Day Thirteen (Jessica Corson)

What a week!

 For the past few days we have been at the Stella Maris School – the whole reason we came to Belize in the first place. While some of us were uncertain what it would be like within the walls of Stella Maris, by the time we got into the school we all quickly came to realize that, just as Dr. Al told us, this would be the fun part. And he was right. Traveling to different cities in Belize and learning about the culture of the people was absolutely stunning – it’s difficult not to be amazed by the beautiful, picturesque landscape – but visiting the school was unquestionably the more satisfying part of the trip, and the most rewarding.

Unfortunately, today was our final day at Stella Maris, and the mixture of sadness and excitement that hung over the bus on the way to the school was apparent. But we didn’t let the former get to us as we stepped into the schoolyard; we were simply overjoyed to be there, and we were going to make the most of what little time we had left.

 Phonemic awareness played a huge part throughout all of my classroom’s lessons today. We watched a video on the projector, looked at pictures, sang a song, practiced writing the letters, did puzzles, and even practiced the letters in sign language. The diversity of language used at Stella Maris is clearly evident, and it really is a wonderful thing that so many different forms of communication are allowed and encouraged at the school. These teachers care so much, and the dynamic between them and the students really shows when they use any means necessary to get the child communicating, be it verbally or non-verbally. The way the teachers work together with the children really makes me wish I kept up with my sign language; I took two whole years of ASL during my undergraduate career, but I never practiced regularly so I have unfortunately forgotten a lot of it. And while I was still able to communicate with two of my hard of hearing students throughout my time here (which of course was very satisfying!), growing closer to these students has truly made me want to relearn everything I’ve forgotten.

After classes were winding down for the day, we all distributed important supplies behind with each teacher in hopes that they would get some good use out of updated schedules, new crayons, pencils, books, and more. Despite being stocked with a good amount of learning material, there is no doubt that one will see a sharp contrast between the learning materials here, and the ones available if you visit a public school back in the United States. The differences are rather staggering, and this was just one school in one small country. I can only imagine the sheer number of educational institutions throughout the rest world that are in need.

 An assembly was called later in the afternoon as a sendoff to all of us from TAMUK and TAMIU. Knowing that our time at the school was quickly drawing to a close, I could already feel myself getting emotional before we even started lining up at the door to go to the lunchroom, which was where the assembly was being held. Some of the students already knew what was going on, so they began waving and whispering, “Bye,” to me and my partner. It was more than difficult trying not to get teary eyed, especially when the students constantly grabbed our hands and pulled us into big bear hugs.

In the lunchroom was where each and every feeling finally bubbled over and the tears finally came, gradually rolling down so many peoples’ cheeks as the teachers and students all stood to give their thanks to us for coming to visit their school, even if it was for such a short amount of time. In succession, each teacher went to the front of the room, alongside her own class, and voiced her thanks to us, while the children presented whichever grad or undergrad student was in their classroom with a special gift or note of thanks. It was so uplifting to see the work and thought that the students put into the gifts, it really made my heart swell with emotion; I didn’t want to say anything aloud for fear that I would start bawling. Having various students coming up and hugging me didn’t exactly make things any easier! We came to the school to impact these children, and of course going into it we knew that they would impact us as well, but seeing them pull together despite having few resources of their own made everything much more significant.

 The things we were able to do, and the people we were able to meet at Stella Maris – it was all a truly special experience. It’s saddening to think that we may never get another opportunity quite like this in our lifetimes, but it is imperative to remember that what we have learned here – from both the therapy and the children – will be taken back with us. We can use our newfound knowledge and apply it to new situations that we find ourselves in down the road, and it will only make us that much more successful.

There’s no question that the whole experience is a bittersweet feeling; being around the children for only three days was such a difficult task – we all wish we could have stayed at the school for a much longer time, but even so, the time we did spend there left a huge impact that will last well after we have graduated and long into our careers.