My Starfish and Newly Lit Flame

31 de marzo 2014. So this past weekend was the second national Escojo Enseñar Conference. Wow. I'm still at a loss for words as to describe the weekend and it's almost midnight Monday. We arrived late Friday (damn transport in DaJabon) but safetly. Scarfing lunch down, we then made our way to the room and began with a Dominican guest speaker who was a teacher and also helped in the founding of a teachers university here in country. She. Was. Amazing. Powerful, positive, real, and empty of excuses. The things she said to the teachers were all that I've wanted to say since my arrival but knew as an American without much confianza, I couldn't do. She eliminated their excuses. Talked of dignity and honor. And was engaging and honest. I was in love. She then gave the charla on Classroom Management which was the one I was supposed to give with Ryan and Cory. We worked our asses off so while that was hard, it was absolutely worth throwing it all away. She did an incredible job. And when these things come from a Dominican? Not an American coming into another country trying to tell them how they should change (this is just how they see it, naturally, despite our intentions only being good). The day that we have only Dominicans leading and running the conferences will be the day we can truly check off success. I believe.

That, dinner, processing, and then more work for just volunteers? Went to bed at 1am and was eating breakfast by 7am a Saturday morning. That day was JAM PACKED with charlas on brain development, literacy tools and practices, positive classroom environment (me, Andrea, and Susan!), parental involvement, and special education. Our charla on the power of positivity went really well. Even when about 20 teachers corrected me on my pronunciation of the word "estrategia." And I was so grateful for it! But the difference between how I felt speaking in front of a room full of Dominicans compared to the last regional Conference? Night and day. What a confidence booster. And I was able to be me, throwing comments out here and there, joking with them, being witty with them, sharing my passion, and just plain having a personality. I can't even begin to describe how that feels. The process of Spanish was one of the hardest things I've ever done for reasons I know I've already explained plenty and the depression from it was something I never could have anticipated. But now? While I do feel as though I've plateau-ed a bit, I feel incredible. I engaged in conversation, real conversation, with so many teachers. We talked about problems, passion and hope. One teacher was there from Carrizal which is down the road from me but she lives in my site. And she's the wife of our softball coach who I love. Her and I talked for 2 hours the one night and cried together. Her raw passion is something I don't see much of here but hers is the mirror image of mine. I started noticing through the conference that her and I would start tearing up over the same things, laughing at the same things, and loving the same things...

Like with the story of the Starfish. We first all received a star and had to think of one student that was our trouble-maker, difficulty, or whatever it may be. We wrote his/her name and then listened to this story:

Había una vez un escritor que vivía a orillas del mar; donde pasaba temporadas escribiendo y buscando inspiración para su libro. 
Una mañana mientras paseaba a orillas del océano vio a lo lejos una figura que se movía de manera extraña como si estuviera bailando. Al acercarse vio que era un muchacho que se dedicaba a coger estrellas de mar de la orilla y lanzarlas otra vez al mar. 
El hombre le preguntó al joven que estaba haciendo. Este le contestó: 
- “Recojo las estrellas de mar que han quedado varadas y las devuelvo al mar; la marea ha bajado demasiado y muchas morirán”. 
Dijo entonces el escritor: 
” Pero esto que haces no tiene sentido, primero es su destino, morirán y serán alimento para otros animales y además hay miles de estrellas en esta playa, nunca tendrás tiempo de salvarlas a todas”. 
El joven miró fijamente al escritor, cogió una estrella de mar de la arena, la lanzó con fuerza por encima de las olas y exclamó ” para ésta… sí tiene sentido”. 
El escritor se marchó un tanto desconcertado, no podía explicarse una conducta así. Esa tarde no tuvo inspiración para escribir y en la noche no durmió bien, soñaba con el joven y las estrellas de mar por encima de las olas. 
A la mañana siguiente corrió a la playa, buscó al joven y le ayudó a salvar estrellas… 

(Look it up, it's worth it)

And of course, I was crying by the end. Filled with motivation, love, and renewed faith (it's been getting renewed a lot lately haha). Yoselin (my teacher that came) and I spoke a lot of things I didn't know as well from our school. Obstacles that will be difficult (some things that hurt and were difficult to hear) to overcome but we spoke of them, learned more, and filled our drive to make a change. I can't tell you how many teachers brought up their love and appreciation for our positive environment talk so I hope and pray something really is done with it. Us as Americans sometimes just don't think that they've never been taught these things. So while we get mad and upset with the teachers when they react quickly and poorly? It's sometimes unfair (though I still refuse to completely comply with it due to ignorance for many reasons I won't get into-wholeeee nother Julie speech haha). But they've literary never thought of that being wrong or harmful...

On Sunday with the starfish activity and another motivational activity, Yoselin and Noemi were supposed to leave early at 11:30am. But they didn't want to leave early anymore! So they stuck it out, got certificates and ate lunch with us :). And got home safe-I made sure they called haha.

Brendan and I got a bola to the capital (yesssss) then made our way to Monte Plata for CBT! (See next blog entry for more ;) ) haha

It was just an incredible experience. It was run smoothly, motivated the teachers and directors alike, and help bring about more information and desire for change in my site, por lo menos. And I have to say... I've got a new dream to run something like that. Knowing me I'm not sure I'd be so good at it and that's not a put-down for myself, it's just a straight up fact. I'm not the best at organizing things like my Mom. But oh baby I think I'm going to have to work on that. Because a flame was lit in my heart. I feel it. And when I think about putting something like that together for my region? Inviting all the schools in my area, with or without a volunteer? That flame swells and burns all the more. And I can already say ignoring it won't be an option.