Bilingual education

“Our languages may be different, but our hearts are the same…they beat.”

Sharon Geinett

Yearning to Learn 

(courtesy of Gov. Hill) 

What's a girl to do on her day off in the frigid North? Of course, go spend time with a bunch of 4-8 year olds at one of the local primary schools. Just the other day I was hoping that I would be able to connect with a friend's mom who teaches at Government Hill, which is an Spanish-English Immersion primary school in Anchorage. Unsure of this happening, I was pleasantly surprised to run into Star at the grocery store the other day. We talked and she said that it would be great if I wanted to stop by and check out the program and the classrooms...but that they would put me to work. What an amazing program they have going on. It seems to be the best kept secret, that shouldn't be a secret. I am not sure why the school districts and others don't model education off of the program that is in place at Government Hill. Recalling my elementary school days, well I don't want to think about them and I don't remember much in the way of meaningful education. Walking into through the doors it was refreshing to see the walls of the halls covered with art and writing projects featuring both the Spanish and English language. Not only are native English speakers learning Spanish, but native Spanish speakers are learning English and there is also the neighborhood program for students who are from the area, but who are not involved with the immersion program. The kids are so eager to learn and the classrooms are filled with beaming pupils representing so many ethnic backgrounds...and all of them are shown respect, attention, and given a great opportunity to learn at his and her own pace. The teachers seem to have developed a real community and it is evident in their teaching and helping one another out in the classroom. I was greatly privileged with the opportunity to help out with various activities. My favorite being working with 2nd graders in their Spanish classroom, playing La Lotería (bingo) Navidad style (Christmas). I was surprised how much Spanish I have retained and I seemed to forget my rustiness while enjoying "teaching" these girls and boys some Christmas vocabulary.
I am so excited to see these kids exposed to a new language at such an early age. Whether they go on to use their second language, they have been exposed to a different way in which to view the world. The have additional lenses that they can wear to see and think about the world in a bigger sense, yet at the same time narrowing the world down to the fact that we are more similar than we are different.

Read more about the ongoing programs at: http://www.asdk12.org/staff/singleton_martin/pages/Welcome.html

I find myself being more drawn to wanting to teach literacy, both to those in some far away land I have yet to venture to, and to those right here. I want to learn more languages, and serve in anyway I can. The grand gift of education in my life is precious and I want to pass that on to the next generation and to those who give up the hope of having an education or learning how to read.

I find this quote inspiring and yet thought provoking. Something that seems so natural to me, to those I grew up with in school...it is sometimes hard to imagine children around the world not sitting in a classroom for a good portion of childhood. I hope to reach out and extend the gift that has been given me to many around the globe. 

"Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope...It is a bulwark against poverty...a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right..."
~ Kofi Annan

With teaching as a developing passion, I am stoked to see the HS mightily work in the lives of those I can reach in and out of the classroom. 

Moonlight Shadows

A morning view from my back porch.

"Please return to your seats and prepare for landing," sounding from one of the stewardesses jarred me from my peaceful rest on flight#31 from Portland to Anchorage. As I peered out the little window, the moon illuminated the dark night and reflected off the silky ocean below. A long island below looked familiar..."Could it be, weare flying over Prince William Sound," I thought to myself. I tapped into my mental chart of the Sound, "this island must be Montague..." Soon I recognized the snow capped mountains of Knight Island, Culross, Blackstone Bay, and finally the lights leading to and from Whittier tunnel. As our plane sliced through the cold black night, a shadow below traveled by moonlight with us. Much closer to the ground a small shadow plane joined us through the sound, over the mountains and over icy Turnagin Arm, until finally landing on the airway in Anchorage. 

What a gift to travel through the night over a beautiful land revealed below.

I am home in the snowy land of the north, where ice covered mountains and a sea of burgs meet, showing off in a fine arts show. 

I am home for a month...

I am home to explore;

I am home, living in another world;

I am home to breathe fresh air;

I am home to love those so dear to me, my family and my friends.

Giving thanks in Wilbur

I love living in the states because road trips actually lead to interesting towns, and it doesn't take long before adventuring into a new and unfamiliar place. Don't get me wrong, I love Alaskan road-trips and camping in the middle of nowhere, but seriously one could drive hours and be no-where, but somewhere still in Alaska. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, my roommate, Kate, and I packed up and hopped in a car with a few others to head up north to Wilbur, Washington, her hometown of 800 or so.

If you are like me, you are probably imagining a scene from the children's story Charlotte's Web, but for a girl who didn't grow up in a rural farming community, it was better than just a children's story. I tend to find new things fascinating, like a little girl who sees a butterfly for the first time. Luckily for me, I haven't been able to kick the awe-like fascination and the journey of traveling, and exploring nature, cultures, and art is more of a breath-taking view from each summit I encounter as I hike the trails of life.

