Our Last Day

Our Last Day

     Today was our last day in Belize. We ended the night with a wonderful banquet where we recognized everybody with an adjective that described them. We asked every student to do a short reflection to summarize their trip for our last day in Belize. 

     Thank you for staying up to date with our trip and allowing us to experience this unforgettable experience. 

Maggie: Looking back on my second teaching experience in Belize I have gained new perspective on what it means to support teachers to be their very best. I had the privilege of working with the teachers in each of the Red Bank classrooms and see them grow. I loved getting to watch everyone fall in love with the village and every single student there. As teachers are supported the students, in turn, receive the educational experience they deserve.

Kenzie: As I finish my second teaching experience in Belize I am feeling so grateful. I have gained experiences that could never have happened if I did not go on this trip. I loved being a student leader and watching my peers fall in love with the country. Through observation and conversation with peers and the Belize teachers, I gained knowledge that I will use in my classroom.

Paige: There are many things I will take with me from my international teaching experience. First, I will take with me the amazing teaching and classroom management strategies that the teachers here implemented with little to no materials. Secondly, I will take with me the wonderful memories. The memories of the wonderful kids I got to work with every day will always stay will with me. I will never forget the welcoming sense of community that was seen and shown to me in this beautiful place.

Monica: I cannot believe our time here in Belize is coming to an end, the last two weeks have been nothing short of an amazing experience. The lessons I have learned, from these sweet students and their villages, are some I would have never had the opportunity to learn anywhere else. My students reminded me that love and patience are two key components to a successful classroom and that loving to learn can be so precious.

Morgan E: As I look back on this unforgettable experience, I have gained so much knowledge from the trip. My major takeaways were experiencing firsthand the culture and the teaching environments in Belize. The students were so loving and caring and I hope I can take this compassion into my very own classroom.  

Molly: Looking back on my time spent teaching in Belize, I can hardly put into words the ways it has impacted me. I was overwhelmed by the culture and the sense of community in the schools and that will change the way that I teach in the future in terms of building a classroom community and my cultural responsiveness. I also learned many teaching strategies and how to be more flexible and maintain a positive outlook despite challenging circumstances.

Morgan M: One of my major take-a-ways from this trip was how important building communities is in the classroom and school. I have never been in a school/classroom where I was so whole-heartedly embraced and loved. The students at San Pablo had so much love for one another and the teachers really loved their students. When I have my own classroom I am going to strive to exemplify the San Pablo community.

Lauren: One of my biggest take-a-ways from this trip is the importance of being culturally relevant in my teaching. I noticed throughout my teaching at Red Bank, when I tried to make connections with the students and their personal experience I saw how much more they could get out of the lesson. This really made me think about what it means to know the students inside the classroom. I also learned the importance of being flexible with my teaching, lessons, and even day to day schedules. Being flexible was one of the key factors throughout this trip in Belize and I hope to carry this on throughout my entire teaching career.

Kristen D: While teaching in Belize, I truly began to understand the importance of cultural relevance and classroom community. I aspire to create a community in my classroom that is reflective of the family and community I felt while teaching in Belize.  The students in my classroom were very loving and accepting, and that is what I want in my classroom in the fall.  There was so much love present and we all had to work together to celebrate the learning we were all doing. 

Brittany: Being in Belize has truly been a life changing experience for me. Not only has this trip humbled me and created in me a fiery passion to help and care for others in need, it has opened my eyes to what it means to be truly culturally responsive. Being immersed in an environment so much different than my own brought to my attention the beauty and importance that can be found in other cultures and in other people. The love, compassion and human connection we shared will never be forgotten, this experience has truly changed the way I see life and teaching forever. I will use what I have learned here to guide my teaching throughout the rest of my life. 

Hannah: The most important things I am taking away from my teaching experience here in Belize is empathy, flexibility, and openness. While being here I have learned even more about being empathetic and responsive to people who come from a different culture and economic status than me. I have learned to be flexible, even more so than I did while student teaching. I came into my classrooms each day with a plan and then had to be flexible with how I would teach and assess my students. Lastly, I am taking away an improved openness to trying new things both inside and outside the classroom.

