Student Work: 5th Grade Endangered Birds, 4th Grade Coral Collages, and High School Identity Paintings

more from expeditions...

This 5th grade class is full of very enthusiastic learners. Their expedition was on endangered birds in the DR, specifically from our region. These kids really did become experts on the birds they studied and where ever they were on campus for the last few weeks their heads have been turned sky-ward looking to spot these creatures. For their art class we did detailed drawings of their birds and the used what we learned about patterns to pick out field markings that could be used to identify the bird.

Here are a few selections from their work-- including drafts and their final drawing

The 6th grade class once again did their study on coral reefs in the DR. They made mixed media collages based on some of the issues they were learning about that threaten the coral reefs (i.e. pollution, bleaching, overfishing, etc.) These were created during a study of work by Robert Rauschenberg. 

 

Lastly, three of my students in my 11th grade art class chose to integrate their final art history project into their final products for their expedition on cross-cultural relations. These ladies did a short study on a Latin American artist and used that artist's style and to create a work that communicated their own cultural context and how they straddle and grapple with all that forms their identities. I am very proud of what they came up with!

Expedition Projects: Fall 2011

Another semester completed. As always with the end of the semester, this one ended with students scampering to finish projects, polish presentations, and organize the summation of their learning for the past several weeks. Expeditions build up to a special night at school, open house style, when students present the process and products of their learning units. As the art teacher I get to have a hand in most of these units with integrated projects. Here are some snip-its of what our Doulos students did this semester:

2nd Grade studied germs and healthy habits-- for expedition night they created a "news broadcast" about what germs do and how to avoid them. Each student created a small poster communicated a way to avoid germs (i.e. covering your mouth when you sneeze, or washing your hands with soap) them their individual posters made up the backdrop to their news show.

1st Grade also studied healthy living-- but focusing on exercise and healthy eating. for art class they created cut-paper collages of different healthy menus that were then made into placemats with the recipes on the back so they can take it home and make those foods. They loved weaving a placemat and finding ways to make food out of paper.

3rd Grade studied simple machines. They wrote short stories in their English class that involved a problem/solution plot with a simple machine. In art class we create a title page illustration.

For the past few years the fourth grade expedition has been on Recycling. And each year there has been a different art project that we've tried with it. I was especially excited about what we came up for this class.

The 4th graders used broken and discarded glass (there is no real recycling system in this country) to create individual mosaics. They came up with a class slogan to write with the mosaics. Then we hung them outside of their classroom....

It might be hard to see, but the 4th graders wrote-- BE CREATIVE WITH US!

loooove it.

rainy season

Sometimes I can't tell if it is raining outside my window or if that is just the noise of the palm tree leaves rustling together.

All the americanos here say they are missing autumn in their home-states. While I can sometimes agree, for the most part I prefer my palm leaves that sound like rain over the mushy dead leaves that are now all over the sidewalks in Kansas.

my first Dominican manicure

Momma G-- I knew you'd be proud :)

One of our 11th grade ladies has become quite the nail artist as she earns money to pay for her reduced tuition fees at Doulos and help her family pay their house bills. Yesterday I got to enjoy visiting with her at her house and getting my nails did--en el estilo Dominicano.

God has been blessing Keith and I this semester by giving us opportunities to get to know our students more, especially the high schoolers. A lot of that probably has to do with the fact that the longer you know someone, the more you know about them-- duh. But we are also seeing the fruit of prayer, courage, and intentionality (just made that word up.).

Last year Keith and another guy teacher tried a few times to gather some boys that played basketball after school for a bible study. It never quite got off the ground because of schedule issues. This year though, Keith has been seeking relationships with the 10th grade boys. These hilarious young men are much like Keith when he was in high school-- and I think that is why he has been drawn to them. When they come over to our house I usually try to give them their space and even get out of the house. This last week was a good picture of why....
as I walked up to the house, I see these 6 boys and Keith standing on our roof (which is not unusual, there is a staircase on the back that allows access). They greet me with the usual yelling-- Mrs. Kerrie! I said my saludos in response and went inside. Then I hear, THUD THUD WACK SMACK THUD and various other noises as such. Apparently I had not noticed when I arrived that each of these fine young men held a stick of dried bamboo in their hand, and when I was out of sight they recommenced their bamboo sword fighting chaos that I had walked up on. Of course they eventually ganged up on Keith and he quickly said ya basta. All six of them piled into our station wagon and Keith taxied them all home. In the back patio I found the remnants of the homemade pizza they devoured, the card tricks they were showing off, and the coca-cola they were hyped up on, and shards of bamboo scattered in the most obscure places.

This is why I give them their space.

I don't mind it though-- if it means they don't have to worry about me overhearing their discussions of Proverbs, prayer requests, belching, or whimpering after they get whacked in the calf muscle by a swatch of bamboo.

Sure does sound like something the high school Keith and his buddies would have done though, right? ;)

This is one of many ways that Keith and I are growing deeper into loving these precious lives that we get to teach daily. While we might not always feel lucky to see them everyday (teaching still comes with its joys and frustrations), when we take the time to refocus we always end with praise to our God-- We are blessed to be here and to do this work.

sunrise from our roof. yes, it's true. we go to work everyday during the sunrise.

