Welcome to my blog about my trip to Puerto Rico! This is my first time traveling to Puerto Rico and my first time writing a blog. I think that both are going to give me wonderful new experiences and knowledge that I hope to come back and share with fellow teachers and my students.
I feel so lucky to have an opportunity like this and I want to get the most I can from it. I want to experience the food, culture, education and much more! I am a little nervous about not speaking the language, but I have heard that the people are friendly and willing to help.
In my blog, I hope to share my experiences with the reader and reflect on what I have seen and learned. It is so important for me to bring back the knowledge I have learned because I know it will make me a better teacher and person!
I hope you enjoy reading and experiencing my trip to Puerto Rico with me!!!
Today we spent the entire day working on our final presentation for our trip. It was wonderful seeing everyone that we had traveled with for the past week. It was also great to see all the videos we took. I enjoyed working with Jessica, compiling all of videos into a movie! I hope you enjoy watching the final product as much as I enjoyed making it!
Today it was decided that instead of taking a 2 hour bumpy bus ride to Ponce, the second oldest city in Puerto Rico, we would stay in San Juan and explore more of the city. We took a visit to El Morro, which is the oldest fortress in Puerto Rico. We walked into the fortress and learned about its history and unique location. The fortress was built there by the Spanish because it was a prime location to protect the entire city.
We also walked around more of Old San Juan. We saw things such as the chest of the three keys, which is where the money came from to first begin the building of the fortress. We walked along the promenade and took in the view of the ocean. Old San Juan is much different from the rest of the city--it is much more of a tourist location with shops and food everywhere. I feel so comfortable when I walk through that part of the city. One of the most interesting places we went was a museum near El Morro that displayed various things from the Americas. This included art, history, warfare, music, and dress. It was so wonderful to see how different all the countries are in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Tomorrow we travel home! I can not wait to see my family and give them the wonderful gifts I found for them!
Today was the meaningful day I have had on the trip thus far. Each day focuses on one aspect of Puerto Rico such as music and art, landscapes, and history. Today focused on education!!! We began the morning with a trip to Abraham Lincoln School, which is an elementary school found in Old San Juan. I must say it was one of the most educational and enlightening experiences I have had. It really opened my eyes to how education is similar and different around the world. One of the biggest differences I noticed was just the condition of the school. The school had open-air hallways and the classrooms were in need of some repair. We first met in the library which had very few books compared to a library in a York County school, but when we walked into the English classroom, she had 7 computers lining her walls. What a contrast! One of the most interesting aspects of the school was the fact that is sat directly across from La Perla, one of the poorer sections in San Juan. The school provides an education to most of these children. I will discuss La Perla later in my blog.
We were able to meet with teachers to discuss the similarities and differences. We went around the room and introduced ourselves, and when I said I was a learning support teacher, I received many strange looks. I could not believe that teachers, some of whom had taught in the United States for many years, did not know the term learning support. After describing the components of my job, they thought it was closest to their resource room teacher. They also mentioned that special education services are different from one school to the next. This gave me the idea to write my paper on special education in Puerto Rico. I want to explore what components are the same since they are a U.S. territory, but also how the services are provided differently.
Here are some links on special education in Puerto Rico:
After discussing teaching in a large group, we broke down into smaller groups. I met with three teachers. Ms. Guzman was a pre-school teacher that taught students with autism. Ms. Marin was a first grade teacher and Ms. Santos taught English to second through sixth grade. I greatly enjoyed talking with all the teachers and seeing their classrooms.
With our meeting complete at the school, we were able to visit the community of La Perla; however, you can not just walk into the community. There are guards who watch the entrances and exits to ensure no one from outside the community enters unless they are accompanied by a representative. We met with the community leader. It was interesting that this area is so poverty stricken, but the leader is so proud of what he has been able to accomplish to better the community. They have their own doctor's office, daycare center, and tutorial center. However, walking through the narrow alleys, I could see the evidence of neglect and low funding. I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up in a community such as that. Although La Perla is one of the most devastated and poor areas, one could argue that it has the best location in San Juan. In fact, it is so beautiful that it is rumored that Donald Trump wants to buy it so he can build a resort. Overall, our visits in the morning were one of the most important and influential things I can take back with me into my classroom!
