By: Hattie
This morning in Barbados, Merrill and I spent a majority of our time uploading new software onto the XO laptops. We were given about 60 laptops that we charged up and updated ready for our upcoming week of teaching. We later spent some time discussing lessons plans and how our teaching weeks would go. There were a lot of questions flying around the room such as “what are the kids like?” and “do they enjoy what we are trying to teach them?” It was really nice that I had this trip to look back on and pull some advice from because I think my answers gave the sophomores a good idea of what to expect in a way that they may feel more prepared then when they first arrived. We found out which schools we were going to be teaching at and it was really amazing to hear that they have accepted us back into their classrooms to teach these kids once again. Going into the trip this year, I felt a lot more comfortable and excited because having been last year, it was a place I was really aware of and familiar with. Everyone in Barbados is so friendly and excited to have new people coming to enjoy the island they have become apart of. Merrill and I both believed that doing this trip again would be a great opportunity to be a leader and help the others on this project, get through the lessons and daily classroom activities. So far on this trip, I’ve really started to notice and appreciate the leadership role I have among the other girls. From advice about the best restaurants around to helpful tips about what I found to work and not work in the classrooms last year, this project has provided me with an opportunity to put my leadership skills to the test. I’m really excited to start working with the children in the classrooms and I can’t wait for the sophomores to experience the life changing times I had here last year!
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By: Merrill
This morning, Hattie and I charged the XO laptops and made sure that they were all working. We then used flash drives that Ms. Gullett made before the trip to update the computers. This was relatively frustrating because there are around 60 laptops that needed to be completely charged before we could download anything and a lot of the laptops were not allowing us to download it all. While we were working on the computers, the rest of the group went on a tour of Harrison's cave. Once they returned we all headed to the beach. We ended the night with our amazing dinner from our caterer Selena and had our usual nightly meeting. Since this is my third year going on the OLPC trip and I, along with Hattie, have taken on a leadership role. So far, it has been a different experience being more involved in the actual planning and decision making on the trip. It was really fun helping Ms. Gullett prepare and find the villa and plan other things like that because I had never really been part of the behind the scenes action in the past years. I feel like because I have more experience than most people on this trip I have been more useful than I was on my first year and can help answer some of their questions. In the upcoming week, I’m really excited to watch the other girls teach in their own unique ways and be there to help them to achieve the amazing experiences that I have had while being in the classroom. |
Deacons Primary School
Good Shepard Primary School
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