Well, I have officially completed my first week as a teacher's aide in a daycare/preschool in Quito, Ecuador. My experience thus far has been eye-opening. The daycare/preschool I work in is comprised of incredibly low-income children; but despite their financial status limiting their basic necessities (clothes, food, a toothbrush, etc), they are high-spirited, happy kids.
At the school, not a single bite of food is wasted. The teachers force the kids to finish all of the food at every meal: breakfast (which contains a snack and juice), snack, lunch (which contains soup, main course, and juice), and snack after lunch. Watching the teachers force-feed the kids was striking at first. If a kid couldn't possibly eat the last bite of their food, the teachers would force-feed the last bite to another kid. The reason the teachers force-feed the kids: that meal at school might be their last meal for the day. On top of the food situation, all of the kids are required to brush their teeth after lunch because that may be the only time they brush their teeth all day. Working in this school has taught me not to take what I consider "basic needs" for granted. I am so much more appreciative of food and feel the need to finish as much of my meals as I can since I am lucky to have food to eat. I also really value my toothbrush, something I had assumed every person owned, now that I know not everyone has one. On a happier note, my Spanish is getting much better! I am able to understand people 90% of the time, and am getting much better at responding. The kids are helping me learn Spanish too. On Wednesday, I was sitting at lunch with the kids and one of the boys became distracted so I said to him "Comen to comida" and he corrected me by saying "Comes!" because I had conjugated incorrectly. While it is slightly embarrassing to be corrected by a three year old, he helped me to realize my mistake, and since then I have been much more conscious of my conjugating. Today I got to lead my first activity with the kids! I sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and then played "Simon Says" with them. They were so attentive and seemed to really enjoy the activities I had planned. I also think my activities accomplished my goal of teaching the kids body parts. Later in the day, the teacher was preparing to read the kids a story and told them to "clean out their ears so they could hear better" (aka touch their ears). Almost all of the kids were able to successfully identify their ears, and I think my activity really helped them to be able to do that. Photos of me leading my first lesson are below:)
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Hola de Quito! My mom and I arrived in Quito last night at 11:15pm (the flight times themselves added up to about 9 hours, but we had a layover in Atlanta and Quito is 3 hours ahead of San Diego). As we were going through customs, the clock struck midnight, and simultaneously all of the guards checking people in changed the stamps they stamped into our passports from January 9th to January 10th - I found that really interesting. After customs and picking up our bags, we met up with our driver, Javier. It was a 40 minute car ride to the hotel where we were staying the night. It was so rainy!! In Ecuador, there are two seasons - dry season and wet season. The dry season is from June to September, and then the wet season is the other 8 months. Despite the rain, the humidity is high so its still warm (mid 70s throughout the day and mid 50s at night). We finally went to bed around 2am. This morning we woke up at 10am (Quito is 3 hours ahead of San Diego, so we woke up at 7am SD time). We had breakfast at the hotel and walked in Parque El Ejido for a little bit before Jorge (my mentor) picked us up at noon and brought us to our host family's home. Our host family is the Segovia-Tejada family: Ivan is the father, Rocio is the mother, and their three sons are Juan (20), Sebastian (18), and Emilio (14). Tomorrow we will be attending an informational meeting so that we can begin work at the daycare center on Tuesday. Ciao for now!
I am most excited about my internship as a whole: the traveling, the kids, the culture. I cannot wait to travel to Ecuador since it will be my first time in South America. I am also incredibly excited to work with the kids because I enjoy working with children. Besides those, I look forward to being immersed in Spanish and taking in Ecuadorian culture (through foods, sight-seeing, and living with a host family). However, I am most nervous about traveling to a foreign country and not being able to fluently speak their language.
I interviewed Maria Fernandalascano, the daycare/preschool coordinator. I have paraphrased her answers because this interview was done in Spanish.
1) What is a typical workday like? From 7:30 - 8:30 the children are dropped off, so we start by greeting the kids and their parents. Then we take the kids to breakfast in the cafeteria. Then we do an activity with the kids in their rooms. Next the kids have snack in the cafeteria. Then another activity and some recreation (like taking the kids to the park or watching a movie). After that, the kids go have lunch in the cafeteria; because its a government run school the kids have a full meal consisting of a plate, soup, and juice. Then they take a nap. During this time, the teachers plan/prepare their activities. At 2:45 the teachers wake the kids up and take them to the cafeteria for snack. Then we get the kids ready to go and wait for the parents to come pick them up. 2) What will be our main duties and responsibilities? You help the teacher with the activities, serving food, and whatever else they need. 3) How is the organization structured? There is the internal organization: the teachers, and the external organization - the government agency "The Ministry" that oversees to make sure we follow all of the rules and regulations. 4) Tell us about your path in getting to where you are today- what is your educational history and work experience prior to working here? I worked for this center for 13 years doing various jobs. I worked as a teacher, a health educator, educating teachers, etc. Quito is divided into three parts: the North, the South, and the Center. This center is in the center of Quito. The government assigns you to the center closest to your house, so I work here because I live near here. I also coordinate for another center because there aren't enough people to coordinate every center. 5) Why did you choose to work here? I've been here and working with children for 13 years. Working with children is incredible; it's very grand and satisfying. The population in this center is mainly indigenous. I like to listen to them speak and sing. 6) What qualifications do employees need to be successful here and how are those qualifications acquired? With the government we have right now, daycare/preschool teachers need to have proof of a basic understanding of child development. Before any person could be a daycare/preschool teacher. Even though some people have the qualifications, the most important qualification is that you like children and respect the children. 7) What other personality traits, skills, or knowledge are important to be successful here? You have to like children and be creative so you can make activities for the children. 8) What advice do you have about working here? Be responsible, attentive, and respectful to all of the people here: the teachers, kids, parents, officials, etc. 0 Comments |
About MeHi! My name is Ashley Price. I am in 11th grade at High Tech High International. I enjoy doing musical theater, being co-founder of my school's improv team, traveling, dancing, singing, and hanging out with my friends. I am looking to attend college in the Northeast, and major in psychology. I am currently interested in pursuing the career of either a speech therapist or a jury consultant. I am incredibly excited for my internship!
About My InternshipI am interning at a daycare center in the San Roque neighborhood in Quito, Ecuador. Below is a link to the webpage about my internship through Bolivar Education. http://www.ecuadorvolunteers.org/ecuador-volunteer-programs/children-youth-volunteering-ecuador/quito-san-roque-daycare.html#prettyPhoto ArchivesCategoriesPhoto Gallery |