Day 22- Last Day at CPI

Today was our final day at CPI and taking Spanish classes. We had the morning free to go to the bank to pay our exit tax to leave the country and then had class together to discuss everything that we have learned and experienced on this trip. I have learned so much being here in Costa Rica and it is hard to write it all! Being immersed in the culture was a huge learning experience for me and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to live with host families. I think I learned the most from conversing with them and seeing the way in which their culture thinks through their eyes. I learned a lot about my future classroom and ways in which I can help not only my ELL learn, but also all the students that enter my class. I have learned to celebrate struggles and how to overcome them with a positive attitude. A lot of the time, we were going to the Elementary schools expecting to teach one lesson, but had to adapt and change right on the spot to what the teacher in the classroom wanted to be done. I loved observing the classrooms and seeing the similarities and differences between the United States and Costa Rican education system. Throughout this experience, I have had the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of an ELL student by coming to the country with little Spanish knowledge and leaving having learned so much. Many times throughout the trip, I became frustrated not begin able to say what I wanted to say to my family because I didn't know enough Spanish. By the end of the trip, I was able to understand almost everything that my mama tica told me, but still had a hard time responding with detail. I learned that it is easier to understand people speaking a different language than to actually speak it. I have grown to appreciate nature and how I can practice different tools that I saw in the schools in my own future classroom. One of the best things that I learned was to have high expectations for all my students. No matter what the background of the student, all students are capable of learning so much and it is not fair to the students who come from "not the typical American family" to have lower expectations from their teacher. These children are our future and it is our job as teachers to provide them with as much experience, knowledge, and resources as possible so they can live a successful live and pass on their knowledge to others.

We had our final Spanish class today and then had a small "graduation ceremony" together and get a certificate for completing the full 60 hours of Spanish instruction. We also were presented with a slideshow of pictures from our entire three weeks here and remember all the memories that we made while being here. Today is CPI's 20th anniversary so there is a fiesta tonight with live music, dancing with everyone that has made CPI such a success. Our host families, staff, groups, and even bus drivers are invited and it will be a great send off to our final day here in Monteverde!

Above are pictures of my spanish class, my graduation certificate, and my host parents at the fiesta!