It's another Friday.

This was a week of hard, on-my-feet teaching. I can tell that I am doing more than the students are in my classes, but I need to reach them and stimulate them to learn and to think.

I try to mix things up in the classes: discussion, lecture, group work, working with partners, student presentations, etc.

I feel good because I graded tests and the scores are up! That makes me feel good. I have to think about what I did and then repeat it the rest of the year.

Preparing for Sao Miguel

I have about three weeks to go before departure for Sao Miguel, but unfortunately I am running out of time to do what I want.
I am looking forward to being with the family and getting to know them better. We grew up in different worlds, but yet I am trying to maintain a relationship with them as best I can. The internet and phones makes it a lot easier with instant communication, but still not seeing each other face-to-face is not the same.
I also want to visit parts of Sao Miguel that I have not seen yet, especially some of the small towns on the eastern side of the island, which, I think, is the most beautiful. I have seen pictures of them, but I want to walk them too.