This has been such an incredible experience.  It is hard to put into words all the different emotions I felt this week.  I had the honor of spending a week at Mt. Airy All Age School. From the moment we entered, we were treated as though we were family and had been a part of their school for years.  It was neat to see the reactions of the teachers and students when they saw those that had been there before.  Even though this was my first year, they made me feel that I belonged there. I have so many incredible moments, but I will just share a few.  The students I worked with during small group pullouts were amazing.  My favorite small group moment was when Keesha and I were working with a bigger pullout group.  There was a little boy who had been struggling to write his name.  We had been working on letter identification and formation and Keesha helped him write his name.  He started running off and we didn’t know what he was doing or where he was going.  He said he was going to show his friend how he wrote his name.  He was so proud!!  It melted my heart to see him so happy and proud of his accomplishment. The students are beyond amazing!

Keesha and I were also able to model co-teaching for the first and second grade teachers.  We created a few different lessons to show the teachers what co-teaching really is.  It was so cool to see them implementing some of the strategies we showed them. By the end of the week they were teaching lessons together while working effectively as co-teachers and playing off of each others strengths.  We worked with four amazing first and second grade teachers.  The students are so lucky to have them!

We can learn a lot from the people of Jamaica.  Everyone is so genuinely caring, compassionate, full of life, grateful for what they have, and truly wonderful. I believe they taught me more than I can ever teach them.  I will miss everyone with all my heart.  They will forever be a part of me.  I am grateful for the opportunity to work with extraordinary kids, teachers, my classmates/peers, and Great Shape, Inc!  I hope to come back for many years to come.

P.s.  To all my fellow Great Shapers- You’re the Best, You’re the Best, You’re the Best!!