Since I arrived here, Bethany has taken me along to a free yoga class in the community center down the street on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. At first it was very hard because
A) I have never done yoga.
and
B) I didnt know a lick of Portuguese.
However I do have a bit of left over athletic ability, so I was able to make it through the class with mild success the first week. Combining that with running and biking and you have the perfect fitness stew for getting my toosh back in shape since I have been here. I apparently impressed the yoga teacher so much that she invited me along with Bethany to a class she holds in a studio at her house on Monday and Friday mornings for free (others pay). American privilege?? Thankfully since we have been doing it for awhile, I can listen to the words the teacher is saying vs. just looking around after she says something, though I also know the routine. Sometimes she will throw a new one at us though, it has definitely been helping with my Portuguese!
The yoga teacher (I am at a loss for her name at the moment) is such a sweet woman and even surprised me with some English words after she found out I spoke it. Apparently she is known as the "dragon" to some of the yoga-attenders at the free class because she can tend to yell when she has to repeat a position 5 times in a row. At some point in her life she suffered a stroke, which paralyzed her right side of her body so her arm is stiff and stuck at her side and her leg works but she cant bend it so her foot drags when she walks so she is not actually able to show the yoga postitions, she sits in front of the class and speaks. I find her utterly fascinating, I can guess her age to be in her 60's, shes a tiny woman with a round face, white hair, and kind eyes. In the studio she has in her home (luckily she lives right down the street from us so it is very easy to get to her house) I found that she is a retired ballerina. She has a case full of certifications and trophy's, and pictures on the wall of her when she was young and vibrant in ballerina poses. To me she is the picture of strength, despite having a stroke she still teaches yoga as well as other ballet classes. On Saturday her group will be dancing in a show that John and Bethany are going to, I on the other hand will be going to Florianopolis (yay!). Though I dearly wish I could see it. The point being, when she was slapped in the face with the hard ramifications of a stroke she didnt give up, she kept going and works so hard at it. I have barely said more than hello or goodbye to this woman but I have much respect for her (minus some weird voodoo-y spiritual-connect- with- the- earth- and- nature-go- towards-the-light things she has gotten into in class).
I will definitely miss this when I am home, though I know yoga classes are easily accessible, yoga was part of my experience here and it wont be the same. However heres to hand stands and shaky positions!
Nama-sh-te.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Everyone likes a little update, right?
So I fully realize I have not posted in quite some time... But heres that update.
In the weeks leading up to the classes beginning in April, we went around to 5 different schools to canvas
and hand out flyers for the English classes. We targeted ages 8-5 years and ended up with 4 students in the morning class and 6 students in the afternoon class all ranging in those ages. The interest was high, but the resulting numbers were at first a surprise. However since this is an attempt at community outreach the numbers arent as important as the churches name getting into the community. With the canvassing alone it doubled the hits on the church website!. The kids are doing quite well, since we are building a foundation for their English learning it can sometimes be slow and tedious. But they are catching on, and with the small numbers Bethany and I can try different games and strategys so it has been a lot of fun!
The Monday classes, the students who come from the public school across the street, have proved to be a challenge. Before I mentioned it was 4-5 year olds which was the age range we had planned on, but it actually turned out to be 5-6 year olds. We have two groups of 6 year olds and one group of 5 year olds in 55 minute intervals that vary between 11-15 students per class. These classes have been difficult to teach as we dont feel comfortable with the typical method of discipline in schools here which is characterized by empty threats and yelling. For obvious reasons, Bethany and I dont believe this is a method conducive to learning and have made efforts to be an example of Christian behavior for these kids. We have spoken with the Director of the public school and have been using different strategies to try and minimize the bad behaviors and covet your prayers in this process. Bethany and I have worked with and spent substancial amount of time with children and both know how a classroom should be run and the biggest problem
seems to be that of respect. When the children dont respect the teachers everything else falls apart and the teaching environment collapses. Though this has been a frustration, we are not ready to give up just yet. Our goal is to not only teach the kids English, but to be an example to them, the teachers and the parents. If absolutely no English is learned, we hope these are the things that stick with them for a long time.
This entire process of starting these English classes has been quite the learning process for me. It has not been easy, but it has been a blessing to learn. I am confident in Gods hand in these classes. His purpose is clear, even if it isnt to us right away. It took me awhile to get homesick but when it hit, it hit hard. Sometimes being around a room filled with different people speaking a language youre unfamiliar with can be hard and very lonely. I have been catching onto the language faster than I had hoped and am getting more brave in my speech and can make simple exchanges, but the frustration is still there. Its not only missing friends and family, but missing familiar things. Even something as simple as understanding and being understood. My prayers have been to stay comfortable and confident in the job that is set before me and to see it out. I would really covet your prayers in these things and that I might be a blessing to John and Bethany in word and deed and I stay adamant in my representation of not only Harvest but the church here as well. Also that I am intentional with my Spiritual health and prayer life and that I am able to be Spiritually fed here. I thank you so much for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!
