First Class

Today was our first day of class. We arrived on time at 5:30pm. 10 minutes later we were sitting in the chairs outside the health clinic waiting…no one had come. I was quite disappointed. I had invited many people that I knew from my strolls through the fields and my time in the health clinic (Many don´t know how to sign their name.) I teased Natalie about how we needed to focus on finding like a missionary, and she gave me a horrified look.

 As we were leaving to look for someone to teach, I noticed a lady hidden under a tree who happened to be there for the Literacy Class. Coni (the teacher) had told them that there would be class, but hadn´t told them that it would be three gringos teaching. She had wanted it to be a suprise. Over the next ten minutes four more students arrived, and we started to teach them. They are all older women from a generation were education was a very low priority. 

Two that I remember particularly well are Manuela and Beatriz. 

Manuela is a little dignified old lady probably around 70 years-old. She has one of those highly wrinkled faces that express a lot of emotion whether it be joy, frustration, or impatience. I was working with her on how to write her name. It was necessary to write it in large letters as her eyes "don´t work like they used to." It was also necessary to explain to her how to write every letter. For example, an M goes- up to the top line, down to the middle line, back up to the top line and then down to the bottom line. At the end of the class she could write her first name on a line and was quite proud of her accomplishment- her clever old eyes twinkling as she asked for her homework.

Beatriz has the look of a smart student who dropped out of school when she had her first child. She is around 30 and actually belongs to the middle school class, but came early for more practice. She is quick to understand and is working on long division and multiplication. She is fast and all of her answers are correct. 

Time flew by and when the hour was over we were complimented on our teaching skills and told that they couldn´t wait until their next class. I don´t think I have ever had such eager students.