SAIL is underway (BCM Week 2)

I'm sorry I've been a little behind. I couldn't get blogger to load the other day and post this. Here's the second update.


Greetings everyone,

As I write this, SAIL, the program I am working with for BCM, is underway. Last week, as I previously mentioned was an intensive training week. We opened every morning with personal and group devotions and worship, my favorite part of the day. We learned how to teach math, science, social studies, reading, and writing. We visited a local school and sat in on the classroom experience. We learned training and discipline techniques. We also learned about the racial differences in the community and the differences between poverty and the middle class and what that means for a community like East Palo Alto. And then it was... lesson planning!
I had been under the impression that we’d be given curriculum, and while we did have an outline to follow for lesson plans, I did have to make everything myself. It was all overwhelming at first trying to figure out how to do my lessons, what I needed to teach, and how to make it fun and keep the kids engaged in the classroom. Once I got into the swing of things, it was easier. We’ve had teachers from local schools come and assist us in lesson planning and classroom activities ideas. It helped to sit through sessions of sample lessons for all the subjects I’m teaching and to bounce ideas off the other interns.

On Thursday, I finally began decorating my classroom. I chose a gardening theme. Lesson plans were due Friday at noon and after an unfortunate episode with my flash-drive I discovered getting things printed was going to be a problem. Thankfully, I was not the only one feeling the pressure. While I am now short a flash-drive and the files on it (thankfully my lessons were saved elsewhere), I did manage to turn everything in on time. I enjoyed the weekend off, my last free weekend before the program started.

God has definitely been teaching me endurance and longsuffering. Funny how the messages on Sundays at the churches we've been visiting have talked about one or the other.
This morning, I opened with showing the kids “Miss Lady,” a wooden ladybug reminding them to be quiet anytime they saw me hold her up. I am teaching 3rd grade reading, writing, and World Around Us (social studies and science) and 1st grade math. My kids were sweet and for the most part, attentive. They fell in love with the pet hedgehog, a stuffed toy I found in the pet section of Walmart (thank you Mom for the idea). If the kids are good and quiet, they get to hold Little Mike Miguel Jose (my 1st graders couldn’t decide on a name) or Lucky if they are in my 3rd grade classroom.

If you could pray specifically for patience, for innovation (with the long summer ahead of us, I really need to keep my creative juices flowing), that all the interns would be well-rested and sharp on the job, and for understanding with the kids and the interns.

Thank you.
In His Grace,
Hannah