Another meeting with Dominican Teachers

Yesterday afternoon we had another opportunity to meet with three Dominican teachers who are part of a program called Center for Excellence in Teacher Training. It is a professional development program funded by the US government. We're going to learn more about CETT next week. We had a wonderful question and answer session about curriculum, class size, special needs students, salaries, book resources, standardized testing, and funding. We found out the Dominican public schools have three sessions each day...morning, afternoon and evening (for students 15 or older) with each session being 4 hours. Students attend only one, but some teachers teacher more than one. We also learned that the grade level structure includes Inicial (ages 5-6), Basico (grades 1-8), and Medio (4 years of high school). Private schools start teaching children as young as 2 years old. It was such an interesting meeting and we were all very impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the teachers. Teachers in the DR have very few resources and their pay is about $200 American dollars a month for one 4 hour session. Today we are visiting a private volunteer organization that attempts to help the street children in the DR. Should be very interesting and maybe a little sad. More soon...

Back to class...

After a wonderful weekend...Saturday in the mountains at Jarabacoa and Sunday at Sosua Beach...we returned to classes on Monday. At lunch time we had the opportunity to meet with a large group of Dominican public elementary school teachers who were on campus for a math professional development day funded by US Aid. We had a question and answer session with the coordinator of the Dominican group translating for us. We found out the the Dominican students are in school for 4 hours a day and there are two sessions each day. Their text book resources are very limited and few had computers in their classrooms. The teachers expressed a lot of frustration with the lack of government support for public education. Many families with enough financial resources opt to send their children to private schools. Most schools do have libraries, although we have learned that their are no public libraries in the DR. Tomorrow we are going to visit a volunteer organization that attempts to help the street children. We have lots of homework so I'll say goodbye for now...more soon!

Weekend Activities 7-20 to 7-22

Holal mis amigos,
Two weeks have passed and my ear is more atuned to the Spanish language. It is such a good feeling to be more comfortable with Spanish. I can even understand the older folks who speak in a more garbled tone.
Friday we took a trip to see the local hospital. A hospital is a public facility, where a CLINIC is private for the people with money. The hospital sees over 800 persons a day. The public pharmacy fills prescriptions for under 32 pesos or one dollar. It was much nicer that I thought it would be unless we just saw the better parts on our tour. It was fairly clean, with many medical students where majority of the medical students are woman. It has a small, new dialysis and neonatal center. Rotary Club international is a large supporter of this facility.
In the afternoon we went to an orphanage. These children have parents but they are unable to take care of them. The house originally belonged to a Drug Lord who is now in jail. The home is gorgeous with large columns, thick mouldings , modern kitchen and a large pool. It was donated without any arrangements for maintenance so they are always looking for donations from private organizations. The kids are soooo sweet, clean, animated and happy! They all go to school and church every day. They might see their parents once a month. We brought along laundry soap that was requested, small toys, cookies and lollipops. I gave them a soccer ball with IDOL Industries branded on it, from Charlie, that we all signed. We are going to ADOPT this orphanage as our Legacy project from our group. Of course, I sang and danced with the kids and staff. I brought along a CD that I use in the classroom. What fun! A tooty Ta! A Tooty Ta! A Tooty Ta Ta!
Yesterday we went to a Ranch in the mountains of Jaraboacoa. We took a Jeep ride through the village then hiked to a waterfall and had a Presidente light cerveza. After lunch I went horse back riding with a group of 12 to another waterfall. Each of us had a boy ride with us as our guide. They were 11 to 15 yrs. of age. My house mate, Janet, fell off of her horse.. She was riding solo and faster than the group. She needed one stitch and is scraped from her shoulder to knee on her left side. OUCH!!
Today is our fist trip to a beach in Sosoua on the north coast. I am looking forward to relaxing day or reading and napping!
Adios for now,
LISA

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Mas de las clases...

So, it's been almost two weeks and I guess I can safely say that we are in a routine now. Classes are a lot of work. We have a 9-11am Spanish grammar class, a 11-1pm Spanish culture and history class, another 2-4pm Spanish grammar class, and a 5-7pm Sociology/Psychology of Bilingualism class (in English, thank god!). We are definitely working hard for these nine credits, that's for sure!

The grammar classes are interesting because I am as fascinated in learning how she teaches as well as what she teaches. The way she addresses all four language modalities (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and separates the work she gives by our levels of proficiency inspire me to do the same in my classes (I especially liked the listening exercise she did where we had to fill in the words to the song we were listening to). I feel for Prof. Perez though because it is a LOT of work to prepare three different levels of classwork/tests/homework assignments etc.

The culture class...has the potential to be great, but is sometimes more frustrating than great. The professor loves the subject of DR's history and it shows in his body language but because most of us struggle to understand all of the content in Spanish, it is lost. (Again, the connection of how our students feel in the classroom when trying to learn about the American Revolution when they don't understand English...not easy.) I find myself wanting to know more and ask more questions because I want learn more but miss/don't understand much of what he says that I find that I 'tune out' after a while. It really is a shame, I am learning lots of general stuff about the problems between Haiti and the DR, about a dictator named Trujillo and his reign over DR, and even about the current president of DR who wants to make this place a "little Nueva York" supposedly, but I know that I haven't understood everything he is sharing with us.

