Tricks of the Trade with Seño Katie
tions makes them believethat they are in charge of their learning, giving themownership over what is be-ing crammed into their
heads. They think, “Wow! Idid this all by myself!”
From a managementstandpoint, if you are con-stantly giving kids the op-tion, when you are firm and
don’t, they will listen. Give
a lot, and when needed, youcan take a little. Like a bank account. Save up your funds,and you can go on vacationevery once and while. Hereare some examples of howto put this technique into practice:When a student is talkingduring your lesson, say,
“You can either stay where
you are and stop talking, or you can move to a differentseat where you are not
tempted to talk. It’s up toyou.”
When the kids won’t getin line, say, “You guys can
either continue foolingaround and be late for snack,or get in line quickly andquietly and eat snack witheveryone else. You guys
decide. When you’re ready,I’ll take you outside.”
And most importantly,never let them know that
you’re frustrated. Kids love
to see how much more frus-trated we can become. Do itcalmly and with a smile onyour face.So try this strategy out. Ithas always worked for me
and I don’t know what I
would do without it.
*Katie Noren-Yeagle is a Healthy Schools PCV living in Aguacatán, Huehu-etenango. She is a graduateof Linfield College inMcMinnville, Ore. with a
bachelor’s degree in early
childhood and elementaryeducation.
We all love optionswhether they be little or lifechanging: What type of clothes we wear, type of salad dressing we eat, or what the next step in our lives will be. Having theseoptions gives us power over our lives. When someonetells us what to do, eat, or wear, we get upset and an-noyed.
Children are the sameway. Giving children op-tions gives them a sense of control in what they see as a big, chaotic and confusingworld.Any chance you get, givekids plenty of choices. Butalways give them choicesthat are acceptable to you:Would you like to sing or play a game to start the les-son today? Or even as silly
as “Eduardo, should I use a
blue or green whiteboard
marker today?”
Giving our students op-
“Giving children
options givesthem a sense of control in whatthey see as abig, chaotic and confusing
world.”
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La Hora Chapina
Comparing traditional remedies and common first aid practices in Guatemala and the States
The Bee Sting:
Healthy Schools PCV Melanie Reda (Patzún, Chimaltenango) witnessed one of her students get stung by a
bee a few weeks ago. Her teachers’ solution was to put sugar on the site of the sting.
Common first aid knowledge in the States would suggest we should check to see if the stinger is still insideand, if so, remove it by scraping it out (never squeeze or pull). The site should then be washed with soap andwater. Ice or any cold compress applied to the area will help with the swelling. Benadryl is always good tohave on hand for situations like these, especially if the sting-ee is allergic. In case of a sever allergic reaction,the victim should receive professional medical care as soon as possible.*
If you’ve experienced unusual or uncommon first aid practices here in Guatemala, send an email to Kristina
Crawley at kcrawley@gonzaga.edu. Did it seem to work? If possible, ask about the reasoning behind these practices and include that as well in your email.
The Cure
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