One of my favorite/most challenging parts of being a
volunteer at the WBC is Girls Program. If you’ve been keeping up with my blog,
you’ll know that I was originally responsible for 18 fourth-grade girls. We
made craft projects (headbands and Christmas ornaments), the girls took showers
(always an adventure), and we finished the day with reading/computer class.
A little over a month ago, a contract the WBC had with the
government ended and we lost a bunch of teachers. We’re all hoping they are
able to renew the contract for next year but until then, the Boys Program has
been cancelled and combined with the Girls Program making me the proud new
owner of 24 fourth grade boys!
Depending on the grade level, Girls Program projects
included bracelets, rosaries, hand-made cards, holiday decorations, etc.
The boys learned how to make soap/shampoo, chocolate, hand-made cards, candles,
and carpentry. The programs are a great way to keep the kids occupied while
teaching them valuable skills and giving them an opportunity to earn a little
money. The crafts that the girls made became my responsibility to sell to
visiting groups and then once everything was sold, I would pay them for their
work. While facilitating a sewing project for 18 fourth grade girls was oftentimes
pure chaos, I loved seeing what they made and they loved having a little extra
money to buy something they enjoyed.
Now that the programs are combined, the schedule looks like
this…
2:00-3:00 pm Recess.
We are the only class on the playground at that time so it has given me the opportunity to get to know the boys a little better. All of the kids are still at a fun age when they love to play on the swing set and just run around being kids.
We are the only class on the playground at that time so it has given me the opportunity to get to know the boys a little better. All of the kids are still at a fun age when they love to play on the swing set and just run around being kids.
3:00-3:30 pm Showers.
Facilitating showers for 18 girls was hard enough but throwing the boys into the mix has made shower program extra challenging. Once the kids are all lined up in a semblance of order, the shower program coordinator signs them in and they are given soap and a towel. I am then responsible for putting shampoo in their hair and for some kids, it’s a surprise/battle every. single. day. On my better days, I lovingly tell them that using shampoo is for their own personal hygiene and that it’s fun to play with the bubbles in their hair…on my exhausted/no patience left/scary-crazy teacher days I just end up yelling “IT’S GOING IN YOUR HAIR OR IN YOUR EYES, YOU CHOOSE!” Again, not my finest hour…but effective.
Facilitating showers for 18 girls was hard enough but throwing the boys into the mix has made shower program extra challenging. Once the kids are all lined up in a semblance of order, the shower program coordinator signs them in and they are given soap and a towel. I am then responsible for putting shampoo in their hair and for some kids, it’s a surprise/battle every. single. day. On my better days, I lovingly tell them that using shampoo is for their own personal hygiene and that it’s fun to play with the bubbles in their hair…on my exhausted/no patience left/scary-crazy teacher days I just end up yelling “IT’S GOING IN YOUR HAIR OR IN YOUR EYES, YOU CHOOSE!” Again, not my finest hour…but effective.
The kids have 30 minutes to get showered and dressed and
since there aren’t enough shower stalls for all of them, they end up sharing
(obviously boys/girls have separate bathrooms). It’s funny to see how dramatic
choosing a shower buddy (or 3) can be. Some of the girls like to shower alone
but most of them like to cram into one stall leaving 4 other stalls completely empty.
I shout out countdowns with how much time they have left (which is almost as
effective as shouting at a brick wall) and hurry them along so we can get to
our next class on time. Many of the kids at the center don’t have running water
at home so this program is crucial and although it’s oftentimes frustrating, I
always try to keep things in perspective.
3:30-4:15 pm Reading.
The kids are all reading the same book and they are supposed to read in silence but that almost never happens. As long as they are being respectful and making an effort to read, I don’t care if they talk quietly amongst themselves. Some days they are more into the book than others…
The kids are all reading the same book and they are supposed to read in silence but that almost never happens. As long as they are being respectful and making an effort to read, I don’t care if they talk quietly amongst themselves. Some days they are more into the book than others…
4:15-5:00 pm Study Hall.
Usually the kids have homework they can finish and if they are working well, I’ll let them leave a little early. By that point in the day, I’m so exhausted that as long as they aren’t threatening to burn the building down, I really don’t care what they do. The boys love coloring and the girls love putting on makeup and playing with my hair.
Usually the kids have homework they can finish and if they are working well, I’ll let them leave a little early. By that point in the day, I’m so exhausted that as long as they aren’t threatening to burn the building down, I really don’t care what they do. The boys love coloring and the girls love putting on makeup and playing with my hair.
Girls Program requires a lot of patience and hard work but
these girls have become like my sisters/daughters. They have shown me
unconditional love and I would take a bullet for any one of them. I have only
had the boys with me for about a month now but I’m getting to know them better
every day and while they are also challenging, they are equally sweet and super
funny.
