This afternoon I had the privilege of meeting the other members of the volunteer group. What a great group of people. I am confident that we will all work well together and accomplish our goals this week.
At our welcome dinner this evening, we watched Recycled Life. This Oscar-nominated documentary (2007) provides a powerful and unsparing look at the lives of the guajeros as those who work and live in the Guatemala City dump are called.
Tomorrow morning early we are off to Guatemala City for our first glimpse of the dump, and to tour the Safe Passage facilities. I hope to blog tomorrow after this experience, and include some photos.
To the AEACMS students who are faithfully logging on to read my blog, and to the teachers who facilitate this process in class, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I will do my best to answer your questions and it is my hope that you learn something along the way. Here's to a fantastic week of success at AEA...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
First Full Day in Guatemala: Answering Student Questions
As I sit in the colonial gem that is the city of Antigua Guatemala, enjoying the temperate weather and the marimba music drifting from the nearby central park, I will address a few questions that were submitted to me by AEACMS students. Since I literally received dozens, I have condensed these into categories. Today I will deal with the categories of Transportation and Housing.
Several students asked me to provide information on the various ways in which Guatemalans travel around this moderate-sized but geographically-challenging country. Others, prompted by an IB unit in Ms. Burnham's Spanish class, had questions about the various forms of dwellings in Guatemala.
TRANSPORTATION
One of the major challenges to transportation in Guatemala stems from the lack of a nation-wide system of high-quality and well-maintained roads. This is not such an issue near the capital Guatemala City (and where I presently am in Antigua), but in more rural areas the percentage of paved roads decreases significantly.
I arrived from the airport in a shuttle bus, yet a large percentage of Guatemalans travel by bus. There is an extensive system of buses, both within cities as well as in rural areas. You will note the photo of the bus in this posting; I visited the bus depot in Antigua today--a large, dusty lot bustling with the activity of passengers coming and going. My hotel sits a few blocks from the depot, and last night it seemed that buses operated without interruption. Most buses have ayudantes or helpers who assist the drivers, recruit passengers, load luggage on roofracks, and collect fares. Their urgent hawking cries can be heard as they try to pack as many passengers on board as will physically fit. You will note the photo of the ayudante on the roof--this bus was in motion, and it is not uncommon for these helpers to climb outside the bus and onto the roof while traveling at high speeds.
In addition to buses and cars, many Guatemalans travel by bicycle (short distances) and motorcycle. There does not appear to be a helmet law for motorcycles. Many deliveries are made by motorcycle.
I have also included some photos of people riding horses in Antigua; it appears that for the most part these are for tourists to hire, much as in New York's Central Park.
Whatever the mode of transportation, within Antigua the roads are made of cobblestones, which makes for slow progress. In rural areas, during the rainy season (May-October), dirt roads often turn to impassable mud troughs.
Coming from Southern California, where we live in our cars and take high-speed, hassle-free transportation for granted, being here forces me to consider the benefits of both contexts: getting where we need to go in a hurry has its merits, but so does slowing down and enjoying the view--and the bumps and potholes--along the way.
HOUSING
Once we start the service project in the Guatemala City dump tomorrow morning, I will be able to add more impressions to this category. However, I have included a variety of photos here that highlight some of the various features of dwellings in Antigua.
One of the most interesting observartions for me is that the houses are all connnected, forming a continuous wall to the street. Yards tend to be small, and mostly within the center of the house, surrounded by four protecting walls. I am posting this from a wonderful courtyard seating area, with a gurgling fountain at its center and small grass areas. Because the climate is mild--similar to San Diego--in many houses moving from room to room requires that you go outside into an open corridor.
Another striking element that can be seen in some of these pictures is the haphazard mix of colonial buildings--some of them ruined in the multiple earthquakes and floods that have decimated this city over the centuries--and modern architecture and building supplies. The aerial photos were taken from the roof of my hotel. They show that although some of the architecture here has endured centuries (note the width of the walls), other construction is much more temporary (note the lamina rooftops and cinderblock).
I hope that I have anwered some student questions, and generated others. I look forward to your comments on this blog, and will undoubtedly have more to say after the service project officially begins tomorrow. I am off to meet my fellow volunteers who have just arrived from various parts of the US.
Hasta pronto.
