Hola, Nos otros somos Taneha y Jasmin.

Today we had the opportunity to shadow a high school student and compared school here in Nicaragua to school in America. Half of us went to the public school, I.N.E.P. and half of us went to the private school, San Luis. I shadowed a student named Adamadis at the private school. The school system here in Nicaragua is very different from the one we have in the United States. One of the main differences between the two systems that I noticed was the way that the daily schedule is set up here. We began school at 7am, had three classes, engaged in a 30-minute recess, and then had our final two classes before we were dimissed at 12:30pm. Another difference I experienced at the private shcool was that instead of students changing rooms for every class, the teacher changed rooms instead. I felt this was more effective than what we do in the United States because it really eliminated the clutter in the hallways. Some of the students in my class were a bit distracted, but there were others that were very interested in what they were learing. Overall I had a very fun and eyeopening day and I have a new appreciation for the differences in education systems and the reasons why administrations set their systems up in the way in which they do (Taneha).

I also had the opportunity to shadow a high school student, but instead of being in a private school I was shadowing Tatiana a 16-year-old student in the public school, I.N.E.P, so my experince was different from Taneha. The school in Nicaragua may be differnt from the schools in the United States, but they still have things in common. For example, once I walked into the Nicaraguan school I could tell that the students were really engaged in extracurricular activites such as band. Looking at the students, it reminded me of myself and how much I enjoyed being part of the Marching Band at Highland Park High School. Additionally, it showed me how the students take advatage of all the opportunities that they have. Walking through the hallways, the students were so friendly, engaged in sports or conversations and valued the importance of interacting with each other. Back at my school the students find more value in the internet and are constantly plugged in. Through this experience, it made me realize that technology can impact people in a negative way by enclosing them from having interactions with people in the community. Another diffference I see between the schools in Nicaragua and the United States is that school starts in January and goes until July in Nicaragua, while in the United States we start school in August and end in June. The daily shedule is also drastically different; school in Nicaragua starts from 7am-12:30pm and they have 4 different shifts of student, such as morning classes, afternoon classes, Saturday classes and even Sunday classes. I still cannot imagine that the school system works this way, but it made me realize that I should be grateful for the eduation that I receive back at home. Now I can say that I understand a completely different model of education than I one I am used to (Jasmin).

In the afternoon, as a delegation we had English tutoring. I am one of the teachers for Beginning Children along with Becca, Chasity, Victor and Taneha. As a group today we taught the students vocabulary for currency in different countires and how to add money. Before tutoring ended we played the game, Red Light and Green Light and to practice colors and directions in English. It warmed my heart to see these 11-15 year old students laughing and smiling so much. It showed me that we can make a change in someones life, by simply being with them for an hour (Jasmin).

Being leaders today was a fun challenge. I felt that I learned how to be more understanding with the other students on the trip (Taneha). In the middle of the day we kind of struggled with keeping everyone on track for the day, timewise. We overcame this challenge by being more conscious of the time and making sure we kept everyone else updated as well. I feel that as a leader I needed to be more patient than I was and more clear when I was trying to get everyone’s attention (Taneha). I learned that everyone opperates differently and one of the major keys to success is patience. When I am leader of the day again I intend to be better and to use what I learned today to be the best leader that I can be. As, El Lider Del Dia I had a lot of fun interacting with all the students of the delegation and hearing their stories. I believe that one can learnd from one another’s experiences. I understood that being a lider one must be able to understand others point of view (Jasmin). Overall we enjoyed the opportunity and responsibility of being the leader of the day.

Hola, Mama, Papa, Christoher, Jessenia, Juliana and Aueee solo les queria decir que me estoy divertiendo un monton y lo que estamos haciendo y aprendiendo es muy divertido. Estare en la casa muy pronto solo faltan 9 dia. Los extrano un monton pero no olviden que los amo a todos mucho cuidan a Luna- Jasmin

Hi mom, dad, Lucky, Claudia, Brooklyn, and everyone else! I miss you and hope nobody has been sleeping in my bed. Love you all! – (Taneha)