Day 12: Stella Maris, Day 3 (Denise Hernandez) January 13, 2016

Last night each group worked hard preparing materials for today’s lesson. It was challenging using minimal resources to make our activities, but we were so glad we got it done. I don’t know how the teachers at Stella Maris do it. It made us realize we shouldn’t take what we have at home for granted. We made sure that the materials we used in our classrooms were functional and met the student’s needs. Our third day at the Stella Maris School began with the bus picking us up around 8:45 a.m. We were all pretty excited to show our materials to the teachers and students. As soon as we arrived, we picked up trash lying around the school then headed our way to the resource center to pick up materials for the class activities each group planned.

Photo: TAMUK and TAMIU working together to clean the school’s playground; we are all truly humbled to be a part of this journey and being able to give back to the school since they have given us so much.

Photo: Karina looking through the donated school supplies and therapy materials The past two days the students in Miss Elliott’s classroom have been practicing social skills such as how to greet a future employer and answering questions for a job interview. Well today, Miss Elliott had exciting news for one of the female students who had interviewed at a local restaurant yesterday; the good news is one of Miss Elliott’s students will be working at Miss Annette’s restaurant once she graduates! The whole class gave her a round of applause; I got teary eyed seeing how happy and supportive her classmates were and the look on her face when she was told she will start working come March was priceless. My partner and I, along with 3 other students, were able to join two classes on their field trip around Belize City. Several of the students mentioned they want to be a mechanic, construction worker, mail man, and cosmetologist. Prior to heading on out, my students practiced introducing themselves, and I made sure they each looked presentable with their shirts tucked in and hair nicely combed. The girls had a good time fixing their hair and putting on perfumed lotion; it is the simple and little things that make them happy. Our first stop was at a mechanic shop; the boys were the only ones interested in touring the shop and speaking to the mechanic, so the girls and I stayed on the bus. While waiting for the boys, one of the students invited me to play a hand clapping game with her and her friends. I felt honored being able to join in on the fun. By the third stop, some of the students started to get restless while waiting in the bus for the others. One of the students sitting next to me started hitting a classmate; I explained to her hitting is wrong and to use her words instead of her hands. Thankfully, one of my classmates had a social story targeting this issue. This was a perfect opportunity to make use of our time and provide some speech therapy in the bus! The student in trouble was happy to follow along while I was reading the social story and discuss what could have been done differently. For many of the students, this was a new experience, and they handled themselves well. Each student was well behaved at the job site using good listening skills and manners. The owners of the shops saw each child for who she/he truly is and didn’t see their disability. These students amaze me because they are each capable of so much more than others give them credit for. I’m so glad I was able to be a part of this beautiful and growing experience with the students. This trip with the students has made me laugh and filled my heart with love.

Photo: Students getting a tour of a construction site. Miss Elliott and Miss Charlesworth are amazing teachers and role models for their students. The amount of work they dedicate to each child is great to see, and I’m grateful for what they have taught me. The children and teachers have inspired me these past three days, I can’t wait to share this experience with my family and the girls from TAMUK. Tomorrow will be our last day at the Stella Maris School, and we all wished we could stay at the school for an extra day. We will be distributing the donated school supplies and materials to all the teachers. Smiling and connecting with the students, made everyone feel better about what we were doing and that is something you definitely cannot buy.

Photo: Beautiful artwork done by the students at Stella Maris

Photo: Students playing basketball during recess; the children had so much fun playing basketball, soccer, volleyball and drawing with chalk on the school playground. You can’t help but smile when you hear the children laughing and having a genuinely good time :)