The girls at Gimnasio Cantillana are required to complete 80 hours of community service in order to graduate. Once a week, the 10th and 11th graders teach English to primary school students at one of the local public schools in Bucaramanga, Cabecera del Llano. On Tuesday, Lauren and I joined them at the school. Lauren and I toured many elementary school classes and were warmly greeted with songs, questions (how much does a cup of coffee cost in the United States) and hugs.
Like many public schools in Colombia, the students come from families who have been forced to leave the countryside due to violence and lack of employment opportunities. In the morning, secondary students attend classes from 6:20 - 12:00. In the afternoon the primary school students enter the building from 12:30 - 6:20. The classes we observed had close to forty students in tight classroom spaces. Many of these students will stay in this school and will enter SENA, the technical training program for students in Colombia.
Ingrid, one of the English teachers, has been working to increase the level of English language and comprehension for her secondary school students but she is having a hard time motivating her students to learn. She asked Lauren and I to return to the school on Thursday morning to speak to her students in English and answer questions they have about education and about the United States.
We are looking forward to spending more time there on Thursday morning!
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| Entrance to the School |
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| Answering questions about the United States |
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| Middle School Students |
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