a small space for big thoughts

We’ve had a busy 2 days! Friday we had some time in Puerto Rico’s second largest city of Ponce. The students got to experience what a plaza in Spanish-speaking countries is all about: music, vendors and lots of people! That particular day there was a health fair! After spending time in the main part of the city, we headed up to the Castillo de Serralles. This “castle” was constructed in the 1930s and has been completely restored to its current museum state. Unfortunately we were able to take pictures inside, but we were able to take an almost full group picture from one of the balconies that has a spectacular view of the Caribbean Sea.  The castle wasn’t the highlight for the students this day though! This was also the night for the bioluminescent kayaking tour! If you are unfamiliar with this natural phenomenon, there are only 5 places in the world to experiences this; three of which are in Puerto Rico. Algae creates a glowing light at night that makes the water look like it’s glo...

It’s been a whirlwind of excitement for the students and me! We started our Wednesday off with a tour of old San Juan. We walked a ton and learned about the various sites that the Spanish used to protect the island from invaders. The architecture was exquisite and the kids loved seeing all of the buildings with their vibrant colors! After our tour, we were able to have some much needed beach and pool time! After spending the day traveling the day before and a long, hot walk for our tour, it was nice to be able to relax and take a break.  Yesterday, we were able to do so much! We went from the only rain forest protected by the U.S. Forest Preserve, El Yunque. We learned about the devastation that the forest experienced after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and just how long it’s taken to restore the parts of the forest were lost. It was hopeful being able to see that parts that were completely wiped out were returning to their previous green states.  After the forest, we headed to Lu...

Barely, but here we are! One year of hybrid teaching hell followed by a year of what should have been a normal year. It was everything but that. Teachers were juggling all the things…figuring out how to fill in the gaps, managing unruly student behavior, dealing with the lack of maturity due to lack of social interaction for kids from the last 2 years of craziness, and on top of that just going back to the daily grind that is teaching.  Back in January of 2021, I made the conscious decision to bring travel back to the Spanish classes at my new school. I needed something to look forward to, and I knew the students needed it too! I chose an itinerary to Puerto Rico. I’ve never been there and I figured it might be the easiest place to go to barring any COVID protocols. The activities that we are doing aren’t too jam packed into one day so that students (and I) can get some much needed relaxation, fun and time to step outside of our comfort zones.  Student travel has always been s...