DS
Several students asked me to provide information on the various ways in which Guatemalans travel around this moderate-sized but geographically-challenging country. Others, prompted by an IB unit in Ms. Burnham's Spanish class, had questions about the various forms of dwellings in Guatemala.
TRANSPORTATION
One of the major challenges to transportation in Guatemala stems from the lack of a nation-wide system of high-quality and well-maintained roads. This is not such an issue near the capital Guatemala City (and where I presently am in Antigua), but in more rural areas the percentage of paved roads decreases significantly.
I arrived from the airport in a shuttle bus, yet a large percentage of Guatemalans travel by bus. There is an extensive system of buses, both within cities as well as in rural areas. You will note the photo of the bus in this posting; I visited the bus depot in Antigua today--a large, dusty lot bustling with the activity of passengers coming and going. My hotel sits a few blocks from the depot, and last night it seemed that buses operated without interruption. Most buses have ayudantes or helpers who assist the drivers, recruit passengers, load luggage on roofracks, and collect fares. Their urgent hawking cries can be heard as they try to pack as many passengers on board as will physically fit. You will note the photo of the ayudante on the roof--this bus was in motion, and it is not uncommon for these helpers to climb outside the bus and onto the roof while traveling at high speeds.
In addition to buses and cars, many Guatemalans travel by bicycle (short distances) and motorcycle. There does not appear to be a helmet law for motorcycles. Many deliveries are made by motorcycle.
I have also included some photos of people riding horses in Antigua; it appears that for the most part these are for tourists to hire, much as in New York's Central Park.
Whatever the mode of transportation, within Antigua the roads are made of cobblestones, which makes for slow progress. In rural areas, during the rainy season (May-October), dirt roads often turn to impassable mud troughs.
Coming from Southern California, where we live in our cars and take high-speed, hassle-free transportation for granted, being here forces me to consider the benefits of both contexts: getting where we need to go in a hurry has its merits, but so does slowing down and enjoying the view--and the bumps and potholes--along the way.
HOUSING
Once we start the service project in the Guatemala City dump tomorrow morning, I will be able to add more impressions to this category. However, I have included a variety of photos here that highlight some of the various features of dwellings in Antigua.
One of the most interesting observartions for me is that the houses are all connnected, forming a continuous wall to the street. Yards tend to be small, and mostly within the center of the house, surrounded by four protecting walls. I am posting this from a wonderful courtyard seating area, with a gurgling fountain at its center and small grass areas. Because the climate is mild--similar to San Diego--in many houses moving from room to room requires that you go outside into an open corridor.
Another striking element that can be seen in some of these pictures is the haphazard mix of colonial buildings--some of them ruined in the multiple earthquakes and floods that have decimated this city over the centuries--and modern architecture and building supplies. The aerial photos were taken from the roof of my hotel. They show that although some of the architecture here has endured centuries (note the width of the walls), other construction is much more temporary (note the lamina rooftops and cinderblock).
I hope that I have anwered some student questions, and generated others. I look forward to your comments on this blog, and will undoubtedly have more to say after the service project officially begins tomorrow. I am off to meet my fellow volunteers who have just arrived from various parts of the US.
Hasta pronto.
DS
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Arrival in Guatemala
I arrived in Guatemala City today about noon, after an uneventful flight that was punctuated by some jostling crosswinds right before landing. After meeting up with one of the trip directors, we took a shuttle to Antigua, Guatemala, a trip of about 45 min. As we descended the mountainside into the city, I was struck by the beauty of the countryside and especially the majesty of the Volcan de Agua which looms to the south.
One of the AEA students had asked me a question about literacy rates in Guatemala, and how these compare to the United States. The specific answer to this question can be found on my earlier Guatemala Fact Sheet post. However, the issue of adult literacy is a critical one, and merits more discussion. The student might be interested to know that while I was filling out my customs declaration forms at the Guatemala City airport today, a man approached and asked if I would help him complete his forms. "I don't read or write," he told me. I assisted the man, and afterwards I reflected on the fact that I had been on the ground for 10 minutes and already the issue of adult literacy was a relevant and concrete one. In contrast, I have never in my life been asked to assist another adult in completing a form due to their admitting illiteracy.
--
David Sciarretta, Principal
Albert Einstein Academy
Charter Middle School
3035 Ash St, San Diego, CA, 92102
tel: 619-795-1190
www.aeacs.org
Principal's blog:
http://aeacmsprincipalscorner.blogspot.com/
Teaching our children today to advance our shared humanity tomorrow.