Back to Wilbur...

Only 6 hours later we were in farm land and then the real experience started. It was a nice switch up from Portland city life...neighbors actually care about one another and rarely do they notify the other before walking through the front door of one of the neighborhood friends. I can't imagine anything like this happening in Portland, especially in NE or SE, or along the notorious 82nd stretch.

Our time away was refreshing, insightful, and just fun. We enjoyed park lights, a hayride, Mantiques, a craft bizarre, and a trip to Spokane.

These are some photos from my Thanksgiving experience!

Our hayride with the lil' munchkins 

What laughing does for your soul...

This morning a woke up in a daze, a funk, overwhelmed....with about 8 hours of sleep over the last few days total...I was not overjoyed to roll out of bed at 5:40 this morning to get prepared for my Thursday morning girls group at 6:15, but I went through the motions of getting ready...getting there...yadadiyadadi....I'm not sure why I get surprised to find that in community I find refreshment, a gift....it doesn't mean that everything else that is crazy in the world isn't occurring in my life and all around me, but it does give me a way to embrace the mixture of things in life that come my way. In community, unity is beautiful even in the pain of whoever is suffering at the moment. I love to watch the building of the body.

So on my way back to campus this morning...I was having a great conversation with my friend...as she's driving we make a turn....and a pan goes clunkittyclunk and she makes some funny remark about it....but in the meantime I look over at her and say, "You totally just ran a red light..." In shock, that she was totally oblivious to the red arrow she drove past...in the midst of the interesting series of events...we laughed for a good while that my friend had payed more attention to the pan laughing at its clanking sounds than the street light....anyways it was the best dose of medicine a girl can get...well at least for this rainy autumn day. :)

I'm going to have a day and be at peace...Relief in the storm

Summer Lovin'

I am excited to think about teaching in the future. What a wonderful new dream that has been placed on my heart. I can't think of anything more enjoyable than working with Indonesian students for my TESOL practicum. There is such a joy and life among these students. I miss the bursts of laughter from these little ones. 

They are such a wonderful group of laughing and smiling kids...

and I see so much potential and life with each one of these kids. 

Above: I got to take photos with each class at this primary school I visited a few times while living with a family in Madiun in East Java. The girl in the red outfit, is Titis and I had the privilege of tutoring her a bit, she is bright and I know could change this world! 

Bottom photo: I remember meeting with a group of teachers in Madiun and these students were bursting at the door seams. I couldn't resist and I left the teachers to Mike and joined the children...at first they appeared malu (shy) but they warmed up to this silly bule (white person) and enjoyed running in and out of my photos! 

What a peaceful though to think that I get to go back to this land of familiar laughter...though I was there such a short time, I feel such a connection with the people and Indonesian way of life. I'm ready to continue exploring the many islands, faces, and cultures of Indonesia. 

New Wine Fall Retreat

A couple of weeks ago, I and my fellow interns joined Dr. Metzger and his family as well as "uncle" Ron and his wife Linda for a much needed escape from the city to a quaint little cabin up at Mt. Hood. I forgot how much growing up in Alaska near trees impacted me...to say the least being surrounded by green trees and the sound of a rushing river stimulated my senses and gave me some much needed refreshment. I really love the concrete grey hues, steel bridges, and industrial areas of Portland...but sometimes I long to get back to my senses in the midst of pristine beauty...aka the forest. Anyways it was a great weekend of bonding, intense learning, and started the ball rolling on several of our projects for the year! Yippy! 

Check out New Wine, New Wine Skins to hear what we are all about!    

Us lovely ladies in the kitchen. We cooked some mighty good food, can you say, "French toast bake and  spiced up nutmeg burgers?!"

Oh yes, I forgot to mention ... there was no fun involved. We were complete slaves in the kitchen... (minus the laughing historically part) 

We learned to share the kitchen space and let BD get in on some sweet cooking action. 

They waited ever so eloquently while the smell of nutmeg wafted from the grill...

Life can't get much better than gathering around a campfire with friends... 

capping the evening off with s'mores and a round of truth or dare 

Ready, steady, go....

Hiking time! Mt. Hood is beautiful and I will get to the top one day but for now...

Ramona Falls will have to suffice.  

Because I am pretty sure this is one of the most breath-taking falls I have hiked to, at least in Oregon. The way the sun beamed off the falling water and danced its heart out until rainbows dazzled us in the cooling mist...

How I really feel today...

It only takes one rain for the blooms to open up for the leaves to unfold. The land that was of barren grey is evolving. It is the pretty green, the color that is stained on your shoes after you have mowed the lawn. It’s a new season. A new spirit of life has awaken and is alive. I feel it in the cool breeze of the night as it brushed my skin …
I want nothing more but to burst out and yell. To yell with the intense joy that encompasses new life, new breath, and new adventure. It’s a new day on this dancing journey.