Our Best Day Yet - So Much to Report

 Comparisons are not always appropriate, and it would be hard to say if a given day was our "best".  But at the very least. today would be a good candidate. The opening of school was routine, except for me.  In this heavily Catholic country, it is very routine for the school day to open with a prayer.  And we have been doing so, in our reflection time with the teachers before the open assembly.  Except this morning, School Director Maria Del Carmen surprised me and handed me the microphone, and asked me to give the blessing.  Honored and surprised, I had the chance to express gratitude for the wonderful work of all the teachers, and the warmth with which we have been welcomed.  I asked for blessings on the work, and blessings for the children and families who we have been able to teach and support. We all filed outside to raise the flag and sing, and our day was underway.

By now, our teaching routines have been well established in our outdoor classroom.  The DR teachers break into groups of two or three,  the Altagracia students come down from their room, we sort them into groups, and start teaching.  Sometimes, when the period is a long one, we will rotate groups to keep things fresh.  This morning, we handled a fourth-grade class of 19 and a sixth-grade class of 35. The latter class size is more common. After two periods came the wonderful chaos of recess, and another two teaching periods, both with fifth graders learning the names of vegetables and how to use them in sentences. 

We returned to the hotel for lunch, and then had the incredible honor of spending 45 minutes with Juan Valdez, one of the most important figures in all of the DR in the field of education.  Our DR project group sprinkles seeds of hope in one school.  Juan Valdez for years has fought with some success on behalf of every student and teacher in the country, hundreds and thousands of them. He is a tireless advocate for having every DR student learn English.  This mainly happens in the elite private schools.  It's in the curriculum on paper for public schools, but it happens only infrequently for many reasons, including incompetence and corruption.  Juan Valdez has fearlessly pointed out the corruption, and has had his life threatened.  He travels with a bodyguard.  He came to us after a morning address to 500 teachers in Puerto Plata, all members of one of the teachers unions he oversees. Two days ago he spoke with the new Minister of Education, and has some hope that there will be changes.  He met DR Projects 7 years ago, helped us start the program at Altagracia, and has checked in with us every year.  He sat with us in a small conference room at the hotel and gave a spellbinding talk on the state of education and the state of the world.  He referenced three or four "must-read" books. He listened carefully to our questions.  And then he was off, thrilled with our success in a school that he says can be a model for many others.  Humbling.

We made it back to school just before closing, and after the students were gone, and gathered in a classroom with all of the Altagracis teachers.  This time it was our turn for a surprise.  Rita announced that we were presenting two brand-new chromebooks for student use, bought with funds donated by the Hanover High School Youth in Action group.  Karen O'Hern had done a magnificent job researching the purchase and ordering them in time for our trip. She and Chris Maute and Lewis Marte spent over an hour getting them set up and registered and conforming with Altagracia passwords. They were ready to roll when we presented them.  We also presented two huge suitcases full of school supplies.  There were dozens and dozens of dry erase markers, more than two dozen boxes of sidewalk chalk, and bags of glue sticks, pencils and markers.  Many of these were collected and donated by our students.  The teachers and School Director were overjoyed. We also have her individual gift bags for every teacher, to be presented tomorrow, our last day.

After supper, it was Game Night at the hotel, and it started with a surprise.  The daughter of the hotel owner was part of a Dominican dance group that had just recently won a national competition in Santiago. As we finished supper, she and three of her dance team members suddenly came into the dining room in full costumes. As their wonderful Latin music played from a nearby boom box, they danced for us. Then they danced WITH us! They grabbed partners and off they went.  Our students were great sports, and very willing to take part. We have videos that many of you should ask to see.  Then almost everyone joined in, students and adults, in a Salsa line dance, everyone following the lead of the DR dancers. That was the first time we've had an experience like this!  Game Night continued with all sorts of games, including a big student game of UNO that also engaged a young visitor, several card games which included half a dozen friends from the community, including School Director Maria Del Carmen. Teacher and Interpreter Lewis Marte then arrived with his box of dominoes, the national game, and a number of players rotated in and out of a game that initiated several new players into this highly popular pastime. It was a perfect way to end a perfect day.