Pura Vida-Teaching in Costa Rica : How Time Has Flown

Its true that time can truly fly when you're having fun. It has been a whirlwind of an adventure so far in Costa Rica, but I wouldn't change any moment of it! I have officially been here for 3 months now, completed one whole quarter of teaching, and am about halfway through the second quarter.

As far as school goes, the biggest challenge lately was Parent-Teacher Conferences. The only experience I had with true Parent-Teacher Conferences was during student teaching because I had only had Student-Led Conferences the past three years:). In addition to the newness of Parent-Teacher Conferences, the added challenge was that most of the parents only speak Spanish. However, I took the time to prepare notes in Spanish so I was ready to discuss everything with the parents. It was a very neat experience to get to host conferences in Spanish and English.

The challenges of adapting to teaching here have slowed down as I am learning the ways of the school. I absolutely adore my class and am learning a lot from having a class that is full of ELL (English Language Learners). After I finish my MS in Education, Reading and Literacy this year, my next goal is to get my ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) endorsement. Therefore, this year has helped me learn a lot about teaching ELL students.

And of course I have had a blast exploring Costa Rica! The country is so diverse and has many different ecosystems to explore. Living in the valley of San Jose, I am experiencing the wet, rainy season, but having the opportunity to travel on the weekends to see other parts of the country. Below are a few photos from my adventures since the last blog!