Back in the, Back in the Good Old DR . . .

As Arnold Schwarzenegger, that noted Thespian, once mumbled: I’m baaaaaack. And indeed I am here in Santo Domingo. I arrived via Dallas and Miami on Saturday night, spent Sunday catching-up some writing and now on Monday I’ve been visiting schools and preparing for a very full week of meetings, school visitations and the joy associated with the installation of Moises Quezada Mota as Bishop of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic. There are visiting dignitaries, plenty of festive dinners, celebratory activities and an extended installation service on Saturday here at La Catedral Epifania. My friend, Padre Ashton Brooks, will coordinate the entire installation event and “MC” the service. When I ask him how it’s going, he just smiles. Big days ahead for all of us.

I did spend much of today at my professional home-away-from-home, Colegio San Andres, helping to guide a visiting missionary team on a tour of the school. We dropped into classrooms, engaged a middle level English class in conversation and met with the school’s terrific leadership team, Rector Emilio, Directora Miguelina, Sub-Directora Loraine (yup, it’s spelled “Lorane ” but, in Spanish, pronounced “Lorrraheenay”; gotta be careful when you see an English-seeming word and assume it’s pronounced the same way as back home). The visitors were greatly impressed; one team member said that the colegio is as high a quality as any school she’s ever visited. Couldn’t agree more.

As I said as a boy in Boston, I took plenty of “pitchahs” and it’s time to share a few. Just to give a sense of what we discovered on this latest trip to Colegio San Andres. Enjoy!

Even in the principal’s office, the school’s dedication to a bilingual education is apparent in the labeling of computer parts.

It’s recess time at the Colegio as secondary students enjoy a short break from academics. A member of the exploratory team, a retired high school language teacher, commented that these students pretty universally demonstrate a sense that an education is an important commodity, not to be wasted. I get that same feeling every time I’m at a Diocesan school.

I would love to think that whatever success this blog has achieved is due to the brilliant writing of the editor, yours truly. Alas, I must confess that success comes largely from inserting photos of incredibly cute preschoolers every paragraph or so.

Lunchtime for the preschool. An old superintendent friend, tongue planted firmly in cheek, told me once that the key to PR success for a school district was to never let visitors see the kids eat. Well, maybe that’s not so true. Note Directora Miguelina in the background doing what she does best — checking on the kids to see how they are doing.

The team concluded our visit by receiving a lovely parting gift — induction into the San Andres school family, complete with school shirts. As you might have already concluded, the Boston Red Sox hat at the left of the photo is mine.

What a wonderful way to start my latest visit to the DR. Nothing more rewarding than a school visit, particularly when you’re accompanied by a group of missionaries dedicated to doing good work in our host country. More postings to follow!

The Work Continues . . .

I might be in the United States watching a Nebraska football game or even on a cruise somewhere in the world. Still, educational changes keep happening even at a distance. By phone and email, I keep in contact with my colleagues in the Dominican Republic, supporting them in the great educational work that they are doing every day.

To confirm that fact, I wanted to share photos that show educators in action at a school where dynamic teaching, powerful collaboration and innovative responses to the curricular mandates from MINERD (the Ministry of Education for the Dominican Republic). Colegio Episcopal San Jose is in Andres, the coastal town that adjoins the resort community of Boca Chica (and provides many of its workers). The San Jose complex serves the community through a rest home, a conference center, a vibrant church and a growing pre-K through 12 school. The Rector (Padre Sandino Sanchez) and Principal have assembled a quality instructional team and strong support from partners both within and without the country.

Let’s take a look at some of what’s been happening the past couple of weeks at San Jose.

Teachers take a break from intensive small group work developing strategies for implementing the new national curriculum.

More planning and preparation at the all-day retreat sponsored by Colegio San Jose for teachers in their region.

Morning exercises give a sense of the recent improvements that make San Jose a quality educational facility and also the high enrollment that the school is attracting.

Exemplary teacher Carlos Luciano leads HS students in a role play lesson that provides evidence of his ability to engage students in active learning.

Carlos in action once again. His reputation for excellence extends beyond San Jose; he teaches at the school through an agreement with ITLA (the Technological Institute of the Americas) to offer English coursework to community members at no tuition cost.

My next trip to the Dominican Republic begins on October 28th. With this level of powerful teaching happening daily, I can hardly wait for the plane to land.

Home again, Home again . . .

Yes, I am indeed home again. No, not “back home again, in Indiana” but sitting in my favorite recliner, watching the Red Sox hopefully come back from a big deficit (game is now tied, 8-8) and feeling pretty good about my time in the Dominican Republic. The flights on Friday were anticlimactic; both left a bit early and landed a lot early. Immigration and Customs in Miami were very smooth (my investment in Global Entry already is paying benefits). American Airlines personnel were on strikingly good behavior, with check-ins expedited and passengers even getting a full can of soda pop and multiple bags of pretzels. They pulled-out all the stops to make sure we got home smilingly. A nice job after those false starts.

Even with 3 working days lost to Irma’s visit, a lot was accomplished. We set schedules and goals for our workshop series in November. I did some stage-setting for St. Matthew’s (my church’s) youth ministry team’s trip to Iglesia San Esteban, San Pedro de Macoris, next June. My relationships with Presidenta Melvina and the Junta de Educacion were tightened. I became a friend of Colegio San Andres and managed some great steps toward establishing a model school thanks to the support of the principal, Miguelina Jorge. I helped Melvina with two official school visits and was present when the newest preschool, Colegio Milagros Hernandez in Jalonga, was opened. Lots to build upon when I return on October 31 (no, I will not be wearing a costume).

