Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

I cannot begin to describe the emotions going through me as I think about my upcoming teaching abroad experience in Costa Rica. I hope through this blog I can unpack in some way to all of you pieces of this journey that is about to begin!

Why Costa Rica?

When I tell people that I am going to be student teaching abroad the first half of my student teaching semester, I am met with the usual eyes-opening-wide and "ooh, ahh" expressions, and I can't wait for them to just ask me "why?" In all honestly, no one has really asked me why or waited long enough to hear me explain my reasons before going on to say "It is so beautiful there!" or "You lucky girl!" Yes, it is beautiful in Costa Rica, and yes, I do feel like a very lucky girl, but let's get beneath the surface.

Originally, it was my intention and desire to student teach in Ghana, Africa, which would bring me a whole different world of experiences that I am sure I would grow immensely from! However, I soon learned that Costa Rica was going to be made a new option and I knew immediately that I was in for a plan change :) After gathering some more details on the placement and contemplating why I could truly see myself there, I made the decision to student teach in Costa Rica.

I have always wanted to travel to wherever this life of mine will allow me to go and I am just so grateful that my first time of out the country is going to entail quite the excursion and challenge! My sophomore year here at St. Norbert I had the wonderful opportunity to have my Sophomore Block placement (5 weeks of field experience) in a bilingual kindergarten class. It was in those 5 weeks that I feel even more deeply in love with Hispanic culture. Those days spent in the presence of a phenomenal bilingual teacher who had such an inspiring influence on her students and on me, along with beautiful little faces looking up to me were some of the greatest in my life so far. They are the largest reason why I chose to student teach in Costa Rica.

I want to uproot myself, test my boundaries, experience a completely different school setting, and gain a broader cultural understanding. These are some other reasons why I decided I wanted to student teach in the first place. For the sake and love of my sophomore block students and their families (and all people of Hispanic background, for that matter, that I have met or not met) I want to not just observe Hispanic culture, I want to be immersed in it, learn from it, and fall even deeper in love with it for all it means to others' lifestyles. I think that I can gain a lot as a pre-service teaching learning from a culture represented in a large population gaining presence in the United States.

At this very moment in my life I feel ready to go and it's only through the strong foundations that have been growing each year with my family, my friends, and the SNC community that I feel confident to test myself. If I didn't feel that I had the love and support of so many communities of people at home, I don't think I would have the courage to take this step in my life, and for this I am extremely grateful!

When I think of what the future will bring to me while in Costa Rica I have a few goals I hope to accomplish and experience:

1. Take in the culture of Costa Rica with a open mind and let all I meet teach me.
2. Be unreserved with my students, cooperating teacher, and host family in a sense that I can be willing to take appropriate risks and try new things.
3. Test my Spanish-speaking ability and hopefully gain more fluency.
4. Apply teaching philosophies I have developed over the past few years and develop even more.
5. Explore as much of Costa Rica's rich nature, history, and what makes it unique, as possible.
6. Reflect on how my experiences abroad are going to benefit my future students and how I can bring my experiences home.
7. Open myself to all God has to show me during my time abroad.

I am extremely excited for this new page in my life and am even more excited to share it with you all! Thank you for your love and support! :)

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