Dr. Nero's class is going great, mainly because I think many of us are happy to have a time where we can express ourselves in English for a change! We seem to run out of time often but only because we get caught up discussing the readings and comparing our experiences to the theory. We've also been sharing our journals in class and it has been interesting to hear how people have been feeling/what they've been thinking during our time down here.

Well, that's about it regarding classes for now...can't believe we're almost half way done!

Chetal

Ok guys bare with me. This is my first time blogging. Its so nice how we can capture everyone's thoughts into one site! It's a little difficult for me because I'm reading everything in Spanish. I read so slow! Ifeel like I am truly getting the experience. Within a week I learned more about my culture than I already know. For example, people from the north use different words than people from the south and the different pronounciations of words. It's so interesting to learn about my culture, pros and cons, but I'm loving it!

La casa de Lisa y Janet

Here are some pictures of one host family's house, neighborhood, and Lisa's bedroom in the house. We'll post other homes soon...

Presidente...es nuestra cerveza favorita

We just had to show you this picture of Lisa and me drinking our first Presidente. When it's hot there's nothing like a cold beer and they DO serve it cold here.

Besos xxoo

Leslie and Lisa

Back in Santiago

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we have an very intense schedule of classes. Spanish language and culture classes for 6 hours and our 2 hour graduate class (in English) with Dr. Nero. We are really starting to make a connection between our experience learning Spanish and the psychology and sociology of learning a second language. We are able to discuss many real life experiences as we read and learn about acquisition of a second language. We have our graduate class from 5-7 PM. Thank goodness Dr. Nero is such an amazing teacher!
The weather has been kind to us. It sounds like some of the weather at home is as hot as it is here. We had a little rain yesterday that cooled things off a bit. As far as the bugs go, they seem to like some of us better than others. Tomorrow we'll be visiting a cigar factory and the next day we'll go to the local market. Everyone here has made us feel so welcome and at home. Tomorrow I'll try to add some more pictures.
We have lots of homework and I'd better get busy doing it! More soon...

Weekend in Santo Domingo 7-13 to 7-15

Santo Doming was very interesting. It has the oldest cathedral in the New World from the early 1500s. Mass on Sunday is 3 hours! We went to Christopher Columbus´house and also the house of his son, Diego. We saw remains of the hospital from that time period as well. There are many plazas where the vendors bombard you with assorted wares. For example...necklaces, earrings, bracelets, hats, CDs. rosaries, candy, coffee and kids wanting to shine your shoes or sandals. One boy asked Leslie for her water, and she gave it to him! This got annoying. The young women are very beautiful and thin, They always wear long jeans and high heels .
On Sunday morning there was an antique market where I bought a set of salad tongs with handles of Madera wood and cow horns for the serving spoon and fork for 9.00 dollars or 270 pesos. Leslie, Dr. Nero and I bargained them down from 400 pesos per set. I also bought many brightly colored necklaces made from different beads and hematite. Every time I bought some it got cheaper and cheaper. The people here, even the vendors, are all very nice and helpful. We had dinner at The Malicon last night. We ate mofongo, a cubano sandwich and keepee, the Lebanese kibbee. This is an area along the ocean that is very famous. It looks like A1A in Ft. Lauderdale. Our bus driver was at our disposal all weekend. This was all built into the Grant from Fulbright Hays. Our professor just accepted a job at NYU for September and will be leaving St. John´s. Congratulations! She will be a full professor with tenure.
The man at the reception desk commented that my Spanish was better from Friday morning to Sunday when we checked out. YEAH! It was so much fun rooming with Leslie. I have 2 chapters to read and summarize for tomorrow and an article to read for my Graduate class. It was so much hotter in Santo Domingo then in Santiago because it is a much larger city with more people and development. I do not think they have emissions controls for their vehicles. This reminds me of Puerto Rico. We went to the Botanical Gardens yesterday. The plants are similar to PR with 500 species of Palm trees. They have a Japanese Garden also. We took a tram ride through the different areas. This was great because it started to rain, thank God for that, So Hot, HOT, HOT, in the city. Yes, I had on Sunblock, a thin, cotton, long sleeve shirt and my BIG hat!
We are back in Santiago. Time for dinner and homework.

