Hello everyone! This is Jackson Paddock from San Francisco, California. I go to the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts where I do musical theater, which includes singing, dancing, and acting. Today, we visited a couple of Nicaraguan schools, one private school where we shadowed a few high school students in groups of two or three, and one public school to spark ideas for our CAP (Community Action Project), which will happen on that campus. To get to the first school on time, we had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. (I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m.). After observing how classes work in this school, the most important thing I have to say is that they are not the same as classes in the United States. I was in chemistry, geometry, religion, and physics classes that were only 45 minutes long. The teachers did not command the room in the way that we are all used to in the United States, and it was the adults moved between classes rather than the students. Although it was very loud in the classroom, the students seemed to be able to hear what they needed to (or wanted to). There ended up being a lot of gossip in Spanish during class that Victor discreetly translated for me and Nick (more about Nick than me). School only lasted from 7:00 to 12:00, with a substantial break and lots of volleyball and soccer.

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After lunch and some free time, we walked uphill to Escuela Gabriela Mistral where we learned about the school and the location of our CAP. They told us about their school, which has younger kids in the morning and older students in the afternoon. Eventually we went outside to play more volleyball and hear some students play drums and other percussion instruments. A few Global Glimpse students started dancing in the middle of the band, particularly Thomas and Teddy.

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Even with all of the surprises in the school, I feel like today was very fun and full. We made a lot of new friends at both schools very quickly, and some Global Glimpsers even went out for coffee with the students later in the day. The physics teacher at the public school seemed to be incredibly dedicated to his job and the students’ education. He stood up and acknowledged that what the schools had received from the government was not enough, and had many ideas to share for the betterment of the students, school, and surrounding community. One fundamental thing he lacked was a physics lab. Funding for public education is never enough, whether that is in Nicaragua or the United States.

Being the leader of the day has been an amazing experience. I was never as nervous as I thought I would be, and I had so much fun being organized and loud. I even wish I could do it again some time. This is a day I will remember for a long time to help myself stay strong and confident when faced with the task of being a leader.