Since Girls/Boys Program is such a huge part of my week, I
thought it would be fun to share some details/stories and introduce you to the
kids.
Hands-down, my favorite part of our new schedule is recess.
Since we are the only grade on the playground during that hour, my name gets
called at least 500 times.
“KELLY! PUSH ME
ON THE SWINGS!”
“KELLY! HELP ME/SAVE ME!” (from the monkey bars).
“KELLY! SO-AND-SO IS BOTHERING ME!”
“KELLY! KELLY! KELLY! CAN I TAKE PICTURES WITH YOUR PHONE?!”
“KELLY! PICK ME UP!”
“KELLY! CAN I GO TO THE BATHROOM?”
“KKKKKKKEEEEELLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!”
The list is endless.
While the kids are a lot of fun to play with, they also
require a lot of attention and sometimes, discipline. Discipline is not my
favorite part of teaching but as long as they are “on my watch,” I consider
myself responsible for their safety/well-being and sometimes that requires some
tough love. As my Spanish is improving, I try to vary my technique, but I
have developed a few frequently-used “Kelly-isms.”
“You Have Two Options.”
I use this one more than I would like to admit but it’s
incredibly effective. Whenever a kid is misbehaving/not working/doing something
stupid I tell them they have “two options” which…SURPRISE…is really just one. For
example: “you have two options…you can either do your work and finish your
project like the rest of the class or you can go hang out with the principal
for the next two hours…it’s your choice.” Works every time.
“What’s the magic word?”
I also insist that my kids say please and thank-you. The
conversation usually goes as follows…
**student sticks hand out**
“Pencil”
“Pencil”
**I look at them like they are insane**
“WHAT DO YOU SAY???”
“WHAT DO YOU SAY???”
“...Kelly, can I PLEASE have a pencil?”
“OF COURSE!”
“OF COURSE!”
By now they have finally caught on that they aren’t getting sh*t
without first saying please. Is this what it feels like to turn into your
parents?? THEY’LL THANK ME LATER!
“BE CAREFUL!”
There’s one of me and 42 of them. You do the math.
“Alright, who has my phone?”
If I’m in a particularly good mood, I’ll let the kids play
with my phone and since it doesn’t have any games, they use it to take
pictures. Most of the kids haven’t caught on that when you hold down the photo
button for an extended period of time, it takes 1,000 pictures which means when
I finally get my phone back, I spend at least 20 minutes deleting duplicate
pictures and laughing at their failed attempts to take selfies.
(So close! Literally.)
“What did you learn in
school today?”
Parents of the world, I now know how excruciatingly painful
it is to hear “nothing” when you ask your kids what they learned in school that
day. NOTHING? COOL! SO GLAD I’M WORKING MY ASS OFF TO PAY FOR YOUR EDUCATION,
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
“You have three seconds to (fill in the blank)”
My kids may know exactly how to push my buttons and I may have to transform into “scary teacher” from time-to-time but I always give them plenty of hugs, kisses, and attention and I love them like they are my own.
And now, since it’s been a whole month since my last blog, I
thought I’d make this post extra long and tell you more about the girls (once I
get to know the boys better, I’ll post about them as well!)
Introducing…
Ruby
Ruby is a classic tomboy. She almost always has a soccer
ball in her hands and the only thing she loves more than hanging out with the
older kids is skipping Girls Program. In her defense, she doesn’t do it to be
malicious; I think she just genuinely doesn’t care about making craft projects
and she’d rather be outside playing soccer with the boys. I can’t count how
many times I've shown up to Girls Program and Ruby isn't there so I’ll walk
down to the playground and she’ll be there just chilling with a big smile on
her face like “yep, got me again…okay let’s do this thing.” Ruby is hilarious and
she always makes my day more interesting.
(Hanging out in the park)
(Making some headbands)
Domenica
Domenica is wise beyond her years and by far my best
worker/top earner. She made the big “mistake” of showing me how talented she is
so now whenever another girl is struggling with sewing and my hands are busy, I convince Domenica to
go help her. She pretends to be put-out but I know she not-so-secretly loves
the power. Domenica is super sweet and I’ll be honest, she could light all of
the projects on fire and I still wouldn’t be angry because she could re-make all
of them in an hour and I’d be able to sell them twice as fast.
(You can have whatever you like!)
Roccio
Roccio is my little snuggle-bug…she is seriously the
sweetest. She is usually very shy and solemn so I make it my personal goal to
make her laugh/smile every day. She always finds a way onto my lap and she
loves wiggling her way under my arm or making sure she’s first in line so when
we walk to class she can hold my hand. I love Roccio so much and I know
teachers/parents aren’t supposed to have favorites but whatever...she’s my
favorite.