I’ve managed a thing of two here in Nebraska that’s been fun. St. Andrew’s Church, Omaha, hosted a missionary colleague, Charlie Nakash, to talk with potential participants in the work in the Dominican Republic. Here is a photo of Charlie being inducted into the Big Red Hall of Fame at the home of Mission Leader Don Peeler.

In case there’s any confusion, Charlie is the only one not wearing something Red. Well, OK, maybe not the Hall of Fame, but it was his first Husker game.

Work has already begun for my next visit in November. I am “I-Messengering-up-a-storm” with colleagues in Santo Domingo. Some grant proposals and a report of my work earlier this month need writing.

Take care, readers, and thanks for your support . . . as always.

On-again, off-again Finnegan

With his endless treasury of British music hall sayings, my Pop used to use my title phrase for this posting to reference anyone who couldn’t make-up his/her mind. I’m now using it to describe American Airlines.

I arrived at the airport yesterday to find the AA desk closed (hoods over the check-in computers) and “some guy with a tie” (i.e., an efficient AA manager) greeted me with a snarl, told me my flight was canceled and wondered why I was at the airport, given that the airline had given me advance notice of the cancelation. I told him there’d been no email; he told me there had been; I told him there wasn’t; he told me . . . Well, you get the picture. I withdrew from our “discourse” and moved to the small desk (with two gate agents) handling reservation changes for all the folks arriving to get on the plane to Miami. In two languages. Suffice it to say, there were not very many smiling faces around the desk.

My heart goes out to folks in Florida and what they are struggling with now. The Miami International Airport was temporarily “Lake Miami” right after Irma passed the city. I get that. Still, American’s behavior through all this seems a tad shaky.

In this order, my original flight was changed from Tuesday out of Santo Domingo to:

Saturday out of Punta Cana

Saturday out of Santo Domingo

Friday out of Santo Domingo

Sunday out of Punta Cana

Friday out of Santo Domingo (a confirmed flight, with seat assignments even!)

So, I’m coming home Friday night. God works in mysterious ways and the life of the missionary is always rewarding, but occasionally “challenging” (I read that in a book somewhere). I’m chalking all this up to a “learning experience” — something I didn’t think I’d have much at almost 69 years of age.

Take care, faithful readers. Double-check your flights next time you’re traveling; heck . . . triple-check your flights!

Non-school activities

Another week, another posting. This time, I’ll shift direction a bit and share some of the non-school activities that we’re managing here. Lots of fascinating things to see, do and appreciate. 

We had a weekend trip to a resort known as Altos de Chavon. It occupies a large chunk of beachfront and riverside just east of La Romana. It’s the wildest place — a close reproduction of a Mediterranean town from centuries ago, suitably aged and “authentic” (well, sort of). I’m including photos of the chapel (apparently they do weddings . . . If only Claire had known) and a Greek/Roman amphitheater that has great acoustics and hosts pop acts. I’m easily confused at my age, but you get to wondering just what century you are in while walking the town center. Oh, and by the way, these buildings date from about 30 years ago.

In case anyone is thinking of buying at Altos de Chavon or its companion development, Casa de Campo, your neighbors might include Beyoncé and Bill Clinton, who have houses here (Bill apparently loves the golf courses, although he might be too busy to play in a couple of months). 

As you drive around La Republica Dominicana and get images of everyday life, coming to this place gives you an extremely strong sense of “how the other half lives”. Or, maybe it’s how the “other 1% lives”.

A very exciting week

Amigos, compañeros:

A very exciting week here in La Republica Dominicana. I spent the first few days in La Romana, visiting with teachers and watching my student “take off” in English classes at the secondary level. The English teaching group has been hugely supportive and Matt is proving to be The Natural (for those of you who remember one of my favorite baseball movies). I’m attaching a photo of Matt and his partner Ruth in action. I am now in Santo Domingo for meetings, which are also going extremely well.

So many cultural events and activities to mention as well this week. The students and school faculty assemble every morning to sing the Dominican national anthem, recite the pledge and hear a “prayer for learning” before heading to their classrooms. At the home of our host family, I watched a worker shinny up a coconut tree to harvest fruit and he did it barefoot carrying a large knife; I am checking with Cirque de Soleil to see if they need a new act. It’s been raining along the south coast of the country on and off for about 2 days now. I will soon alert Noe that we’ll need his boat. These rainstorms fall far short of a hurricane and we’re now in that season. So, it could rain a whole lot harder some time soon. Memo to Tomas: Next trip, pack an umbrella. A large one.

I could write much more, but I’ll save some for another post. Saludos y abrazos de La Republica Dominicana!!

First day of school: Let’s dance!

 

I’ve got a new photo, amigos mios. And it captures so well what I’m doing for the next 5 weeks or so in the Dominican Republic. I am here working with schools and supervising the practicum of a UNL student, Matt Gieselmann. The photo captures a joyous moment when the teaching staff at Todos Los Santos school sang and danced to a welcoming song for the students. People were laughing, singing along and moving to the music. I’m trying to remember a first day in Ralston, NE, that had everyone in the auditorium dancing a welcome.

I’m adding another photo below. It’s of our hostess, Grecia Reynoso, Matt, the priest who directs the school (Raul Guaillas) and me. In buen equipo!

I’ll be using this blog and Facebook to post updates, photos and my thoughts from here. So far, todo se va bien.