We're in the height of expeditions right now, and at least for me, the pressure of the end of the year is growing every day. Piles of projects and lessons tower in my mind and in my office. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of all of it later.

Margins

I completed my first zumba session yesterday, and today the only part of me that is sore is my arms. I’m perplexed by how such a level of cardio and hip and abdominal gyrating would result in only my arms feeling like they had a work out.

Last year, for a high school fitness class, every Friday afterschool a zumba workout was held via dvd. I was usually envious that my schedule would not permit me to participate. However, this new year has enabled me to enthusiastically attend these zumba “classes”. Yesterday the only people to finish out the session were myself, our amazing zumba-fanatic principal, the kindergarten assistance teacher, and a 10^th grade young woman with an outstanding attitude and gorgeous hair all the way down her back—perfect for the zumba flava.

I am optimistic that as more staff and students see how fabulous we look trying to mimic the salsa queens on the video, they will be enticed to join us.

...................................................

I am trying to protect the margins in my life. For some reason when I say margins I think of my friend, Graham. As I look back, I believe there was a time when I must have heard Graham speaking of the margins in his life and I recall feeling unaware of what that looked like or what it even meant to have margins.

Over the past year and a half I think that I have come to understand what Graham must have been talking about. There will never be enough time, you must take time. It is beyond just being disciplined in a particular moment or day, taking time to live a life with margins requires planning and really a whole new lifestyle. Of course, there is the requisite of “saying no”. But often when I “say no” to a fuller agenda, my heart and mind are just as fragmented and hurried than if I were to be actually doing those things I said no to.

Last night during a discussion with some other married couples around this same topic, my friend quoted Richard Foster in posing the question—would you answer your cell phone if you were already in a conversation with the One True God? Because the odds are whatever that phone call was about could really be taken up at another moment; it could stand to wait in line after your conversation with your Creator.

As it turns out this morning, during my time of prayer and reading, my phone rang.
And without a second thought, I walked to the other room and answered it.

When I sat back down, my friend’s question and our concurrent discussion about taking time and making space in our hearts and minds came back to my thoughts.

Classroom Commotion: Firsts of the Second

after two and a half weeks of reunions, reminders, refreshers, and lots of preparation...the staff of Doulos brings you ---The First Day of School.


Many people have asked how I feel about going into my second year of teaching. In one regard, compared to last year, I feel really ready and equipped! In the other, less relative regard, I feel excited and anxious, and still very confident that the Lord has some great things planned for our students this year. It is in his hands.

During our return to the DR after our visit to Kansas in July, I felt conflicted in all the callings God was pressing into my heart. Mostly I was nervous about departing from my family. But God squelched all worries as we were embraced back into our community and mission in Jarabacoa. There is a sweet aroma in reunions of friends that are family. Last year, like most people when then move to a new place and start new jobs, we struggled through not being known.
However in returning for our second year it is every evident that we are known in this community now. We have shared experiences, aligned hearts and minds, and our eyes cast on the same thing.

The Doulos Staff*

The greetings and hugs from our students also are a great help in making us feel known here.
This year, we know our students and they already trust us. The DR is an extremely relational culture. This makes the patterns of international mission work (many people coming in and out) taxing for people that put a lot of emphasis on relational loyalty. In the long term, that reality scares me because I too dislike it when people come and go. Although in the short term, I love my students (all ~250 of them) and I love continuing the relationships I've started with them. From the giddy little first graders to the dramatic high schoolers, God has filled me with joy to be around them again and has blessed me to be able to love and serve them again.

*The picture of the staff was taken two weeks ago, in front of the mural that myself and a few talented others created at a public school. It was one of many projects we did during our staff service day.

a few celebrations...and the tour de france totally ripped off my motto.

to celebrate the conclusion of our first year in the DR, Keith surprised me with a lovely dinner on the roof of our house, complete with a mountain sunset. We have access to our roof via some stairs in the backyard. It is the perfect place to get a view of the mountains to the south of us and the fields surrounding the rest of our house. We definitely don't go up there enough.

to celebrate my father's heart being restored to good health, God gave my parent's house the best views of Kansas summer sunsets in all of the flint hills. I love returning to my parents house where it truly feels like I am in Kansas again. The porches there are probably some of my favorite spots out of everywhere I've traveled. Peace abounds when I gaze out at the hills and clouds.

and to celebrate Keith and I's first anniversary, we biked a century. 100 miles for year 1. Now we decided to do this because we resolved to do something "extreme" for each of our anniversaries-- to make it more memorable and because we just did. So after tossing around a few ideas, we were inspired by our dear friends J. and S. Ramm and Keith's parents (who also completely outfitted us for this adventure with all of their gear, including lending us their bike). We rode 50 miles down to Council Grove, stayed the night at a quaint B&B and rode the 50 miles back. I think what made this the most extreme, is that we were very untrained for this type of activity. but! we did it! and my new motto....

 

pain is temporary, glory is eternal

June Update: On the Heels of Rain

Writing is a lot harder after a long time without doing it.

