Ensure the World's a Little Better When You Leave

Welcomed for the Week to Bucerias


Mary Lou De Lourdes Romero Serna is the principal and owner of Colegio de Bucerias, the school where Susan Romanyshyn, Amber Schlueter, and I will spend one week teaching and learning this week.  Over 25 years ago Mary Lou made a commitment - to create a private school where not just the extremely wealthy children of this area could attend.  The school now serves 550 students from pre-school through high-school who reside in the Vallarta Nayarit Bay Area of Mexico.  

Susan, Amber and I arrived in Puerta Vallarta on Saturday, 9 June with no complications.  A welcome dinner at La Quinta Di Francesco in the small seaside town of Bucerias was delightful.  We thought it was great that our hosts took us to an Italian Restaurant in Mexico for our first night!  Throughout the evening we conversed and became acquainted with Mary Lou and her Lead Teacher, Judith.  As we were visiting and hearing about the plans for our week I couldn't help but notice the similarities in what they wanted us to experience and what we would likely plan for visitors to our school.  Mary Lou and Judith planning our week with Judith taking notes on her cell phone - "Oh - they have to see this kindergarten teacher - she is amazing with the students,  they must spend the first hour and a half in this grade level to see what the students have accomplished during this year - and don't forget the delicious tostados pollo that the school chef will be preparing for lunch on Wednesday!"  Before long the days of our week at the school were effectively scheduled and we enjoyed a delicious dinner conversing well into the night. Here are some photos of the restaurant and of Mary Lou, Judith, and our Teaching Beyond Borders facilitator, Dr. Peg Fraser.





Of course I listened to Mary Lou with rapt attention as she laid out the history of the school that she has built from the ground up.  She described the struggles along the way and explained the significant regulations that she faces from the Mexican government.  It is interesting that her school (even though it is privately funded) must adhere to government academic standards for what is taught, the methods of teaching the curriculum, and the school must pay high taxes to the government even though it receives no funding from the government whatsoever.  Mary Lou is so committed to providing the highest quality education to her students, but she is also attempting to keep the tuition at a scale that would not be out of reach for the families of business owners and workers of the region.  On more than one occasion over the course of the evening she emphasized that when she moved here twenty eight years ago that she saw the need of better educational opportunities for the children of Bucerias and it has been her professional commitment over the years to make her dream a reality for the area.  In addition, she has a strong commitment to "leave my little part of the world better than it was when I found it."  I think she is doing just that.  I was also touched to hear her speak of her other duties as the mother figure and counselor for all of her teachers and the parents of the children.  When it gets right down to it, I consider that the most important part of my job, and I am glad to know that Mary Lou considers it a priority, as well.

Our hours at school will be 9:00-1:00 each day.  Brunch will be served at 10:30, and we have been told that it is lovely and delicious.  

At Sukha Restaurant - Saying means - "A state of permanent and lasting happiness"

A bilingual service at the Protestant Christian church on Sunday AM

At Church on Sunday Morning


A dog who was lazily napping up on the top of a garage and then started barking wildly at me when I started to take his picture!

Our humble abode while we are here.
Sunday Morning Walk in Bucerias



Street Scene in Bucerias.

Monday, June 11, 2018 - Our First Day Teaching!

Our coach (van) arrived at 8:45 to take us to Colegio Bucerias!  We are very excited to see the school and to meet the students and teachers.  After a tour of the school by lead teacher, Judith, we were assigned to our classes - Susan is in third grade with Mary Chuy, I am in fourth grade with Sara, and Amber is in sixth grade with Areli.  We are eager to get into classrooms!  



Music Class with Middle Schoolers
I am in a fourth grade literacy class where the students are learning to read and write in English.  Two days a week the students receive instruction in French, as well.  Today as I walked in they were having a french lesson.  Music always helps with learning so I was pleased to see that all knew the words to to this French song!  Click here:


Beautiful Children in Fourth Grade Literacy Class

Each student has an I-Pad and Reading Response Book

French Work Book


Children grade their own and each other's work.  They are eager for feedback from their teacher.


Classroom has projector but no SMART Board

Here are our main take-aways for today:

1.  Karla - The school is lovely, and the students seem motivated, self-regulated, and eager to learn.
2.  Karla - The teachers are knowledgeable, dedicated, and insistent upon high expectations for the students.  They are not afraid to tell a student that an answer is incorrect and that the child must go back and correct it.
3.  Karla - The students in my fourth grade classroom are nearly fluent English speakers.  I am sure that by the time they are in 6th grade they will be virtually bi-lingual and maybe even tri-lingual.
4.  Amber - It was fun to see even with language barriers - they have unique personalities.  Kids are kids no matter where they are in the world .
5.  Amber - I immediately felt at home and free to get right in and teach alongside the teacher as the students were working on a readers' theater.  I worked with certain students on their pronunciations, and the students were so eager for feedback from me.  They took the correction well, and we celebrated their progress.
6. Amber - I was able to share that it is ok to make mistakes - I hope to be able to make a difference this week in helping all students to feel confident in speaking and to encourage each other.
7.  Susan - Kids (no matter where they are from) love adult feedback.  The students were eager to show me their work and to see how I would respond to them.
8.  Susan - I was beyond impressed with how good their English was - listening to them read about hummingbirds in English and then answer questions in English with a high level of comprehension was amazing.
9.  All of us - The heart of a teacher is the same - no matter where you are!

Next up - we are all working on lessons that we will teach the kids!  Stay tuned!


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