Escuela Katitawa

I have kept most of these blog entries rather impersonal up until this point, as a day-by-day or week-by-week chronicle of one's life can be a rather tedious read, one I would not subject anyone to on this blog. I will have to relax that standard in the next few entries, however, as there really isn't that much pure information to be posted, and a mere description of a small school in rural Ecuador would seem out of place next to entries about Quito, Mindo and the like.

First, the facts. I have been teaching the past month or so at the Katitawa School in rural Salasaca Ecuador. It is an alternative elementary school with between 35-40 students ranging from kindergarten to grade 7. The guys who runs the school, Robert (I still don't know his last name) is 79 years old and began the school as a low-cost ($10 per year) option for families in the area.

Kindergarten classroom on the left, storage shed on the right.

The main building, with four classrooms and the administrator's office

The lunchroom.

From the beginning, the school has had a heavy emphasis on English, and Robert has brought in a number of volunteers to help with the teaching. At the moment, the school has a full-time teacher, an administrator provided (to Robert's chagrin, I might add) by the Ecuadoran government and a rotating cast of volunteers. Robert teaches the oldest children himself.

Robert

 The volunteers are asked to teach classes in English, poetry and reading, music, art, some science and physical education. The paid teachers take on Spanish, most of the science, math, Kichwa, history and geography.

The second-grade classroom at the school.

 There is so much to describe about the students, so I will hold that, along with some truly adorable pictures, for next post.