2013: To hold a book is gold

Most of us may remember the story Madeline, regarding a young, curious girl who lived in a boarding house with 11 other little ladies. To the Quinchos, this book proved to be very significant, as it outlines many of the feelings they have experienced having lived apart from their families. As I read it aloud during our literature class the Yahoskas had many connections to share.

Many of their insightful predictions proved to be true, and they easily picked out the author's message at the end of the story. "It is important to support each other," many of them concluded. It felt great to see Las Yahoskas taking about books and enjoying class.

AMs. Jacobi, as many Bay Area students know her, came to join in the Quincho fun! Her first day on the job was animal rehabilitation day, in which I paid a local vet to come give vaccines, vitamins, and parasite medicines to the three dogs, four puppies, and two week old kitten.  Anna has been invaluable, bringing her amazing UC Berkeley social work training and utilizing her skill set to the fullest (including holding nervous animals while receiving their shots--clearly a social work skill).

I am lucky to have such great friends - Katie Lewis, another former Lincoln Elementary teacher, also made a surprise visit to Los Quinchos on her way to work at a school outside of Granada!

2013: The Walk to Los Quinchos

It is always an adventure getting to Los Quinchos. During the 45 minute walk, I often encounter people I know, but sometimes I get to know people I have never met. Today I walked alongside a three year old and his Dad. After I had waved hello to the boy, who was riding on his Dad's shoulders, we struck up a conversation about how hot it was, as we all tried to walk in the shade. As we walked, we discussed San Marcos and La Concha, the barrio outside the town. Eventually, the boy's dad started talking about his family - they had just come from the jail in Managua, visiting his mother. He went on to explain her reasons for being in jail and how the boy's three other young siblings lived with him and his grandfather on a small farm. It was an honor to listen to his story.




Day two with the girls was great. We started the yearly animal rehabilitation and brought dog food, kitten food, and flea medication for all their pets. Afterwards, we read a book about the brain, learning about the cerebellum, brain stem, and cortex. The girls were surprised to learn that the opposite side of their brains (we practiced the word hemisphere in Spanish) controls the opposite side of their bodies. Today marked the start of our non-fiction unit.

2013: Day 1 with Las Yahoskas

Day one with the girls was fantastic. They immediately wanted to read, grabbing my hands and leading me to the library :) It is nice to see them asking me, instead of me asking them. When reading with them, I saw a lot of improvement in their fluency and comprehension from previous years. The books donated in previous years have most certainly been used!

Today I read a cuento to the younger girls about a burro who found a magic, red pebble. So as not to be seen, he wished upon the magic pebble to turn into a rock as a lion was approaching. After the lion passed, he realized he couldn't turn himself back into a mule, for he had no hands to pick up the magic pebble. He went missing for over a year until his family found the rock in the forest - and wished he would reappear. He was dearly missed.

We used this book to make connections to their lives - many described times when their family members went missing and they were really worried. Many of the girls have cared for younger siblings, and several have lost siblings while caring for them. The girls were quick to pick up the message - be careful what you wish for!

Throughout the day, almost every girl asked me if they were going to receive pen pal letters for a third time - they were particularly excited to hear that my students in California included Jolly Ranchers in the envelopes! Letter writing will begin next week. To my students in Richmond, California - the responses to your letters will soon be under way!

2013: Richmond students collect 100 pounds of donations for Los Quinchos in Nicaragua!

Not many words are needed: 32 children around a carpet, sorting 50 pounds of school supplies and 50 pounds of Spanish books - such great chaos! 

We sorted all the school supplies into categories in order to make the suitcase packing easier! They did a great job working together for a cause they really care about - helping children in a different country that need support and supplies.

Students then returned to their table groups with one supply category in order to remove the packaging - each pound counts on United Airlines! 

Thank you to all my awesome students for their hard work and dedication to philanthropy! 

2013: Letter exchange between students from Richmond, California and Los Quinchos

My previous students, all in 5th grade, loved getting their pen pal letters from their Nicaraguan penpals (the letters the Quinchos wrote with me during summer 2012). It was awesome to my students' faces as they realized that they truly helped others - their donations went a long way in Nicaragua. All faces bore huge smiles as I showed them a video I put together of the donations being handed out to the Quinchos. During the letter exchange party, students helped each other translate the Spanish letters for those who couldn't read the language. A mother of one of my Richmond students made gallo pinto (Nicaraguan rice and beans) to eat while reading their letters and watching the video. Small donations can go a long way. Students from two distant nations felt so connected via small pieces of paper and school supplies. I love my job!