(Spotted: a rare Roccio smile!)
(Snuggles)
(Sweetheart!)
Lola
Lola is a bucket full of sass but also very sweet. Lola
always arrives 15 minutes late with her mom or sister by her side ready to
explain yet again, why she wasn’t able to make it to class on time. At this
point I have stopped listening to her stories and simply remind her that class
starts at 2:00 pm and encourage her to try harder next time. Lola pretends to be
grumpy but the second I start tickling her or pushing her on the swing, she
squeals out “KELLLLYYYYY!” with the biggest smile on her face and we’re buddies
for the rest of the day.
(waiting for me to rescue her)
Luisa
Luisa is a tiny little peanut and she knows exactly how cute
she is. Luisa is very sweet but she’s also feisty. She loves being the first
one in line so she can hold my hand and if she’s not the first one there, she’ll
try to push her way to the front. She also loves tattling which, when I
actually care about who did what, is incredibly helpful but for the most part, just becomes white noise. Luisa also has this incredibly “adorable”
tendency to ask me if I’m pregnant. I don’t know what the deal is but if I have
a slightly big lunch or wear a specific outfit, she runs up to me and kisses my
stomach and asks if there’s a baby in it. NO, LUISA! A THOUSAND TIMES NO! She’s
so stinkin’ cute I can’t stay mad at her for long.
(How can you say no to this face?)
(This photo cracks me up because the other girls are trying to look serious and Luisa is just off in her own little world of rainbows and smiles.)
Veronica
Veronica is also very tiny, she looks like she could be 4,
and she missed a lot of Girls Program because for an extended period of time
she was very sick. I try not to but I inevitably baby Veronica because I feel
bad she was sick and also, she’s adorable. Veronica is hilarious because “honey
badger don’t give a f*ck.” She’s still finishing the headband she started the
first week of school and I have a hunch it will still be unfinished at the end
of the year. Veronica shows up when she wants and does what she wants but she
cracks me up and I love having her around.
(Bottom left)
Genesis
Genesis and Luisa have an ongoing beef over who can get more
of my attention and they are both winning. Genesis loves playing on the monkey
bars but I don’t think she has ever made it all the way across. She loves
getting halfway then dramatically yelling for me to come save her which I
begrudgingly do every single time. Also, I’m not particularly sure why, but
Genesis is fascinated with my arm/leg hair. Honestly, if I go one day without
shaving my legs she will sit next to me and pet my leg until I tell her to go
play with her friends and even then, I can see her glancing over to make sure
I’m still there. Genesis is an odd bird...but I love her.
Shirley
Shirley is the Gretchen Wieners of my Girls Program. If you
haven’t seen Mean Girls and don’t understand that reference, it’s on
Netflix…just do it. Just as Voldemort thrives off the blood of unicorns,
Shirley thrives off the attention/acceptance of the other cool girls. I try to
leave her be because there’s nothing more un-cool than following the rules but deep
down I know she likes me and every once in a while she’ll sneak me a hug.
Shirley’s favorite way to annoy me is playing the dinosaur game on Google that
automatically comes up when there’s no internet available (which in the
library, is always). She’s also the one that gave me lice so…there’s that. By
the end of the year I’m going to make Shirley like me, and not just in her
subtle cool-girl way…in a real “I’m happy you are in the world” way.
(Top right)
(Sassafras!)
Melany
If Shirley is the Gretchen Wieners of Girls Program, Melany
is Regina George. Melany is undeniably the queen bee and what she says goes. Example
“A” Melany brought her little brother to Girls Program one day and when I asked
her what the deal was, she stated very matter-of-factly that he would be
staying with us that day and I didn’t have the energy to disagree.
(Melany's brother...just hanging out)
Melany LOVES putting on makeup, especially right before
taking a shower (which makes absolutely no sense) and she loves wearing her
tiny high-heels into the shower. Melany is super sweet and also really
funny. She has this “precious” habit of coughing/sneezing with her mouth open
and one day, when I was telling her for the hundredth time to “cover your
mouth!” she sneezed directly into my mouth and basically reached the back of my
throat. Honestly, I think I was sick three hours later. When that happened, the
look on her face was of pure panic and in that moment I knew… "I’m the captain now…"
(Boss)
(Regina George is flawless)
Camilla
(Loving the selfies)
(Ruining Camilla's glamour shot)
Sury
Sury is hilarious and requires SO MUCH ATTENTION. She never
says my name just once, she always shouts KELLY KELLY KELLY! before asking even
the simplest question. Sury loves telling me what her mom thinks about everything which is the equivalent of my mom telling me what Oprah thinks. Sury is also SO
SLOW when it comes to showering and every day she wears these ridiculously tall
lace-up boots that take 20 minutes to tie and every ounce of my patience not to
burn. Sury! Sury! Sury! You're lucky you're cute.