Hola mis Amigos in Los Estados Unidos

We have been here five days and have experienced so much of the Dominican Republic. My host family is lovely and cannot do enough for us! The weather has been cooler than Hagerstown, MD, yet the mosquitoes at night are an issue. I learned this the first afternoon on our tour of the campus. I looked down at my right leg and there were 6 bugs just hanging out there. I swatted each away but they got a piece of me! My legs are a mess. I now put the bug spray on each day at 4pm and before going to bed. The homes here do not have screens on the windows, so I spray them as well. My meals are divine, especially lunch because I can walk over to the restaurant that Juan Jose and Rosanna own called the House of Maria that is named after their daughter, Maria Jose. Everyday some of the students join Janet, my house mate, and I for lunch. A full plate of rice and beans with 2 pieces of chicken and fresh avocado and a beverage is three dollars! A real switch from the prices in Iceland! Rosanna makes us fresh fruit smoothies in the morning in addition to coffee and hot chocolate with cinnamon. I was not sure if I would come back 10 pounds lighter or heavier! Now I know the answer! Our 2 classes have been intense due to the fact they are ALL in Spanish. The culture course is very interesting yet hard to follow. Now I know how our ELL students feel when beginning school in the US! This is definitely developing a sensitivity on our part as teachers to our second language learners. Our class of 19 is a very diverse group! We have a Speech Pathologist, a Doctoral student, an undergraduate student from England, who is going to teach me the Arabic alphabet, a male social studies teacher from Long Island, 2 females with Dominican background and various teachers of all levels. This weekend we are off to see Santo Domingo,the capitol. There is an are called the Colonial Zone which is very old and comparable to Old San Juan. Off to read a chapter for my Graduate class and journal. Buenas Noches!

We're here!!!!!

Hola family and friends!

It took us a while to figure out the logistics of getting connected so that we could start posting messages on the blog. We had no problems with our flight and arrival. Everyone here was so helpful that we were able to find our luggage and and get through customs quickly. We had a short orientation and then met our host families at a restaurant. We had dinner and music and dancing. We're getting settled in with our host families and our classes started today. We're learning about Domican food and family life. More soon...

Clase en Espanol

On Saturday we took an exam to figure our proficiency levels in Spanish. The professors spoke only in Spanish and there were four parts--listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I definitely had my first glimpse of how my students feel when they have to take a test in a language they don't understand.

Today, Monday, we had our first class in Spanish. We went around the room, introducing ourselves in Spanish to our professor Carmen Perez. She mentioned how this was new for her as well as us--there were four levels of Spanish proficiency in the class and she has to figure out how to differentiate her teaching to cater to all of us. I am looking forward to seeing the types of methods she uses to do this because these are the types of methods I have to apply when teaching a group of ELL students who have various proficiencies in English.

Okay, too much technical detail for most of you I know, but just wanted all of you to know that we're not sitting on the beach and drinking cervezas down here! :-)

Hola!

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July. I am just starting to put aside things I need to pack and am getting a little nervous that I'll forget something--we're down to less than 48 hours!!! This is going to be such an adventure for me--I'm taking a trip by myself (and leaving my husband for four weeks!!) and learning to blog at the same time--I can't wait!!

Chetal

I spoke to my Host family tonight !

I called my host fanily and spoke to them for 19 minutes! They are sooooo very nice and are as excited as I am! I feel very pleased to have made this connection prior to our departure on July 6th! I did find out that they DO have hot water and internet! YEAH! I asked Juan what I could bring them from the US and he said, jelly beans!
VIVA Republica Dominicana!

What to pack ?

Packing for this trip is going to take a lot of time. We need light, airy clothes, towels, bathing suits, textbooks, laptop, shampoo, mosquito repelent, snacks .................


We have four days to go, so start packing .

Five days to go...

I can't believe it's five days to go! I'm so excited about this trip. I keep trying to imagine myself speaking with the host family at the dinner table, and not knowing the right word in Spanish!
But this is good excitement....
It's a major responsibility being in charge of a group of students (there are 17 students...well, 18, if you count my niece from London who's joining the group), but everyone is as eager as I am, so it'll be fun.
Tomorrow, we get to find out about our host families...name, contact info, and pictures...I wonder what they look like? I wonder what they think of me?
Then, class begins. I have to teach the grad class for three days before I leave, AND make sure everyone has all their documents in order. So much still to be done, with only five days..
Next week at this time, maybe I'll be eating "arroz con pollo" or something else...
Looking forward to it.

Getting Ready

Welcome to the STJ in the DR blog! Our blog goals are to keep in touch with family and friends at home and to maintain an online journal of our experience in the Dominican Republic. There are 17 of us who will be traveling and studying with our Project Director, Dr. Shondel Nero, Associate Professor at St. John's University in Queens, NY. We are all present or future teachers who are interested in understanding the process of acquiring a second language so that we can support our ESL students.


In addition to learning about the theories of second language acquisition in a graduate course taught by Dr. Nero, we will engage in intensive learning of Spanish (four days a week, six hours a day) at Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) for the entire duration of our stay. The process of learning Spanish will give us the opportunity to see theory in practice and to experience first-hand the phases and challenges of learning a foreign language. As we engage in language studies daily through the immersion model, we will be better able to empathize with the struggles of English Language Learners in the U.S.
We will also gain experiential knowledge of Dominican life and culture by living with host families and participating in structured educational and cultural tours in Santiago, Santo Domingo and other parts of the DR. Our tours will cover a wide range of institutions and experiences including schools, museums, historical sites, orphanages, neighborhoods, and so forth. We will document and reflect on their experiences through daily journal writing with a view to enhancing understanding of Dominican culture.