Day Four, School Visitation

The schools in Puerto Rico have a delayed opening until next week, so that a plan for dealing with the H1N1 virus could be developed. So today, when we visited Abraham Lincoln School in Old San Juan, we were not able to see students. We did have time to talk with teachers, and it was a wonderful opportunity to share views and information.



The school building was old, but nicely decorated for the coming year.





Classes are taught in Spanish with one period devoted to instruction in English. It is taught as a foreign language, and the students must take an assessment in English, like we take PSSAs. At Lincoln School, there is an English teacher who sees students in grades 2-6 each day, and another teacher for the younger students.

The teachers said it is hard for first graders who come to school without knowing Spanish.

The classrooms are self-contained, with one class in each grade.

There were blackboards in the classrooms, filmstrip projectors and record players in the library. I saw a few computers in the English room. A difference from my classroom, where there are whiteboards, a smartboard, and computer cart.

The dedication of the teachers and their genuine concern for their students was very apparent. Two that I spoke with had taught on the mainland and wanted to come back to give to their students here the experiences and methods they had learned.

The English teacher had many colorful posters with English words for shapes, numbers, etc, and seasons. I asked if it was hard to teach the concept of winter here. She replied that sometimes when it gets a little colder than usual, some kids ask if it's winter. Understandable!

To go along with the great pride in Puerto Rico that is felt by the people here, each morning in an assembly, the school community sings the national anthem of Puerto Rico and then The Star Spangled Banner, while placing their hands over their hearts.