the school, who is able to help translate!

Greetings from warm Santiago!  88 degrees is a lot warmer than what we have been used to in Wisconsin.

We enjoyed our morning visiting at Concordia, Palmar Arriba.  It was a treat to visit all of the classrooms in the school and to be welcomed with many smiles and hugs.  Since Dawn's first visit here in October of 2011, a lot has changed - a new playground, the Group Home has moved next to the school, and the seminary is complete at the top of the hill.

Casey and Dawn spent the morning touring the classrooms and the library to observe the what is going on during instruction time.  We were even able to play a game of Uno with some of the students during recess.

Casey's Spanish skills are certainly a blessing!  She has been able to communicate with the students and teachers to learn more about what is going on in each classroom. One of the students was even able to read a book with her! How sweet it was when the students were being dismissed and he came up and gave her a BIG hug!

Teacher training is about to start! Praying Casey's presentation is well accepted today!

We made it!

After a bumpy arrival we have made it to the DR!  Having a late dinner and anxious to get started tomorrow!

At the terminal...

We are all checked in and ready to go!  A BIG thanks to Jenny Jurss for getting us to Mitchell to catch te bus to O'Hare!  Praying for a safe journey an that will work through us in the DR!