A Honduran house with a storm brewing in the background.
My name is Viera and I’m this year’s 8th and 9th grade English teacher.
I came to Cofradía at the beginning of August this year, not knowing what to expect. Despite having information about the school, I couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like—not just the school, but Honduras in general.
There are so many things about this place I love. The countryside is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was the mountains. We are surrounded by beautiful vast green mountains, and Cusuco National Park, another mountainous area, is nearby.
The beautiful green mountains that fill much of Honduras.
People here in Cofradía are really nice, too. It was really funny for me at first when people started calling me ‘Miss.’ I’m still getting used to walking down the street and having my kids or their family members greet me with ‘Buenos dias, Miss.’ It’s feels good to get that level of respect from people.
A quiet street in Cofradía.
And now a little bit about teaching.
When I decided to come to Honduras, I was really curious to find out what it is like to teach Honduran teenagers. Well…it’s fun. They are like any other teenagers in the world, I imagine. They’re funny and giggly, but also easily bored. I like them very much. They are a handful, but on the other hand, my hard work is rewarded when I realize that I will have a positive impact on their lives.
One of my favorite activities with my students is discussing various topics with them, such as current events or a political or social situation. I love listening to their diverse opinions. Now is the time of their lives when they’re determining their moral values and turning into adults, and it shows in the discussions. I could chat with them forever.
We also have a lot of fun together. A couple of weeks ago we talked about Honduran music, which I know very little about. I asked my students to sing songs, and instead of being shy, they actually sang couple of songs, using their desks as drums. It was beautiful and extremely noisy.
I recently had a little party with my 9th grade class to reward their good behavior, and I stupidly started a glitter fight with them (naively thinking they wouldn’t ‘attack’ their teacher—I was wrong). You should have seen me—I was covered with blue and green sparkly glitter. It was almost impossible to get it off of me.
The 9th graders, spending a little time outside at the lunch tables.
But it’s not just fun and parties down here—last week was a tough one—exams week. But the kids did well.
I can’t wait for the second bimester and for more fun.