(Recess)
(making new friends!)
Tiffany
Tiffany loves swinging on the swing set and is as cute as a
button. She is very quiet but she always makes me laugh. The other day she was
playing with a water balloon in art class and when I walked over to confiscate
it, she shoved the sizeable water balloon into her mouth. I had to walk away I
was trying so hard not to laugh…where did she think it was going to go?
(Having fun on the swings)
(This sweater though...teacher in the making!)
Jocelyn
Jocelyn is new to Girls Program and new to fourth grade. She was moved down a grade but she’s very sweet and helps me keep the girls in line. I don’t know Jocelyn very well but I can’t wait to get to know her better!
Jocelyn is new to Girls Program and new to fourth grade. She was moved down a grade but she’s very sweet and helps me keep the girls in line. I don’t know Jocelyn very well but I can’t wait to get to know her better!
Jannela
Jannela is super loving but also super sassy. She is like Jekyll and Hyde in that I never know which one I’m going to get. Jannela likes to pretend she’s a tough girl and I’ll be honest, she does get sent to the office more than anyone else, but she’s also very sweet. My favorite memory of Jannela was when she was crossing the monkey bars and her pants fell down, she was screaming for me to come catch her and I did but not before we both enjoyed a good laugh.
Jannela is super loving but also super sassy. She is like Jekyll and Hyde in that I never know which one I’m going to get. Jannela likes to pretend she’s a tough girl and I’ll be honest, she does get sent to the office more than anyone else, but she’s also very sweet. My favorite memory of Jannela was when she was crossing the monkey bars and her pants fell down, she was screaming for me to come catch her and I did but not before we both enjoyed a good laugh.
Damaris
The only thing Damaris loves more than playing with my phone
is playing with my hair. I’m constantly reminding her that there is, in fact, a
head under all that hair to which she responds “yea yea” as she continues to
tug my hair into submission until she has achieved the perfect braid. One day
during Girls Program we were having a party for my birthday and I brought in
snacks/soda. Damaris spilled soda all over her pants so I hung them out the
window and made my sweatshirt into some make-shift pants until her pants were dry.
She was so cute showing off her sweatshirt-pants.
(Sweatshirt-pants...patent pending)
(Snuggling while watching Frozen)
(Reading with a visiting group)
Michaela
Michaela is also one of the “cool girls” but she is so sweet
and a fiercely loyal friend. She loves wandering off to go buy candy and is
always asking me to push her on the swings but only by her feet. Michaela LOVES
taking selfies but her selfies always make me laugh because they are so close
up and almost always with a kissing/duck face. Honestly, I could make an album
of 1,000 pictures titled “Michaela selfies.”
(Playing with my umbrella)
(In her natural state)
(Model behavior!)
Gata
Gata’s actual name is Damaris but she goes by Gata “call me…kitty cat…” Gata loves practicing her English with me and no matter what I say she almost always responds with “I am good.”
Gata’s actual name is Damaris but she goes by Gata “call me…kitty cat…” Gata loves practicing her English with me and no matter what I say she almost always responds with “I am good.”
“Hi Gata, how’s it going?”
“I am good.”
“Can you pass me the scissors?”
“I am good.”
“What did you eat for lunch?”
“I am good.”
So precious.
Gata loves telling me I have “cat eyes” which I have heard
from a few kids here because 99% of Ecuadorians have brown eyes so when they see someone
with a different eye color, they have usually only seen that color in the eyes
of an animal. She also loves to pretend to find lice in my hair…literally,
she’ll walk up to me, pretend to pull something from my scalp, and yell “piojo!
piojo!”…classic. Gata also does funny impressions of me, here was one I
captured on my phone.
(Gata's favorite pose)
(One time I accidentally hit her in the face with a soccer ball...she rallied)
Allison
Allison is maybe one of the funniest kids I have ever met.
She has the most mischievous smirk/smile and she’s always cracking herself up
which is why if she were 17 years older, we would be best friends. Allison
loves running around the bathroom butt naked during shower program and she
loves taking extremely long showers. She’s the one I asked to help look for
lice (when I actually had it) and she’s always the first person I give my phone
to because she takes hilarious pictures. Allison loves being pushed on the
swings and she always gives me sloppy wet kisses. She frequently wears brightly
colored leggings so I can spot her from a mile away and she is always eating
(again, best friends). I love Allison and I hope I have daughters just like
her!
(Breakfast of champions)
(Always snacking - my spirit animal)
(scaring a visitor into thinking he has lice...he didn't)
Some group shots
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