Next Stop: Choluteca!
From May 8th-23rd, 2017 I traveled with a group of students from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences to Choluteca, Honduras. This education abroad was focused on community development and education. The majority of the students within the group aspire to serve as Agricultural Educators and FFA Advisors in rural communities following their time at The Ohio State University. During our time in country we completed agricultural tours, visited primary and vocational agriculture schools, and completed a variety of service projects such as laying concrete, painting classrooms, preparing and serving meals, and teaching school children how to plant a garden.
A New Perspective
When you walk across campus at The Ohio State University you can hear a multitude of languages, view a variety of styles, and engage in a plethora of vibrant cultures. Before coming to Ohio State, I was unaware of the diversity in our world, and it’s potential to create lasting change. During my time in Honduras I was challenged in a variety of ways, and pushed out of my comfort zone. My thinking was reframed, and I began to view our lifestyle, our privileges, even our immigration policy with a new perspective. Perhaps the biggest transformation I experienced relates to the value of education. I watched the vocational agriculture teacher at the Apacilagua School share a front-facing camera with his students for a selfie. Their reflections displayed commonalities and variations; however, from an outside perspective, it illustrated awakened potential and an investment.
Education has the power to uplift people and societies for several reasons. But ultimately, it has this power because of those who give the gift of learning and more importantly those who take the time to show others their worth. Witnessing educators in Honduras has left me with more questions than answers, but it also has given me faith that despite the challenges a teacher’s impact isn’t measured by their resources, only by their compassion. Teaching students with empty stomachs and worn uniforms in a classroom with hot temperatures and zero school supplies is a reality. Having a teacher who treats you like a feral animal, switches you until you scream, only shows up to class two days a week, and continues to receive a government paycheck with 100% job security is also a reality. Students of this country have dreams that were planted by hearts of the selfless and strong. In Honduras I witnessed the power, responsibility, and future we all share when we intentionally shine our light onto others.
Challenged and Changed
While in Honduras we had the opportunity to visit a variety of education programs and work alongside students in completing improvement projects. It was during these interactions I became challenged and changed in my perspectives, and was forced to think about the reality of Honduran education. Below are excerpts from my personal journal written while in country that capture my transformation and paradigm shift when observing education in a developing, Hispanic country.
5-10-17 Choluteca Vocational School
“Leslie sharing about the map her mother had found in the trash and then hung in their house was the most powerful moment for me today. This very simple act and her mother telling her to wait to get married, and planting dreams about seeing the world, and realizing how small Honduras is, and how much is out there to know and understand made Leslie who she is today. This made me think about what my parents have done for me to get me where I am today, and how this very simple and small act of revealing Leslie’s potential, and reminding her of her worth has changed her life forever. To see the sacrifices, her and her husband make to send their children to the “second best school” made me realize how important it is to have access to education. Hearing how they enforce their children to learn English, and how they want to better themselves not for themselves but for their fellow Hondurans is inspiring, and is the true definition of servant leadership.”
5-11-17 Apacilagua Primary School
“My favorite part of the day was watching the promateras talk in the classrooms with the children about nutrition, the different food groups, and asking them to shout out their answers. I was able to clearly connect this action with the extension programs we have within the United States. I also saw so much room for growth. I was amazed at how well behaved all of the students were in the classroom, but also was made aware of the heat, the hungry stomachs, the lack of resources and supplies, and the other obstacles in the way of these student’s success. It is hard enough to get students to focus at home, and here they placed a high value on the opportunity to go to school to have the uniform, and to become part of this group, and this collective that they strive for in the Honduran culture.”
“I really enjoyed what Dr. Cano shared about having to be born with the heart to teach, and one of the main problems with education in the US is that teachers do not live in the communities where they work. I think this is so incredibly true, and that as agricultural educators we have the unique opportunity to be engaged within our communities and to know our students and their families on a personal level.”
5-16-17 Siete de Mayo Primary School
“Today pushed me mentally, emotionally, and physically. This morning viewing the conditions of the kitchen and the home were heartbreaking to me, and I couldn’t help but feel “unclean” throughout the day. I almost have felt like I am on an episode of survivor the way everyone hasn’t been feeling their best, me included. Sam and I made the brave decision to go to the bathroom behind the outhouse because we almost threw up opening the curtain. Chopping vegetables next to the fire was a strenuous job – one that I only had to do today, not every day of my life. I watched the older women at the house chop firewood with a dull machete and in her sandals while also caring for a baby and helping with the cooking. I admire her strength to keep going, but also realized she has no other option.”
“It was hard for me to deny children who would almost attack me asking for more stickers, especially the ones who didn’t even attend the school. I watched a girl in the classroom hide her first plate and be delivered a second one. Dr. Cano wanted us to take it back away from her, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I heard him tell us all not to feed the children who don’t attend school and I felt bad, but also relieved that we were at least attempting to encourage their education, and display positive reinforcement. I still struggled seeing kids who weren’t at the school begging for us to give them food. I saw the skinniest person I have ever witnessed in real life at the school this afternoon. A very young girl walked back after receiving her shot and her arms looked so thing and so fragile and so malnourished that it turned my stomach. I felt as if I was watching an old film from the Holocaust.”