We are finally on our summer break. Our spring semester seemed like it would never end. I mean it was 22 weeks long...which is like a 4 weeks longer than the usual semester. But alas, we have completed our first school year at Doulos, and everything (well most of everything) is done. There are still a few "loose ends" that won't seem to conclude that are still riding on my back, but I'll fill you in on those later, maybe if/when they are finally finished.

It rained here for almost 6 weeks straight. Everyday. No exaggeration. Starting May 1, like the clouds had a calendar to guide them, it began to rain. And it wasn't until just this week that we had over 24 hrs without rainfall. I am very happy to say that blue skies have been rampant for the first week of our summer break. Laundry on the clothesline has been drying within a couple hours, I can the windows of our house open all day, and the water from our faucets have been as clear as Dominican tap water can get. I'm a happy camper.

Recently, I have been feeling over and over again God's affirmation of our calling to be here. Both my parents and Keith’s family have visited within the past two months—topping off our semester of visitors. After dropping each of them off at the airport, driving back to Jarabacoa, I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of home. Of course, I appreciated and savored the time with our visitors but not once did I feel like I needed/wanted to jump on the plane back to Kansas with them. Here is were we are supposed to be; among the mountains and palm trees, the colmados and pico pollo, and among our fellow staff and students.

A few recent circumstances have brought to my attention how much I love the students at Doulos. They are precious in the Lord's eyes, and my heart truly longs for each one of them to have life to the full as God has promised for a life spent with Him. And a few other recent circumstances have helped me realize that God is fulfilling His promise for Keith and I in bringing us here.

During our first weekend in Jarabacoa, back in August, Keith and I had a conversation surrounding what we heard God telling us about our transition into living and working in Jarabacoa. We both confirmed that we felt God telling us we needed healing. From what we did not know and why/how we did not know. I am beginning to see that indeed, we are being transformed.

 

more on about that transformation later

born of water and spirit

ay, semana santa is coming to what seems like a premature end. I'm not going to lie, having a week off this close to the end of the semester (our last day is June 10th), has made me itch like mad for summer. Especially with the big culmination of expedition night right before we left for break.

As expected, the Doulos campus was moving and shaking with the preparations for expedition night last Thursday (April 14th). Each class had pretty much finished all their learning content, so they were working hard to complete and polish their products-- whether they be giant displays, orations, or multi-faceted presentations, these students were working hard. With the help of Stef, the work team from Mosaic church, and some spirit-led planning the vast majority of the art projects for every grade was accomplished prior to that Thursday of campus prep. So mostly I was able to make the rounds to all the classes and pass out art supplies that students requested and deliver their art projects. I also spent the day hosting my parents for their first day in the DR!

Ma and Pa Emig arrived the night before expedition night. We were lucky to have them here during the most exciting week of the semester. They were able to see the prime example of the learning/teaching model Doulos uses and celebrate with us and the community in the achievements and hard-work of our students. It was probably a lot to take in but we balanced it out with a few days on the beach to zone out on warm sand, rolling waves, and cool breezes.

Keith and I, along with some other friends, are going to the Easter vigil at the monastery tonight.  This morning I was reading through the missal in order to prepare myself in the liturgy before tonight (the services at the monastery are all in Spanish, and sometimes it is hard for me to follow unless I read the liturgies beforehand).  I felt caught in the liturgy of the baptism. Prior to today, it has never struck me so strongly that the ritual of baptism follows so perfectly in the purpose of this service-- the remembrance of all the good things the Lord has done for his people and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. During the rite of baptism this prayer will be said over the water:

" Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs, which tells us the wonders of your unseen power. In Baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament. At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of Baptism, that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness. Through the waters of the Red Sea you led Israel out of slavery, to be an image of God's holy people, set free from sin by Baptism. In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. Your Son willed that water and blood should flow from his side as he hung upon the cross. After his resurrection he told his disciples: “Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  Father, look now with love upon your Church, and unseal for her the fountain of Baptism.  By the power of the Spirit give to the water of this font the grace of your Son. You created man in your own likeness: cleanse him from sin in a new birth to innocence by water and the Spirit."

Student Work: Service Week Mural

every spring semester Doulos has service week. In early March, each grade goes into the community and finds a way to serve the people around us. From reforestation and water filters to bringing cookies and prayers to hospital patients and a carnival for orphans, our students and teachers are spread themselves throughout Jarabacoa for a week.

this year I was able to coordinate my high school elective class and the 8th grade class to do a mural in the library of one of the public schools (Barrio Blanco) as well as do other small things to serve the students of that school. My high schoolers and I designed the mural and did most of the artwork, while the 8th graders did some wall prep and painting but mostly spent time with the students of the public school. the 8th grade guide teacher and the Barrio Blanco principal also arranged a charla (chat/meeting) with our students and the Barrio Blanco 8th graders-- a chance for the students to swap some life stories with one another.

It was a lot of work, a very taxing project for me because the other guide teacher ended up sick for two out of the three days and was unable to go with us. Despite that I was impressed how it all came together. 

before

primed

grid and sketching

base coats

all done

I was proud to do such a project with my students.







Though, I have been left with this question--
Can a servant's heart be taught to or trained in someone?