Los estudiantes

 What is it about kids who are missing front teeth that make them even more adorable? As it turns out, a nice toothless grin can win over a heart in any language.

Me and Cesar, the cutest little terror you will ever meet.

The students at the Katitawa school come with a lot of strikes against them. One of the advantages of the school is it provides a snack and a nutritious lunch for the students. For many, the lunch (usually a potato soup or rice and gravy with a vegetable mix) is the primary meal of the day. They make a lot of food, and students are generally allowed as much as they can eat. With just 35-40 kids to feed (plus hungry volunteers and staff) they don't need a ton of food each day.

Francisca during an impromptu photography class.

 We are in the process of determining how many of the students are illiterate, and we fear most are. Some can read a bit but are self-conscious and don't like to. Even some of the fourth graders have little or no reading ability, which presents an interesting problem for a teacher. The students can all copy the letters off the board, but for how many would random shapes be just as easy?

They are also fairly resistant to discipline. The lack of structure at the school can add to the difficulty as well, but that I will leave for the next post. For now, enjoy pictures of cute kids.

Kevin, Ligia, Raimy and the other Ligia.

Ligia again