The Last Hoorah....!!!!

La Casa.....Final Days.....   

    My final days at La Casa included an excursion to Camel Beach, Pa.  Octavio and I had the pleasure of being the NMUTRP leaders on this trip, (my second). Only 16 children went to the water park, which made it so much more enjoyable.  On the ride to the park we played the alphabet game, i.e. A my name is Anna and I come from Alabama and I love to eat apples, B my name is.....etc. A lovable young man named Landon, actually introdeced me to a game which I am sure I will utilize in my classroom, to increase literacy. The game entails each person contributing 2-3 wordsof a continuous story. For instance: Person #1-Once upon, Person#2- a time, Person#3, there was, Person#4, a humongous, Person#5, fire breathing, Person#6 dragon who.....etc.etc....etc...On the way back, we played math games, which the children enjoyed as well. One student, Pedro, offered to help another, Kylie with her math for the rest of the summer. Scaffolding at its Best!!!

     Also, at La Casa, since Ms. Hazel stressed the importance of decorations for the Pajama Party that was scheduled for Friday, July 27th, and the fact that there was a copious amount of wall space that needed to be covered, I requested large rolls of paper, and had a group of students lay down on the paper, be outlined by me and another student, and then decorate the life sized cut-outs with tissue paper pajamas and cotton ball slippers! The results were fantastic....I just hope they were used. The children were ecstatic about their efforts! 

     La Casa, for me was enlightening and enjoyable!  The relationships I established with most of the students were awesome. When the students were told that Thursday was my last day, they YELLED...NO, MS. ASHE....DON'T LEAVE....WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO???..I explained to them, again, that my time with them was sooo enjoyable, yet only temporary.  Hennessey, a sweet, Latina-American young lady, one of my favorites...(Yes, I'm Human...I do have favorites!!!)   hugged me tightly around the waist and said, I Love You So Much, sometimes I just feel like you're my mother....Without question, I will MISS MY LA CASA KIDS!!!! 


Bragaw...Final Days

     At Bragaw, the students and I completed our Acrostic "Cory Booker" Poems, that I have promised to compile into book form and present to him.....hopefully, some type of "formal" presentation will be arranged by/with the NMUTRP. Regrettably, both the students and I said good-bye, yet we know that our lives have been forever altered due to our meeting.

      Additionally, I initiated a conversation with the head teacher, Ms.  Oswuegi, who I felt harbored resentment towards me because I dared to question her decision to expel a student from the program. She proclaimed that she thought I had an attitude with her. She proceeded to expound further about her decision to remove the young man, and although I still do not agree with her course of action, our conversation helped clear the air between us.

      My experience at Bragaw has proven to be heartwarming, enlightening and most beneficial.  It is helping me to gradually adjust to the fact that it is O.K. to Love your kids, but not O.K.take "them" home with you. A healthy seperation must occur for there to be ample room for the next group of "heartstealers"!