Ding, Round 2

I haven't written in a long time...because nothing has really happened. Until now. We started our second project, which is at a Denver elementary school. The school is in the bottom four schools in the district for literacy. They failed the literacy component of their last CSAP--Colorado standardized test, and if they don't raise their scores by the next time they take them, in March, the school will most likely be shut down. Our job is to work in different classrooms with students one on one helping them with their reading and writing.
The school is 95% Latino and has kindergarten through second grade classes that are entirely taught in Spanish. Above that, most classes are taught in English with assistance in Spanish. In the morning I am in a kindergarten class and in the afternoon I am in a first grade class. Both of my classes are completely taught in Spanish and all of the students are first language Spanish speakers. The kids are ADORABLE. It's kind of fun because they are learning to read and write in Spanish and are at a level right around where I am, maybe a little lower, in learning those things. When there is reading or writing time in a class I walk around and help whoever needs help, working one on one with spelling and punctuation. At the end of the day in my first grade class there is an English lesson, where the kids usually have to practice writing in English. Yesterday the teacher told the class they were all going to write something and they just sat there. Then she said "in English" and they all groaned. It was pretty cute.
Today was a half day for the kids because there was teacher training, but we came in the first half of they day and unpacked computers for a computer lab they are setting up in the library. We set up 24 new computers. The teachers and librarian were really happy that we did it because they haven't had computers in the school yet that work. We also get to go to recess with the kids, which is fun. Today I helped kids make a snowman and played four square for a while. It was pretty fun.

I think it's going to be a good project. We are running after school programs starting January 26th, which should also be fun. I will write more when something eventful happens, which it is bound to : )