10 Magical, Meaningful Moments

10 Magical, Meaningful Moments 

Mary’s Numbers 

Our course began on Sunday, January 6th. All gathered in the main classroom for orientation and community builders. Everyone participated in a game where we thought about how many years of teaching experience we each had in our own personal lives. This experience could occur in the traditional classroom environment or differently in the case of being an older sibling, a parent, etc. Each individual was given the freedom to determine what “teaching” looked like and how it was defined. Then we were told to gather in a line/circle, with the first person with the least amount of teaching time to the most. I clarified that my teaching experience first began as a big sister, babysitter, and as a teacher at my church – teaching children stories and songs with American Sign Language (ASL). Then I got my teaching degree and a became a mother. All-in-all, I celebrated that I have been teaching for about 21 years. Collectively as a group, we were celebrated with 621 years of teaching experience. That is Six-hundred-twenty-one YEARS. The reason why this was so important and impactful to my experience here at CEM is to recognize and celebrate that we are all on our own individual journeys in learning and teaching. We can all learn from each other. It’s an incredible way to celebrate where we have all come from and direct where we are all going to go, together. 

Working in the Purple Room w/ Ruben & Ladies: Making my first friend – Darzee 

It was late one evening, in the first week at CEM when I was looking for a quiet place to work. Uncertain of where all of the study spaces were, I stumbled back to the Purple Room. I was about to leave when Ruben gave an encouraging verbal nudge, something to the effect of, “Stay. Practice. You can do it. You need to try. You will leave different.” It is at that point that I agreed and I shared about what I wrote in my letter to myself. Alright, I agreed. I stayed. I allowed myself the opportunity to stay and work along with my peer (Darzee, who I now think back to as my first friend, here at CEM) and my mentor (Ruben, who I also view as a friend). I used some of my reliable skills – ear buds with music and allowing for water breaks. I even set a timer to make sure I was getting my work done promptly. I would work until 11 and be in bed no later than midnight. 

There are multiple reasons why this moment is meaningful and important. I reflect about how I need to allow myself to set the same amount of intention to my paying job in the states as I am right now, studying in Costa Rica. I am focused on being present. To refer to a family phrase, I am here now. I need to bring this attitude and presence to my job, my co-workers, my students, and myself as I am right now. I have been working on this intention in my personal life but it is time to translate this to my professional life.  

Puzzle Activity 

This moment is more fully fleshed out in my first DAPA description for Week 1 Extended Reflection. Here is an excerpt from the end of the description:   Here are the two to three minutes I really want to focus on – Terri was hard at work at completing this rather difficult puzzle of a sun. We did all we could to support her from the outside, in the green zone, while respecting the rules. It was challenging for us all. In a moment of absolute success for us as individuals and as a team, Terri placed half of her puzzle, the incomplete pieces, out of her purple zone, into the green zone, where we could all support her. The puzzle came together quickly with the support of the team and we were able to celebrate our success together.  

Looking back, this is one of my most memorable magic moments here at CEM. I learned a lot about myself. The concept is very vivid and meaningful. I also love that I have been able to continue to make meaningful memories with my table team – Leandro, Terri, and Megan.  

Tears near the surface 

This is a moment I don’t actually care to write but that is necessary and meaningful to include. This moment happens on the first Wednesday here at CEM, on January 9th, in the morning. Prior to Mary’s workshop, I have had two difficult conversations, both of which left me feeling as though my tears were very near to the surface. My family and I were having a difficult time adjusting to life in CR. I knew it was too soon to expect a full adjustment for us all and yet, some difficult conversations needed to happen. At the end of Mary’s workshop, I was able to share the two words I needed – balance (for me, myself, as a human being, regarding my time management and the workload) and, one of my favorite words, support (for me and my family to find creative solutions for living and thriving here in CR, here at CEM. It’s interesting to write this moment after the fact. There are a number of things that would be very different if I felt those strong feelings again and had tears near the surface, I am certain of the following things: 1. My friends would notice. 2. I have friends with whom I can share the burden of my strong feelings.  