5-18-17 Apacilagua Vocational School
“At first Sam and I were excluded from the boy’s game and were only playing pass with a small group of younger boys who were also excluded from the official game. We were given high-fives and they were passing it to us to head it back to them and work on our juggling skills. They were so fun to be around, and we shared many laughs over our terrible passes! Later when we had our official game with the agricultural students it was the most fun I’ve had while in Honduras. I loved having the opportunity to be a role model for the girls at the school by showing them that we can play, and play well! It was so funny to watch both Sam and I take the ball from one of the Hondurans and how crushed they were that a girl had beaten them. We may have hurt their pride a little bit, but us playing encouraged them to invite girls into the game with them, and later proved while digging the trench that we are just as capable! Our gringos on three cheer was pretty awesome as well…
“I was really excited later that day that Tara asked for my help talking to Roxanna, one of the students at the school in the agricultural program. From the moment, I was introduced into that conversation I had the chance to communicated with the students the rest of the afternoon. It was a weird feeling today to go back and forth between two languages and to at least for the most part understand what they were saying back to me, it was like a giant wall had been lifted! I am very proud of Paul and Tara for being confident enough to start those conversations. Towards the end of the day it was very fun to be asked to be in photos with them, and talk to some of the boys we played soccer with, they were surprised that Tara and I could communicate with the group. Watching their vocational agriculture teacher interact with the students made me think of my own advisor, they were trying their best to get him in their selfie and you could just tell the admiration from the students. I gained a whole new appreciation for him when Dr. Cano shared that his first year he worked for free! His dedication to his students reflected the dedication I received from my advisor and the dedication I see in many ag ed advisors!”
5-19-17 Boca de Viejo Primary School
“Hearing about the school absolutely broke my heart. Teachers should be uplifting and inspiring, discipline is certainly part of their role, but not cruel or underserved punishment. The teacher beats the children until they scream like we heard walking from the beach. Yet he is paid by the government to be there, and has no risk of ever losing his job. The parents are just relieved to have a break from their parents. It is true, if children are treated like wild animals, they will act as such, and today it was obvious that they did act as if they were feral. Only having school two days a week, spending every bit of their class time in an effort to control their behavior, trying to learn on empty stomachs in a terrible learning environment. These children aren’t receiving any quality education. And then hearing that the number of children has been reduced to almost half is scary to me. Where did they go? Their stories will never be known on an island where births and deaths aren’t recorded.”
“One thing I found really interesting was the instructions to do my best to teach the children the concept of throwing their trash away. We learn by observing, and in the US we know from a very early age to put things in the trashcan at home. Here it was obvious by the litter throughout the town and the beach that this concept never crosses their mind. I never thought of trash bags and trash cans as a luxury item until I came to Honduras. I noticed that soon as I started picking up the white backings to their stickers, some of the children did the same. I also noticed if I was super positive, and overexaggerated how great they were for putting their trash in the bag I was carrying around, if I could get them to smile, and other students were watching, they were eager to do the same. It reminded me of how powerful role models can be in anyone’s life, and I hope today we were able to do that for some of those children.”
Inspiration to Act
My experience at The Ohio State University has been defined by my time spent out of the country. Studying abroad opened my eyes to a new perspective, and an increased desire to serve others; specifically, to develop youth and communities through agriculture. As a rising junior and Agriscience Education major I believe this program enabled me to become a better student, educator, and difference-maker. Going into the field of education I know that I will have the opportunity to positively influence tomorrow’s youth each and every day. I understand my education isn’t for me, but instead for the students who I will work with every day. It is my responsibility to make the most of my college experiences so I can motivate and encourage those around me to discover their own unique talents and achieve their definition of success. I want to inspire my students in rural communities with a global perspective and hearts of service.
Now I will be able to share personal experiences from working in the schools of Honduras. In addition, the growth I’ve experienced while building my Spanish language skills will allow me to connect with more students both abroad in and Ohio. Currently, I hope to teach within a district that is filled with Hispanic influence, migrant labor, and English as a Second Language students. It is my goal to make my classroom community more inclusive to these students and to serve as a community resource in overcoming the language barrier. Attending this trip to Honduras provided me with several personal growth opportunities and a chance to serve as a stronger catalyst for others. In addition, I was able to refine my passion and implement it in my honors research project. Completing research based on the impacts of international experience on educators will prepare me for graduate course work and strengthen my cultural competency. Without the opportunity to study abroad with The Ohio State University and STEP program I wouldn’t have discovered my future goal, affirmed my career choice, or realized my passion for using my agricultural background to make a difference in the life of others. If we only saw the world as perfect, how would we have the motivation to make ourselves and the community around us better?
You can read more about our adventures in Honduras by checking out the group blog, which can be found here.