Heather
Since I wrote this update to the church, we have been able to try these different strategies with the Monday classes with great success! First, the school has been sending teachers to stay in the church during the classes which helps as a reinforcement for us when we have to correct a child. Another thing we have been trying is splitting the kids up into different groups, especially separating the kids who egg each other on, which has also worked wonders. Our problem now is with the lack of organization at the Public school and we keep getting random kids who havent been coming so they are not up to the understanding the other kids who have been attending the class since the first day. So we slow down a little to help the newer kids, and the other kids get bored and disruptive. Ooph! We will have to see what next week brings, hopefully we can even things out with the kids.
As for the weekly kids, we have been teaching them body parts since last week and they have been doing quite well. We are trying to focus on other subjects other than the ones that get repeatedly integrated in their English classes in school. As the years go up and they move on to different grades, apparently the English classes do not improve in content or in substance. So its the same old same old ABC's and numbers and colors, the basic stuff. So we are trying to focus, though not ignoring the basics, on body parts, family, clothing, and introducing some grammar in as well. Its been a challenge not having a curriculum, but I suppose we will have experience with it for another time if we are caught without one!
Thank you again for your support!
In the weeks leading up to the classes beginning in April, we went around to 5 different schools to canvas
and hand out flyers for the English classes. We targeted ages 8-5 years and ended up with 4 students in the morning class and 6 students in the afternoon class all ranging in those ages. The interest was high, but the resulting numbers were at first a surprise. However since this is an attempt at community outreach the numbers arent as important as the churches name getting into the community. With the canvassing alone it doubled the hits on the church website!. The kids are doing quite well, since we are building a foundation for their English learning it can sometimes be slow and tedious. But they are catching on, and with the small numbers Bethany and I can try different games and strategys so it has been a lot of fun!
The Monday classes, the students who come from the public school across the street, have proved to be a challenge. Before I mentioned it was 4-5 year olds which was the age range we had planned on, but it actually turned out to be 5-6 year olds. We have two groups of 6 year olds and one group of 5 year olds in 55 minute intervals that vary between 11-15 students per class. These classes have been difficult to teach as we dont feel comfortable with the typical method of discipline in schools here which is characterized by empty threats and yelling. For obvious reasons, Bethany and I dont believe this is a method conducive to learning and have made efforts to be an example of Christian behavior for these kids. We have spoken with the Director of the public school and have been using different strategies to try and minimize the bad behaviors and covet your prayers in this process. Bethany and I have worked with and spent substancial amount of time with children and both know how a classroom should be run and the biggest problem
seems to be that of respect. When the children dont respect the teachers everything else falls apart and the teaching environment collapses. Though this has been a frustration, we are not ready to give up just yet. Our goal is to not only teach the kids English, but to be an example to them, the teachers and the parents. If absolutely no English is learned, we hope these are the things that stick with them for a long time.
This entire process of starting these English classes has been quite the learning process for me. It has not been easy, but it has been a blessing to learn. I am confident in Gods hand in these classes. His purpose is clear, even if it isnt to us right away. It took me awhile to get homesick but when it hit, it hit hard. Sometimes being around a room filled with different people speaking a language youre unfamiliar with can be hard and very lonely. I have been catching onto the language faster than I had hoped and am getting more brave in my speech and can make simple exchanges, but the frustration is still there. Its not only missing friends and family, but missing familiar things. Even something as simple as understanding and being understood. My prayers have been to stay comfortable and confident in the job that is set before me and to see it out. I would really covet your prayers in these things and that I might be a blessing to John and Bethany in word and deed and I stay adamant in my representation of not only Harvest but the church here as well. Also that I am intentional with my Spiritual health and prayer life and that I am able to be Spiritually fed here. I thank you so much for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!
Heather
Since I wrote this update to the church, we have been able to try these different strategies with the Monday classes with great success! First, the school has been sending teachers to stay in the church during the classes which helps as a reinforcement for us when we have to correct a child. Another thing we have been trying is splitting the kids up into different groups, especially separating the kids who egg each other on, which has also worked wonders. Our problem now is with the lack of organization at the Public school and we keep getting random kids who havent been coming so they are not up to the understanding the other kids who have been attending the class since the first day. So we slow down a little to help the newer kids, and the other kids get bored and disruptive. Ooph! We will have to see what next week brings, hopefully we can even things out with the kids.
As for the weekly kids, we have been teaching them body parts since last week and they have been doing quite well. We are trying to focus on other subjects other than the ones that get repeatedly integrated in their English classes in school. As the years go up and they move on to different grades, apparently the English classes do not improve in content or in substance. So its the same old same old ABC's and numbers and colors, the basic stuff. So we are trying to focus, though not ignoring the basics, on body parts, family, clothing, and introducing some grammar in as well. Its been a challenge not having a curriculum, but I suppose we will have experience with it for another time if we are caught without one!
Thank you again for your support!
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