Another New Experience as a Teacher

May 25, 2013

I apologize that it has been so long since I have updated the viral world on the happenings here in Honduras, I will make up for that this weekend.  With the school year windng down, the teachers have been keeping busy preparing finals that will torture our students, dreaming of American things, and enjoying the company of one another for the little time that we have left (often times in the dark because the power has been going out regularly).  I wanted to share with you about one of the experiences I got to enjoy last week. 

Last Friday, the 17^th I independently planned my first field trip.  I have helped other teachers plan and I have chaperoned other field trips but I have never had the sole responsibility of planning and preparing for a field trip.  I decided that as an end of the year treat for my 10^th grade homeroom students I wanted to treat them to an experience that they haven’t yet had.  So I took them to the zipline that is near Gracias.  If you are an avid reader of my blogs you will know that the teachers went to do this in early March and had a good time.  You also might remember that this is Central America’s tallest zipline.  It is composed of 6 lines, which is relatively few, but they are long and high so it is quite exciting. 

A student’s father volunteered to drive us to Gracias in his truck so we left early in the morning, before school even started.  When we arrived in Gracias we had a little break while we waited for a driver I had arranged to pick us up in his busito (like a passenger van).  He drove us up to the canopy and we got started right away.  There was one student who unfortunately was not able to come on our trip and who was greatly missed because I would have enjoyed seeing his reaction during this trip.  With one missing I had 7 students who came and all but one were chomping at the bit to get started.  So we signed our lives away and got our gear on.  After proper safety instructions we sent our first student over the line.  Of course, after he made it safely the student who didn’t want to go decided that he could do it.  So we suited him up while all the others crossed the first line (the tallest one).  It offers great views of a canyon and river below which leads into the beautiful small town La Campa, known for its pottery and beautiful catholic church.  We all made it across and continued to travel completing all the lines.  I heard a lot of screams of excitement and nervousness, which was all in good fun.  When we reached the end, the students were not ready to be done and told me they were having a great time.  We finished the canopy tour with no injuries or near death experiences, so I automatically considered it a success, the fun was just a bonus. 

The zipline ends in the town of La Campa so we got some snacks and wandered around a bit checking out the town and the pottery while we waited for our driver to pick us up.  I asked one of my students what she thought of the experience and she told me, it was oddly calming and relaxing.  She said ever since the preparations for SAG started she has been stressed out and feeling a lot of pressure, but when she was just floating through the air she said she finally felt relaxed and refreshed to finish the year. 

We traveled back to Gracias where we had lunch and enjoyed some ice cream because it was one of the students’ birthdays.  When we had finished gorging ourselves we climbed back in the truck and returned to La Union.  It was long day of traveling, but the experience was totally worth it.  It is something that my students might not have ever experienced if I hadn’t taken them and it was a great thing to do to bring them even more together as a class since they all had to take the leap and cheer each other on.  The added bonus was the joy I got out of getting to spend time away from school with them and getting to see them in a new environment.  It was worth all the planning and all the money to see them bond together and relax after a long year of intense studying and a lot of pressure. 

When we returned they presented me with a gift to show their appreciation for the trip and for the whole year.  They had bought a few pottery pieces while in La Campa, one of which they wrote their names on and 10^th grade so that I will always remember them, my first class as a teacher.  They also wrote a note that said “Great teachers are the ones who show their students how to enjoy life.”  I was reminded with this note that a teacher’s job is more than presenting content material and helping students prepare for standardized testing.  Being a teacher provides the perfect opportunity to be a role model for the enjoyment of life and for all the things life can offer.