December Newsletter

Some of you informed me that you were unable to open my December Newsletter. I decided rather than bombard those of you that could open it with the same thing again, I would post the newsletter here for all to read. I'm still working on a summary post to kind of wrap up everything that happened in Peru, but I'm struggling to put everything into words. Maybe one day it will come, but for now here's the latest update.

Lima International School of Tomorrow
After what seemed to be a very short semester, the school year concluded on December 11 for my students. This month was full of things to do at school with Christmas coming and the school year ending. Some days I did not htink my students would have sufficient time to get all of their work done. However, they chugged right along with me as I pushed them to work hard and encouraged them with behavior rewards such as swimming or shopping in the behavior store. Of my 31 students, only five did not finish the prescribed number of workbooks wich later became an exception because each of them were labeled with learning disabilities. I was very proud of my students for the hard work they put forth and the perseverance that they showed all the way to the end. When I first began the semester with them back in August, I spent many nights wondering what I had gotten myself into. My students did not listen to me, they knew hardly no English, they would not work on their wokbooks, and they were mean to each other. Honestly, I felt very defeated and had little hope; however, the last week of school, I was overcome with excitement of the growth my students had made in just 4 short months. They came so far academically, socially, and personally. Many of them were even speaking complete, correct sentences in English! The growth I witnessed in each of them was a great reminder of why I became a teacher...not because I liek to hear myself talk all day, but because of the joy of the children when they finally "get it" or the growth that can be seen after all the effort and hard work put into education.
My students were able to enjoy the swimming pool on Fridays this month, and we ended the school year with a Christmas party on the last day. We also had an awards night in which my students sang Away in a Manger and many of them received awards for completeing goals, memorizing the Bible memory verses or outstanding behavior.

Kids Alive
It was not easy to say good-bye to the kids at the Kids Alive home; many of them were asking when I'd be back and a few shed tears as I wished them farewell. However, I told them that this is not good-bye because I will see them again whether it be on earth or in heaven. These kids are precious, and I got to know each of them so much more after spending many weeks with them. They opened up a lot more than they ever had during short term trips, and their love never seemed to end. I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with them.
This month, as any other, did not fall short of my expectations. With the school year ending, the children did not have much homework, so I was able to spend more time talking with them, playing games with them, or just sitting and being a comforting body nearby. The children did a Christmas program for visiting family members. I also helped the children paint Christmas ornaments one evening at the home of another missionary couple. We had a pinata filled with confetti for my despdida (Good-bye Party), and everyone had a great time throwing it everywhere! It was a very fun way to end a great 4 months!

To be continued...