  

Ally: The most important take-away from my international teaching experience in Belize is the importance of being culturally responsive in classrooms and how incorporating children’s home lives and culture can change the classroom environment. I have learned a lot about myself over the past two weeks and how much we take for granted at home. Students that I have worked with over the past week have so little compared to us but truly love life and are grateful for everything they do have. The students and teachers have truly changed my outlook on life and I believe I am a better person and will be a stronger teacher because of this trip.

Justin: This trip has hands down been the most amazing thing I have ever done. I have learned so much about not only teaching but myself. The community and culture here is unbelievable, and everyone is always welcoming and smiling. I have learned the importance of using break times to really bond with the students and just talk with them and play games. Using this time outside of the classroom was crucial in building and fostering a great learning environment and school community. Along with this I am taking away a strong sense of flexibility, empathy and humbleness. It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish with nothing but a positive attitude and outlook. Belize will forever be in my heart.

Madison: This international teaching experience has been one of the most incredible opportunities of my life and I will always treasure the precious memories. Some of the most important things that I will take away from this trip are building relationships with students, making the most out of minimal resources, practicing flexibility in a different classroom environment, and most importantly practicing culturally responsive teaching on a whole new level. The relationships between the students and teachers at Red Bank reflected the strong ties to the culture and community, which was an inspirational model to observe and engage with. As I return to the States and prepare for student teaching in the fall, I hope to take these amazing experiences with me and implement them into my educational career and life!

Sabrina: Our international teaching experience in Belize has been such an incredible experience. I’ve learned so much, both in the classroom and outside of it. Building such strong bonds so quickly with many of the students was one of the best parts of the trip for me. I learned that middle school students are pretty much the same everywhere you go – hilarious, sarcastic, rambunctious, and always willing to make fun of you – but that’s how you know they love you! I love that I will forever go down as Ms. Dude almost as much as I love the collection of student poetry that I’ll be bringing back with me. I think being immersed in this culture has taught be a lot more about what it truly means to be a culturally responsive teacher, which is something I’ll take with me and implement for the rest of my teaching career.

Emily: This international teaching experience has been incredible and unforgettable. I felt so welcomed at Red Bank Christian School and learned so much from both of the preschool teachers. The most important takeaway from this trip was the importance of implementing culturally responsive teaching into your classroom. It really helps builds communities within you room and make the students feel welcomed and included.

Corryn: Looking back on my time in Belize there are a few things that really stuck out to me, and that I will carry with me forever. One of those things being how happy everyone was, all the time. Often times we get carried away with the things we don’t have instead of focusing on what we do have. The students, teachers, and families at Red Bank were some of the kindest people I have met and not once did I ever hear any of them complain about the heat, or their lack of clothing, food, etc.  The second thing that I will take with me is the relationships I made with not only my fellow UofL teachers, but also my Red Bank students. They will always hold a special place in my heart and I am beyond blessed to be able to experience this International Teaching Experience.

Taylor: Our international teaching experience in Belize has been an amazing opportunity that I will forever be grateful to have experienced. I truly enjoyed being immersed in the Belizean culture while teaching in San Pablo and while exploring the different parts of the country. From teaching, I learned many strategies on how to promote and foster a positive learning environment. I am looking forward to implementing the strategies I learned to help build my classroom community. From my time exploring the country, I had the opportunity to explore new foods, new experiences such as snorkeling Belize’s reef, and to meet the kind people of Belize. I am beyond thankful that I was able to participate in this international teaching experience because it has helped me become a better educator and a better person.

Keana: From this international teaching experience in Belize, there are many things I will take away. One of my biggest takeaways is how blessed we are in the United States however we still take many things for granted. After this experience I plan to be more humble with what I have, and think about the children in Belize who have so little but continue to have a positive outlook in life. These children don’t think about what they don’t have but what they do have, because of this trip I will now look at my life differently in this aspect.

Kristen B: This international experience has been one that I’ll never forget. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have met some amazing children, work with some wonderful people, and participate in activities I never would have the chance of doing before. Overall being in Belize has taught me how to humble myself and not stress about the little things in life but to enjoy living life to the fullest. Lastly, I hope to take everything that I have learned here to my future classroom and be the best teacher I can possibly be for my students.