Today's Message
Posted: Monday, June 18, 2012Notes from the Chile PDS
The Elementary Education and Reading Department's Professional Development Schools Consortium has two groups currently studying abroad. Pixita Del Prado Hill, associate professor, is leading a group in Santiago, Chile. Here are some excerpts from the students' blogs:
"Learning a new language is not easy, but it so absolutely amazing how much you can pick up when you are fully immersed in the culture. We have survived every day, and in order to do that, we have to use the language in different ways (ordering lunch, post office, grocery store, etc.) every day. Because it is necessary to use the language every day, it feels like every day is sink or swim time, and I for one refuse to sink. I am practicing, practicing, and practicing some more. I am so thankful for the staff at EF, our friends at U Mayor, my host mom, and the friendly people (seriously, so nice) for allowing me to feel comfortable in a foreign country and practice my Spanish without laughing at me or judging me (at least not to my face). :) " - Courtney Hammond
"Today we went to the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos. The museum of memory and human rights, it described in great detail the torture and pain the Chilean citizens dealt with during the 17-year dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. This was very upsetting and eye opening for me because I had never heard of this before. I was able to learn a lot from this museum even though it was very sad." - Nicole Clapsadle
"Global Book Hour today was pretty interesting! We started off by playing hot potato, and the girls loved it! It was a little crazy though. The teacher candidates cannot take a management class until next semester, so it was hard to keep the class on task. I’m excited to see how next week will be when I’m in the classroom all day with a teacher. I’ll be teaching English to Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders. Can’t wait!" - Casey Orth
To read more about our students and their experiences in Chile, as well as to view some stunning photos of their travels, please visit http://chilepdsatbsedu.wordpress.com.
You can also look in on the experiences of our students in Zambia, under the direction of associate professors Hibajene Shandomo and Nancy Chicola, by visiting http://zambiapdsatbsedu.wordpress.com.
