Open House at St. Mary’s Preschool

Yesterday we had our annual Open House for the parents and children of St. Mary’s Preschool in Guaymas, Sonora. It was held from 6-8 in the evening, at the Preschool, with activities for the children, info for the parents, food for everyone and fun for all. One idea behind the Open House is to introduce the children to the school and teachers in a fun way so that come Monday morning they will look forward to school and lessen their separation anxiety (from their parents.) I would say the Open House was a rousing success!

At 6pm it is still quite warm (and humid) on an August night in Guaymas. So while the playground area was open to the children we also had activities inside the air conditioned classrooms. My activity was fishing in the fish pond and it was set up outside. I had a pool filled with water and little fishing poles with lines that had magnetic tips. The pool was stocked with various magnetic fishies – sharks, puffers, rays, dolphins…you dip the line in the water and snag a fish.

Our guests began arriving right at 6 which is a bit surprising… after all we are in Mexico! And before long the preschool was brimming with little kids playing on the outdoor toys and rushing in an out of the 4 classrooms. How they have that energy in the heat is beyond me. Soon enough the fish pond was the place to be and I was meeting most of the children right there. The students had nametags and it was a good way for me to introduce myself and talk to them. What I noticed right off the bat is how quiet their little voices are. It was a strain to hear some of them, and if they had a name I wasn’t familiar with I had to ask them to repeat and repeat and repeat until I got it. They probably thought I was hard of hearing.

I had little stickers to put on the children as they successfully “caught” a fish and the stickers were the motivation to catch another and another. Most of them called me, “Maestra” (teacher) and it hit me that I really am (almost anyway) a teacher. While a few of the children were quite outgoing, some were very shy and some even had an older sibling to help interpret what I was saying. I was struck by how kind the older ones were to their younger family members. There was also lots of hugging and kissing among the children. It’s a very touchy, feely environment – even in the sticky heat.

Later I sat through our Principal, Elsa’s, presentation to the parents and at the end I was introduced as the new English teacher. I said a few words to the parents and then Elsa interpreted what I said for them. I was welcomed and I felt very comfortable although I was the proverbial “fish out of water.” Snacks followed and the fishing continued…we left around 9 and I was so ready for a shower.

When I rolled into our apt I was pleasantly surprised by Mike. He had cleaned the whole apt (even mopping!) and all I had to do was relax. I think I am going to enjoy this role reversal…

Today I left school with lots of stuff to consider while finalizing my Lesson Plans for the first week of school. But like I said a few days ago, I love school!