Our afternoon had us in classes learning more about education in Puerto Rico. One thing that surprised me about education is that it is so unstable. Whenever a new government enters power, things are changed throughout the territory. For example, just two weeks ago, ALL school districts were dismantled and the superintendents were put into vacant principal positions. I can not imagine anything like that happening in the United States. Also, at the end of the school year over 1,000 teachers were fired, just for the fact that the government had no money to pay them over the summer. However, with school beginning next week, those vacant positions have not been filled yet. I thought it was very interesting that the principal at Abraham Lincoln School had only been there for a week; I later found out that that was because she actually worked in the Department of Education and she was put in the position to "enforce" what they want to see in schools. Also, we were told that a teachers starting salary in Puerto Rico's public school system is $17,000. I can't help thinking how good we have it in York County!
After our history of education class, we returned to our Spanish lessons; however, instead of listening to our professor talk in Spanish for two hours, we were able to talk about lessons we could bring into our classroom to teach our students about Puerto Rico and other Hispanic cultures. One of ideas I really liked was posting the Spanish word for items throughout the room. Also, singing to students in other languages can teach them the language without them even knowing it! I can't wait to go back to my classroom and implement some of these ideas!
Lastly, we spent the evening reflecting on what we have learned and experienced thus far with one another. I feel that we have really learned a lot from our short time here. I must admit that, although I have had a great time here, I am a little homesick and can't wait to return to Pennsylvania!
Today was a day full of art and education! We began the morning by returning to Spanish 101! Our professor again started (and almost ended) class speaking only Spanish. However, at the end of class, we had time to talk about our purpose for taking this class, EDUC 497. At first, I thought it would only be an amazing cultural experience, but as I have talked to teachers more on the trip, I am finding my real purpose for being here. A few of us discussed the fact that we currently teach in more rural school districts and do not see as much of the Hispanic population. However, we now realize that a shift is going to come, bringing more Spanish speaking people to our areas. I feel this class is one of the most authentic ways to prepare not only myself, but my students for this change. Many of my students have not experienced much out of York County; therefore, it is my job to return and expose them to this! What a wonderful lesson I have learned!
After our discussion on education in Spanish class, we moved to another building to do what many of us have been waiting for....SALSA!!! We spent the first hour of the lesson learning about the influences of Salsa music around the world and the influences that made Salsa what it is today. One important thing I noticed throughout the lesson was, even though our instructor was speaking in Spanish the entire time, I was able to understand most of the information because of the pace in which he spoke and the fact that he had a PowerPoint that displayed the words (this goes back to my verbal and visual cues).
After our history of Salsa, we got the chance to learn the dance. Our instructor took things very slowly, and many of us were able to catch on to most of it. However, I knew from seeing it on television, that there was a little more to the dance than what we were being taught and this became apparent later tonight!
First, however, I want to talk about our trip to the Art Museum of Puerto Rico. We first walked to the sculpture gardens in the back of the building, and we were all amazed how something so beautiful could be in the middle of a city. The sculptures were surrounded by a gorgeous pond with multi-colored coy fish swimming amongst the lily pads. When we returned inside, we had time to explore the paintings from throughout the Caribbean and Central and South America. As Casey and I walked throughout the museum, one painting struck us. The painting was by Angel Botello Barros and was named Flora de Puerto Rico. It portrayed Puerto Rico surrounded by the flora of the island. There were the commonly eaten fish in the sea, beans (a staple food of Puerto Rico), trees and animals. We both thought that it would be a wonderful way to represent Pennsylvania. We could use this painting as a lesson on Puerto Rico and Pennsylvania by having the students draw the state and surround it with all the natural resources found within the state.