Rogers Rhythm / Beat / Pronunciation 

I learned so much in two pronunciation workshops lead by Roger. Perhaps the greatest takeaway or note to make about these moments with Roger’s workshops is the fact that I knew very little about how to teach pronunciation to non-native speakers (EL). One specific conversation with Roger summarizes this perfectly. I said something to the effect of, “Roger, what about teaching pronunciation through mimicking/copying how to say the word?” He directly, and kindly, said something along the lines of, “That is one thing that can be used for teaching pronunciation. But on a scale of 1-10, it’s a 1.” There was only kindness and lightness to his words. I reflected that I was that teacher who was providing students with only a level 1 pronunciation experience. I am now much, much more aware. I have notes of ideas and photos of activities and strategies that can be utilized in order to effectively teach pronunciation.  

Selfie Time with Ezequiel during Roger's Pronunciation Workshop

Ruben’s R & I activities  

This moment takes place on Friday, January 11th. I was in the main classroom. Rubin was teaching a lesson on ECRIF. After this moment, I learned that the lesson was intended to "Trigger Awareness” about how some activities can be used to suite more than one stage in a lesson plan. The group of sixteen was split in half. Then, in each classroom, we worked in small groups. I served as the secretary for the group. We went through each activity and decided what stage each activity was best suited for. All was going well until we reached dialogues. It was then that I had an “ah-ha” moment; the lightbulb was on. Many activities can be used in a variety of ECRIF stages depending on the use and intention. This was a key moment in my learning. It reminded me that I need to be open to new ideas. It reminded me how my students may feel with new content and knowledge that clashes with prior knowledge.  

Terri Time  

This one moment is actually a combination of multiple moments with Terri. What happened is that one moment evolved into a habit. We both found ourselves working up in the balcony, usually in the mornings. This was a perfect setup for both of us as I need a safe retreat where my boys cannot find me and Terri needs a quiet space, with plenty of room, to work successfully. Before we even realized it, a habit was formed, one we both enjoyed and looked forward to. These experiences are impactful because it is an active reminder to remember to listen to what I need and give myself exactly that. I am honored to have had this special space and time with Terri. I found her a kind, peaceful, encouragement while working on CEM coursework. We kept each other accountable. 

El Punto & ASL 

While there are a number of memorable moments that happened at El Punto, I want to share one from Friday, January 18th. Clayton and I were excited to have a date night. Our friend, Megan, kindly offered to be with the boys. They were asleep and she was looking forward to enjoying a quiet night at the CEM. She had a little work to do and we gave her our Netflix login. It was a win-win situation. We met up with Ruben, Abil, and Susan. We all had a blast! It was fun to visit and get to know them better. It was important in the furthering of our friendships with these three new, incredible friends. Why am I writing about El Punto? It was this night that there was a coming together of a diverse representation of culture, language, and experience. It was beautiful! I was able to learn more about Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, dance and music in both cultures, and friendships were established and deepened. I had the opportunity to share about my culture and introduce the group to some of my favorite American Sign Language (ASL) signs/words. It was an incredible experience for me and my husband. What a joy to be here, experiencing so many new experiences in a place we’ve never visited before.

Train Wreck  

Oh my goodness! Where to begin? I’ll attempt to be brief. Jose and Terri lead a fantastically fun community builder called Train Wreck. What do I remember most from this moment? Laughing. So much laughing. That and how this game allowed us to know some cool things about our group. Specifically, I remember that Terri and one other student were hit by a car. Terri, Megan, and I are the only ones who love Thai food. Ezequiel is the only one who likes to play tennis every week. Jose and Kristine have both been married twice. Lots of people had fun at El Punto. This moment is meaningful because it demonstrates that in a short amount of time, through the use of community builders, one can learn a lot about a given group of people. I will return home ready to share my community builders. In fact, I have enough community builders to complete one a day until the end of the semester.  

Kristine is always so fun and kind. She made us all laugh during Train Wreck. 

Art Club 

I was feeling sad, disappointed, and just all around down, about how my first PDP reading lesson went. I was being pretty negative and stressed out because of how poorly it went. In an attempt to cheer myself up and focus my energy and emotions on something productive I invited friends to join me in drawing and together we created “Art Club.” The original core group consisted of Megan, Terri, Vlad, and Ezequiel. We sat and drew animals from my book for maybe 30 minutes. It was so fun! We laughed and drew, and ultimately made a deeper, more meaningful connection. I am so thankful for this opportunity. It reminded me that it is important to choose how to spend energy – negative and stressed or kind and thoughtful. Important to note that this was Vlad’s first drawing. For me, his smile says it all.  

Art Club Founding Members 

Vlad's first drawing -- a kangaroo