Teaching English And Volunteering In Pantanal
It’s hot in Granada during the dry season and, according to the weather forecasters, it’s going to get even hotter next month. This February the temperature has averaged in the mid-to-upper eighties. In the neighborhood where we volunteer for Education Plus Nicaragua, Pantanal, the temperature seems to be amplified by several degrees. The corrugated tin roof that covers the classroom at the school seems to intensify the heat. When the breeze makes an unexpected appearance it picks up the fine grit from the bare dirt yards and unpaved roads and deposits a fresh layer that sifts across and down over everything.
Few tourists visit Pantanal and taxi drivers are reluctant to drive us to the neighborhood because of the distance from city center, the unpaved roads in much of the barrio and the detours caused by sewer extension construction. Some days, if we don’t have our usual taxi driver, Nestor, we’ll have to ask over and over “Barrio Pantanal, por favor?” before we receive an affirmative response; most simply give a brusque shake of the head as they continue on their way.
We arrive each morning about 11:30 at the home owned by Yanni and her family where the school is currently located. We set up the low tables and chairs which serve double duty as dining tables for those children receiving lunch or dinner and desks for the seventy or so students in one of the four classes. 
Serving lunch to the youngest of the students is one of our favorite times. The little ones, of pre-school and kindergarten age, line up with their bowls, spoons and glasses that they bring from home and wait patiently. For some, this might be their only meal for the day. Only a few weeks ago, when they first enrolled in the school at the beginning of January, it was a madhouse with children shouting, pushing and shoving to be first in line. Now they wait. They know there will be food for all.
Following hand washing, we take turns with the other volunteers alternating between pouring the reconstituted milk into their glasses and dishing up the day’s offerings which might include
rice, beans, soy patties, cabbage slaw salad or fried plantains. The children begin the meal time with a prayer in Spanish, hands steepled together, occasionally peeking out at one another from under their brows. Towards the end of the meal the kids will share the food they don’t want with others and there’s always a stray dog or two from the street winding their way under the tables hopefully waiting for the scraps.
When lunch is over we team up with the newly hired Nicaraguan college student, Johanna, to teach English to three classes daily, every Monday through Thursday from 12:30 to 3:00. We divide the children into small groups to facilitate both learning and control. The materials are a mishmash of donated educational items and home-made flash cards and posters. There is a portable white board at the front of the classroom area for the teacher and students to use. Each weekend we plan out ways to introduce new vocabulary, activities and songs to make the learning fun for all of us.
At the end of the afternoon, we catch a taxi home, sometimes buoyed and smiling by a day that went as we had planned with games and learning proceeding as envisioned. Other days we leave a little disheartened or frustrated by one or another of the classes that was disruptive or uncooperative. We’re enervated by the cacophony that surrounds the little open school room in Pantanal; the children, the barking dogs and the booming loud music and Spanish talk radio from the house next door. We return to our area of town where the temperature seems to be not so intense, the streets are paved and we can walk in our bare feet across the cool, clean tile floors of our apartment.
But when the taxi arrives the next morning at Yanni’s house, there will be a few early arrivals waiting with smiles and eager bright-eyed faces, arms outstretched for a hug and ready to help us haul out the tables and chairs for another day.
Jumping rope – Education Plus at Pantanal, Granada, NIC 2014
By Anita and Richard, March, 2014
Kudos to you!
LikeLike
Thanks! Volunteering is truly a rewarding experience and, on the days when it’s less so, all you need is one smile to bring the enthusiasm back!
LikeLike
Well done on your volunteering. This appears to be a tremendously worthwhile endeavor and one that more people should consider participating in.
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment. There are so many places to volunteer while travelling and it’s a great way to settle in to a community and make new friends. We gain as much or more through volunteering as the people we are working with!
LikeLike
What a wonderful thing to do with your time. It doesn’t sound easy when even getting to the school is an adventure, but teaching these children must be a very rewarding experience.
LikeLike
Volunteering is always a terrific experience for us! The time and effort are well worth it and it’s great to have the time to give for the reward of smiles all around!
LikeLike
Que bueno. As much as we complain about the public education provided in some American cities these days (including my hometown of Philadelphia, PA), this is a good reminder of the lengths that people in other countries must go to get any formal education for their children.
LikeLike
Thanks, Suzanne, for stopping by our blog. The educational system in both Guatemala and Nicaragua has been really an eye-opening experience. It’s amazing to see how much is accomplished with so little. The children make it truly worth the effort.
LikeLike
Kudos to you for taking on the task, which although I’m sure must be rewarding, it must also be daunting at times. I say this as I am a retired classroom teacher who understands the realities of teaching. Well-done!
LikeLike
I’ve always had great admiration for teachers (my mom was one) and now I know why I didn’t want to do this as a full time job during my working career (HaHa!)! It’s a good thing we’re volunteering because some days…! Thanks for visiting our blog.
LikeLike
Have not been to Granada, but hope to visit Nicaragua some day soon for my chocolate travels. I have had chocolate from there and it is excellent! Looks like you are having some interesting travels. Enjoy!
LikeLike
Thanks for visiting our blog. There’s an excellent chocolate museum here in Granada for you to scope out for your chocolate travels and enjoy. You’ll love Granada!
LikeLike
Looks like such a rewarding experience and the kids looks so cute!
LikeLike
We’ve said it many times before that, even though it’s hard work, we think we gain more from the volunteer experience than the kids!
LikeLike
What a great blog entry!
Having toured the school, I know what great work y’all are doing. And I know just hot sweltering the heat is!
LikeLike
Thanks, Sissy, for your kind comment. You would have loved to see the crayons melting on one of the tables on Thursday!
LikeLike