3rd Grade Math Class with Miss Tierra
My, my, how time flies! It’s exam week, and you know what that means? The school year will be coming to an end soon here at the Villa Soleada Bilingual School. Students will be tested on their knowledge of the material they have learned over the course of the school year. It also means that we will be saying goodbye to our hardworking and dedicated teachers.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will have some of our teachers’ reflect on their experiences with Students Helping Honduras. We are excited to share their stories with you! With that being said, it is our pleasure to introduce you to, Miss Tierra! She is a third-grade teacher, who is responsible for creating lesson plans for and teaching five classes throughout the day. We had the opportunity to speak with her about her experiences earlier this week.
Miss Tierra had never volunteered with Students Helping Honduras before. She heard about this organization through word-of-mouth. “I’m one of the only teachers who was not a volunteer beforehand. I met someone that knew about the organization and I wanted to teach or volunteer, and they told me about this organization.”
There was a sense of fulfillment as Miss Tierra noticed an improvement in her students’ test scores. “To see their test scores going up; their reading scores going up has been really fulfilling. Teach requires a whole lot of patience, organization, understanding, and passion for educating children. Just like with any first -time experience, there is an adjustment phase. As for some advice for the new batch of teachers coming in Miss Tierra said, “just don’t be super hard on yourself. Relax and try to have a lot of fun with the kid, because they really need that break from their everyday lives.”
Teachers’ are responsible for educating, but we wanted to know what Miss Tierra had learned while living and working with Students Helping Honduras. “Being here in Honduras, in general, and teaching here has really opened my eyes to a lot of the problems that students face here vs. in the United States.” There are certain aspects of living in a different country that varies from our hometown. “When we’re in the U.S., and as college students, we’re in our bubble. I think that this experience takes you beyond that and helps you experience a different life outside of your own.”
So, where does Miss Tierra see herself after her time with Students Helping Honduras comes to an end? “Coming here really motivated me to be more of an environmentalist. Seeing the environmental problems made me want to go back to the U.S. and really delve deeper into that. So, maybe educating about the environment.”Thank you so much for sharing your time with us, and for your commitment to your students’ and their education, Miss Tierra! We wish you all the very best for your future.
Have you always wanted to teach abroad, but not sure where to begin? Check out Students Helping Honduras, and all the wonderful work we are doing to provide children access to quality education. If you are interested in this opportunity, take a look at our website and Idealist.org. For additional information, please reach out to vsbs@shhkids.org. Thank you for following along, and we will see you next time!
Photos and Post by Nisha Datt