--
David Sciarretta, Principal
Albert Einstein Academy
Charter Middle School
3035 Ash St, San Diego, CA, 92102
tel: 619-795-1190
www.aeacs.org
Principal's blog:
http://aeacmsprincipalscorner.blogspot.com/
Teaching our children today to advance our shared humanity tomorrow.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Just 24 hours to departure...
With just 24 hours to go before I depart for my service trip to Guatemala, I thought it might be helpful to include a brief fact sheet to give our students a better idea of where I am going. I am encouraged by the dozens of student questions that our teachers have submitted to me; I hope that some of these (at least the fact-based ones) can be answered below:
GUATEMALA FACT SHEET
- Population: 11.2 million
- Life expectancy at birth: 65 (US: 77)
- Adult literacy rate: 69% (US: 99%)
- Female adult literacy rate: 61% (US:99%)
- Percentage of population living on less than $2 a day: 34%
- Infant mortality rate per 1000 live births: 44 (US: 7)
- Annual electricity consumption per person (kilowatt hours): 341 (US: 11,994)
- Annual carbon dioxide emissions per person (tons): 0.9 (US: 19.9)
As I set out on this trip, I want to thank all the members of our school community who have expressed interest and support in this endeavor. Upon my return I will share photos and stories with all who are interested.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Service Trip to Guatemala
As I have mentioned to several people on campus, I will be participating in an exciting opportunity March 21-29 when I join an alumni service trip from my alma mater Bowdoin College for a week-long trip to Guatemala. This project, organized through Safe Passage, will bring volunteer labor and resources to assist the neediest of the needy in Guatemala City, the residents of the city dump.
I am working with Ms. Peters and Sra. Burnham to involve our students in this trip as much as possible. I will be visiting classrooms to gather a list of student questions which I hope to answer on this blog, along with many photos and video clips. If any other members of the school community are interested in participating in this dialog, please post a question or comment and I will include it in my list of questions to be answered.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
'Treasure Hunt' builds collegiality and collaboration
The teaching profession can be an isolating one, especially in a school culture where collaboration among teachers is not encouraged or supported. I have often heard such school cultures described as 'silos,' with each teacher reigning over their own isolated realm. Fortunately, AEACMS teachers have worked collaboratively since our inception as a school, whether creating and refining curriculum, analyzing student performance data, or brainstorming ways to meet the social/emotional needs of all students.
Recently, we have developed and inaugurated an exciting process that groups teachers to observe other AEACMS teachers in action in the classroom. We have dubbed this process the "Inquiry Treasure Hunt," in reference to the IB focus on inquiry-based instruction. Teams of teachers, who have given up a portion of their preparation periods to participate, use a checklist of inquiry indicators when observing a lesson. The observation is followed up with a note to the teacher, a subsequent team debriefing, and finally, an email to the entire teaching staff that highlights the various 'treasures' that were discovered during the classroom visit.
Our school-wide goal is to have every teacher participate in this process as a visitor as well as a host. Several teachers have shown interest in evolving the Inquiry Treasure Hunt to include unannounced visits and constructive criticism targeted at improving student achievement. As a recent visitor to our campus noted when he learned of this process, "It would be great if you could now move from 'Open Doors' to 'Open Mouths', from congeniality to collegiality." I agree with this sentiment, as do our teachers. I will report back in the future as this powerful process evolves.
Recently, we have developed and inaugurated an exciting process that groups teachers to observe other AEACMS teachers in action in the classroom. We have dubbed this process the "Inquiry Treasure Hunt," in reference to the IB focus on inquiry-based instruction. Teams of teachers, who have given up a portion of their preparation periods to participate, use a checklist of inquiry indicators when observing a lesson. The observation is followed up with a note to the teacher, a subsequent team debriefing, and finally, an email to the entire teaching staff that highlights the various 'treasures' that were discovered during the classroom visit.
Our school-wide goal is to have every teacher participate in this process as a visitor as well as a host. Several teachers have shown interest in evolving the Inquiry Treasure Hunt to include unannounced visits and constructive criticism targeted at improving student achievement. As a recent visitor to our campus noted when he learned of this process, "It would be great if you could now move from 'Open Doors' to 'Open Mouths', from congeniality to collegiality." I agree with this sentiment, as do our teachers. I will report back in the future as this powerful process evolves.
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