After our museum visit, we went to a local restaurant. We had an amazing meal and saw fruit for the first time this trip. At dinner, we discussed that we were surprised by the fact that there are very few vegetables and fruits provided with meals--we have yet to see a banana or salad. It was so refreshing to have a meal that wasn't only rice and beans!!!
Since we had such a wonderful time learning how to Salsa dance, we thought we should practice a little more, or at least see how it's really done! We were amazed! We went to a small establishment in Old San Juan and heard live Salsa music and saw Puerto Ricans dancing to music. It was so interesting to see how they just feel the music. I must say that it was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had thus far!!!
Today we visited some of the unique areas of Puerto Rico. This morning we traveled an hour to visit El Yunque, the PuertoRicanrain forest. As we traveled to our destination, I was able to see what life is like outside of San Juan. We saw houses built on the beach with iron bars across the windows and doors. There were stray dogs and roaming horses. Then, there were people sitting on their front porch talking to neighbors or reading the paper. I have noticed that outside the city, the pace seems much slower; people take time to enjoy things.
Once we arrived at the rain forest, we jumped out of the van to take pictures of the gorgeous surroundings, the first of which was Coco Falls. Our tour guide described all the nature that was around us. We heard birds calling to one another, bamboo knocking together, and the waterfall cascading over the rocks. One of the most unique sounds was the croak of the Coqui, the native tree frog of Puerto Rico. We hiked into the rain forest, enjoying the information we learned from our guide. We stopped along the way to learn about El Yunque from signs that were posted throughout the forest.
One thing I learned from our guide, Dr. Ignacio Olazagasti, is there are very few mammals in the rain forest, if any. They were all forced into extinction when the Spanish arrived. El Yunque was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. I never knew something so beautiful existed in Puerto Rico.
In the afternoon, we traveled to a beach. We experienced the food and recreation of the PuertoRican people. I could see that everyone at the beach was spending time with family, enjoying the nice weather, food, and the warm water. Dr. Olagagasti told us that many PuertoRicans do not go to the beach, which surprised me due to the fact that it is an island!
For our evening on our own, six of us returned to Old San Juan to visit shops and eat dinner. As we shopped, we engaged some of the shopkeepers in conversation. We asked them about purchasing gifts fromPuerto Rico and they replied that many of the things in the shops are not from Puerto Rico. They told us that even the rice and beans (the staple food of Puerto Rico) is imported.
After visiting some local shops, we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We enjoyed learning about one another, but we also talked about how this trip has helped us understand more about the Hispanic culture in York, Pennsylvania. I now understand that many PuertoRicans do not identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino, they are PuertoRicans. Also, I realize that even though they may speak the same language, there are noticeable differences between people from Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
I have just finished my first day in Puerto Rico and I am so excited about what I have seen and learned! I have experienced the food, culture, education and language.
Our day began with Spanish lessons for beginners. It was a real eye-opener when the professor began speaking only Spanish. At that time, I began to feel for what English Language Learners (ELL) students experience every day; luckily, the professor understood our limitations and spoke very slowly and used many visual cues. My question is...do we do the same thing for the students in our classrooms? Do we use cues and terms that are on their level, and constantly check with them for understanding?
The rest of the morning was spent learning about the culture, history, and politics of Puerto Rico. I was struck by the fact that the country's population is basically split in two with half of PuertoRican citizens living in Puerto Rico, and the other half living on the mainland. To think about the students in our schools and classrooms who do not know their extended family or maybe even speak the same language as them.
We finished our cultural immersion with a walk around Old San Juan. I could not believe the architecture--the brightly colored houses, iron gates, and white-painted shutters. The newly renovated buildings were gorgeous to see and explore; however, many of the buildings are still in disrepair. I wonder if this is what happened due to so many people leaving the island for more economic options. Overall, today was an amazing experience for all of us. Tomorrow we plan to visit the rain forest. I can not wait to see what the rest of the week brings!
Once we arrived at the 
Overall, today was an amazing experience for all of us. Tomorrow we plan to visit the 