Bilingual Education for Central America

I was originally a year long volunteer with BECA as a second grade teacher in 2018-2019. This being my first summer with no prior commitments I decided to return to BECA as a summer camp counselor and even though I wasn't working directly with my old students I would use the time to visit with my students families instead. I helped assist in the 3rd to 4th grade incoming students as I currently teach 4th grade. It was a great experience because I still got to work with my former students younger siblings and meet some new families as well. I was also able to reconnect with coworkers at the school or still in the community. The program was very thorough in designing a half day structure of English immersion skills with the camp theme being the Olympics. For the 5th to 6th grade students this meant more project based learning where they were able to use their English skills to study different themes around the olympics such as learning new countries or exploring characteristics such as perseverance and hope. For the 3rd to 4th grade students who were still developing their English abilities this meant reviewing skills they learned throughout the year but encouraging more English use. Students played games where they were taught commonly used phrases in school and were given the opportunity to practice and then we would build on them to more advanced conversation. The younger class also worked on the project based learning by making country flags and preforming a readers theatre presentation for the end of camp. All of these activities were supported by BECA staff and Volunteer collaboration. In between the two weeks of camp the group went on a bonding trip to the Copan ruins to learn more about the Honduran culture.
I stayed an extra week to work on the Pasitos to Literacy program, a program to help emergent readers and their families build literacy skills at home in both English and Spanish. This program was also half day and included working with preschool to 2nd grade students and their parents. It was so fun to work with this wide age range of students through out the program. Overall a great service learning program that incorporated the need for english immersion of students and building a connection to the school and their long term collaboration with BECA's year long teaching program but also learning about the culture and getting to build lasting relationships with the community members.

My time as a volunteer teacher with BECA began in January 2018 and continued through the end of the school year. Although I had many beautiful experiences, I will list the top three reasons I went to Honduras and why I stayed. First and foremost, the students and their families are unique and unforgettable. My 25 first-graders made me smile, cry, pull my hair out, and jump for joy every day. Their desire to learn, willingness to be goofy, and the constant outpouring of love made living in Cofradia worth it. Next, Cofradia's location is perfect for traveling around Honduras and Central America. Being 45 minutes away from San Pedro Sula, the second-largest city in Honduras, makes traveling elsewhere incredibly easy. During my 6-months there, I saw two other Central American countries and 10+ other cities/villages in Honduras. Finally, experience is a constant test of innovation and creativity, two skills that can be applied to any industry or career anywhere in the world. For example, there was a time when I only had one bottle of glue for 25 students. No problem, save a couple of bottle caps from the purified water jugs and place a dollop of glue in each cap so the kids don't fight over the single bottle. Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing about my experience (in fact, I often daydream about repeating it!).

I could talk about my time with BECA for ages. I taught third grade during the 2015-16 school year, and with a background in something other than education, I found teaching students, especially that young, to be challenging. But it resulted in so many new skills, abilities I didn't know I had, and incredible professional growth that helped me get the job I have today.

My year in Honduras contributed greatly to the person I am today. Although I took Spanish for 8 years in middle and high school (and even some college), I didn't consider myself a Spanish speaker until I went to Honduras and met my students' families. Now, I work in a totally unrelated field, but I used skills I learned or improved upon every day. Every one of your future employers will look at the time you completed volunteering with BECA as an extremely positive asset, regardless of whichever industry you end up in.

If you're considering volunteering with BECA, you should know you are signing up for an extremely rewarding challenge. My experience with BECA could easily be classified as a rewarding challenge. There are certain aspects of teaching in rural Honduras that will force you to be flexible and stretch yourself, your thinking and your creativity. There are numerous ways in which being a BECA teacher made me a better teacher. Being a BECA teacher forced me to take culturally responsive teaching into consideration at all moments (both in/out of the classroom). I learned the versatile art of "making it work" in terms of limited materials. I exercised my flexibility and problem-solving skills. The students enrolled at the BECA schools undoubtably made all of the challenges 110% worth it! In some ways, having limited resources urged me to be creative and really take a critical look at my own pedagogy. There is a strong emphasis on learning as the purpose of school and this emphasis is evident at every BECA school campus.

Though there are a number of challenges that come being being a BECA teacher the work was INCREDIBLY rewarding. When it was hot and sweaty, my students reminded me why I loved being their teacher. If you're used to teaching in a compressive US-based public/private school, a BECA school will be very different in a number of ways. That being said, that difference is not inherently bad. BECA has a substantial summer training session to prepare teachers to be successful in the classroom, so having that proper experience is not essential.

I like to say that I did more learning than teaching during my time as a BECA teacher. As a BECA teacher, I re-examined my own values as an educator especially related to equity in education and seeing the power of student efficacy and success. It was always clear to me that everything we, as teachers, did was for the benefit of the students and we were always pushing forward and rooting for our students. I was constantly pushing myself to be the best teacher I could be. If you are somebody who cares deeply about the potential for student growth and success, a BECA school is a place for you.

I taught with BECA for two years right after graduating from undergrad. Everyone I met from the support team in the US to the in-country staff and volunteers were incredible people. The best part of all was how close you become with the community members themselves. We’d hear the daily gossip from the licuado lady, stop for a coffee with families, play in the park with students, and enjoy all sorts of special holidays and events, which of course wouldn’t be complete without fireworks and lots of baleadas. During my two years in Honduras I not only learned a lot about la cultura catracha and teaching, but I learned a lot about myself. I know it sounds cliche, but my two years with BECA changed my life. Without a doubt I would not be the person I am today if I hadn’t of committed to volunteering with BECA.