Nestled in a beautiful sparkling bay alongside the Sea of
Cortes in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, is the coastal community of Miramar. Colegio
Mexico is a small private school in Miramar, which provides education for
students in grades 1-8. Colegio Mexico is a larger organization, which opened
this school in this location three years ago. The setting had previously belonged to another school. I have been working with the first
graders there. Their classroom teacher, Mary Garcia, teaches content areas such
as reading, writing, math, social studies and science, while their former
kindergarten teacher and Rosa Romandia Padilla, spends one hour a day in their
classroom teaching English.
Mary Garcia and Rosa Padilla
I met Maestra Padilla upon visiting the school to offer to
volunteer some time with students in their English class, teaching through the
use of children’s literature and arts integration. Maestra Padilla was very
interested in opening her classroom to me so that I could come and partner with
her to teach English to her students. We established Friday as a good day for
my lessons, as their learning on Monday through Thursdays is more structured
reading and writing from a text on learning English. Friday would be arts
integration day.
The school is a simple concrete building set on a lot that
is neatly landscaped with grass and dirt playing fields for the children. The
classrooms are small, and colorfully decorated. They do not have heat, but have
a mini-split air conditioner in each room, a necessity, for this community
where the temperature can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, from May through
October.
Colegio Mexico - Guaymas
Mary Garcia's Classroom
The English Wall by Rosa Padilla
When I arrive the children are at recess. They are playing
in the courtyard, and on the grounds around the building. Some are running and
others are gathered around, socializing with friends. A few are gathered by the
office where I meet Maestras Padilla and Garcia. Mary leaves her small
classroom to us as Rosa and I gather our materials in the front of the
classroom to begin our lessons.
Rosa Padilla and Julia Barwell
I bring my guitar and always a bi-lingual book to read to
the children. Rosa and I take turns reading the pages with lots of energy and animation,
as we engage the children in a story that is related to the vocabulary for the
day. I create songs, and movement, using visuals, and then close the lessons with some kind of visual arts experience that is usually tied to writing. The
structure for the lessons has evolved from the first day. It seems a natural
fit to use stories and movement to begin building vocabulary. I play with music
by taking existing Mexican and American folk or children’s songs to adjust the
lyrics to fit with our learning. The visual arts experience is intended to
allow the children to demonstrate their learning through visual images and tie
it to writing with simple sentences, labels or captions in English. As you
scroll through the pages of this blog, you will see my lesson descriptions and
examples of the children’s work.
My intent is to also post the materials I have created, along with MP3
files of the songs we sing with the children. Your feedback is welcome, as you
view the work that I post and I would love to hear your ideas as well. Thank
you for your interest in my blog!
