enseñanza-aprendizaje

I spend a lot of my week working in IEIMC's 1st and 2nd grade classrooms. I help with reading, math, garden-work, and just general crowd control. These 22 little ones bring so much joy to my weeks at school. They are quick with laughs, hugs, and smiles. They have taught me more about unconditional, grace-filled, and Christ-rooted love in nine months, than I could have ever imagined.

In meetings at school we talk a lot about el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, the teaching-learning process. The phrase makes the process feel truly reciprocal- that we, teachers, learn alongside our students in a mutual exchange. This has been exceedingly true for me throughout my YAGM experience. In this year of intentional living and service, I've received much more (help, grace, patience, joy, hospitality, life lessons etc.) from my host community than I could hope to give. I've thrown together a list of a few of the countless aprendizajes that the twenty-two six and seven year olds with whom I spend my week have taught me.

1. Forgive freely (and often)-Supposedly we're supposed to forgive those who have wronged us not once or twice, but 7 times 70 times. That's a reality in 1st and 2nd grade. Where instead of telling a classmate "I'm sorry" they ask one another if me perdonas?/do you forgive me? That question is posed probably 490 times a week. The answer is always yes, and the confrontation always ends in a hug. They forgive freely, genuinely, easily, and whole-heartedly. They've taught me to be a better forgiver. 
2. Sometimes you need to cry-Tears are pretty common in 1st and 2nd grade. The tears usually don't last too long, and are usually promptly followed by a return to more play and laughter. When my students feel sad or angry or scared or anxious they do not hesitate to express that emotion. They've taught me to honor my emotions and share my feelings with others. 
3. Sometimes you need to laugh-Laughter is the constant soundtrack of my days at IEIMC. There's always time for silliness in the life of a 1st or 2nd grader. When the day starts to feel long, I can always count on a superbly executed armpit fart from Armando to lighten the mood. They've taught me to never take myself too seriously and that laughter truly is the best medicine. 
4. Commit 100%-On a recent outing to the river, Yuliet, decided that it wasn't time to go just yet. As were all putting our shoes back on and getting ready to walk back to school, she quickly hid one of her shoes and announced to the group that we couldn't leave yet, because she'd lost a shoe. She joined us when we all searched the area for her shoe and acted incredibly relieved when we found it about 10 minutes later. In the dismissal line she admitted to me and Maestra Lupita that she had been the one to hide her shoe in hopes of extending our outing. Yuliet dedicated herself 100% to bringing about the reality she wanted. She showed no hesitation or trepidation, instead she committed fully to her goal. They've taught me to fully commit to the causes that I value.
5. Don't be restricted by "reality"-Most everyday during 10:30am recess, Bryan becomes a dinosaur or gorilla or zombie or shark. The patio of the school becomes his jungle or post-apocalyptic city or ocean, and his classmates become various characters in his story. On days when I patrol recess, I opt to be a mad scientist or jurassic park tourist. His personal make-believe becomes as grand and important as the reality in which the rest of the school is situated. His reality becomes greater than our reality. In a world of increasingly harsh social, economic, and political realities, Bryan reminds me of the critical importance of imagining a better world. He and his classmates remind me of the power creating and living into alternate-realities that fly in the face of the harshness of our world. They've taught me that imagination is critical and powerful.  
6. True art can come out of messes-A few weeks ago, I decided to make a collage with my second grade english class to practice colors and other vocabulary. Within seconds the entire library was covered in scraps of magazine, gluestick tops, and pens and pencils. I had planned on finishing this project in one class period and then swiftly moving on to our next unit. Four class periods later, we were still working our poster-sized collage, and I had all but filed that idea under the "good in theory, terrible in execution" tab. But, to my surprise my students loved the project and actually learned the targeted vocabulary. Beauty can come out of messes and successes can come from perceived failures. They've taught me how to encounter beauty in the unexpected.
7. Love more- Every day at school begins and ends with a series of first and second grade hugs. They write cards to their classmates reminding them that te quiero, I love you or that they'll be mejores amigos por siempre best friends forever. They love without condition and express that love fearlessly. They've taught me to radically love others.