Teaching Beyond Borders

My Latest International Teaching Adventure is Coming True!


Hello Elementary Friends,

I am so pleased to announce that I am embarking on yet another international teaching experience.  Along with two teachers from my school I will be traveling to Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico to teach in a private school - Colegio, Bucerias.  Susan Romanyshyn (second grade teacher) and Amber Schlueter (English as a Second Language Teacher) and I are participating in a program named "Teaching Beyond Borders" and will be led by Dr. Margaret Fraser from Metro State University.  Dr. Peg Fraser and I have worked together closely over the past 10 years as Metro State places practicum, field based, and student teachers at Mortensen for their undergraduate internships prior to being certified as licensed teachers.  Dr. Fraser has hosted study abroad opportunities for her undergraduate students for many years and has developed a relationship with Colegio - Bucerias.  She is now offering her program for certified teachers, and we are happy to be her first participants!  We will teaching alongside a bilingual Mexican teacher (thank goodness) in grades 2-4. 

First - a bit of information about the village of Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia:



Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico


Bucerías meaning "place of divers", is a small beach resort town in Nayarit on a stretch of that country's Pacific coast known as the Riviera Nayarit, on the Bay of Banderas, between La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Nuevo Vallarta. It has a population of about 9,000 residents (seasonal influxes double that number) and is a typical town of the region with cobblestone streets, a main square, church, and many services for visiting foreigners, and features a wide array of restaurants. It has uninterrupted beach that continues north and south for a total of more than 29 km (18 miles)



Bucerías is bisected by the Arroyo del Indio, a mountain run-off that remains dry most of the year. The arroyo also serves as an unimproved roadbed under Fed 200 overpasses, and can be navigated by car far up into the foothills. The half of Bucerías north of Fed 200 mostly consists of citizens; the other half south of Fed 200 beach-ward consists of primarily foreign residents, both permanent and part time. Once a quaint fishing village incorporated in the 1930s, Bucerías has become a quaint tourism town since the 1980s, when primarily Canadian residents began coming for extended stays with RVs and fifth wheels; Canadians remain a very large part of the seasonal population. The boom of all-inclusive hotels to the south in Nuevo Vallarta--a development extending from the north end of Puerto Vallarta--has driven building in Bucerías as well, although in a more muted way. Buildings rarely exceed seven floors, and the units are condominium, rather than hotel style.



Each January the town celebrates Our Lady of Peace (La Virgen de la Paz), who is the patron of the local Catholic church. There is a large and vibrant street bazaar featuring traditional regional art & textiles.

Now - just a bit about the school where we will be teaching:

Colegio Bucerias



HISTORY
It was officially founded in the year of 1992, although its owner Prof. Ma. De Lourdes Romero Serna started with intensive English courses in 1989.

Lic. Romero is a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in the area of ​​languages ​​and has studied in Germany, Canada and USA, in addition to the career of Lic. In Preschool Education.

1989-1992:   Intensive English Courses
1992-1996:   Commercial Technical Careers
1994 to date: Basic Education (Preschool, Primary, Secondary and High School)

The school is celebrating its 25th year during 2018!



FACILITIES
Each level has its own building as well as large rooms equipped with air conditioning, good lighting and ventilation. It also is proud of its two soccer fields, 2 multiple courts for basketball and volleyball, multipurpose room, library, dining room and laboratory.


Children in the Primary School

Here is information from the Colegio Bucerias website which gives you a general understanding of the school's priorities, philosophies, and policies - translated below for your benefit.  

Politicas Educativas

Nuestros estudiantes usan el lenguaje oral y escrito con claridad, fluidez y de manera adecuada, reconociendo y apreciando la diversidad lingüística del país y del mundo. Argumentan y razonan cuando analizan situaciones, identifican problemas, hacen preguntas, emiten juicios y proponen varias soluciones. Son selectivos, analizan, evalúan y comparten información de diferentes fuentes, aprovechando los recursos tecnológicos a su disposición para profundizar y ampliar su aprendizaje de forma permanente a medida que continúan aprendiendo a lo largo de sus vidas. Utilizan sus conocimientos adquiridos para interpretar y explicar los procesos sociales, económicos, culturales y naturales, tomando decisiones para promover la salud y el cuidado del medio ambiente. Nuestros estudiantes conocen los derechos humanos y los valores que favorecen una vida democrática apegada a la ley, conocen y valoran su potencial como ser humano identificando como parte de un grupo social, emprendiendo proyectos personales, esforzándose por lograr sus propósitos y asumiendo la responsabilidad de las consecuencias de sus acciones.

Educational Policies

Our students use oral and written language with clarity, fluency and adequately, recognizing and appreciating the linguistic diversity of the country and the world.  They argue and reason when analyzing situations, identify problems, ask questions, make judgments and propose various solutions. They are selective, analyzing, evaluating and sharing information from different sources, taking advantage of the technological resources at their disposal to deepen and extend their learning in a permanent way as they continue their learning throughout their lives.  They use their acquired knowledge in order to interpret and explain social, economic, cultural and natural processes, making decisions to promote health and environmental care.  Our students know human rights and values that favor a democratic life attached to the law, know and value their potential as a human being identifying as part of a social group, undertaking personal projects, striving to achieve their purposes and taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions.


I hope you have enjoyed learning along with me about this special school that I will call home for a very short time in a couple weeks.  My next blog will be published after I arrive and teach for one day - Monday, June 11th!  Take care, and enjoy your early summer!


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