SCHOOL LIFE! + a couple updates

Grade 1 monsters SuperSTARS!

It’s been some time since I published my last post! I need to get a handle of consistency when it comes to my blog! Honestly, I’m learning how to get A LOT better with time management. Bear with me guys

But man

These last two months thouughhhhhh, HECTIC. Every single week, I feel like I go through another feeling/emotion and I’m ultimately in a completely different place. Coming into service, I had literally no idea what to expect and let me tell you- not much has changed haha. I am getting stripped downnnnn and man, I feel SO vulnerable. But let’s unpack that another time, eh?

So, SCHOOL LIFE! As you guys know my assignment is to teach and encourage literacy among primary school (elementary) students! My students speak different variations of Vincy dialect, so Peace Corps is here to help the kids with standard English as it is the island’s “first” language and teaching them how to read. Because let’s face it.. reading deficiencies is a GLOBAL ISSUE.  Standard English helps the students get better opportunities as they get older. It is in no way cancelling out the language they learn at home and Standard English is not superior to their first language which is their Vincy dialect. Just had to set that disclaimer. SO yeah… that’s my “official” job. And my unofficial job as I like to call it is…a referee between students, dance teacher, chorus teacher, the American “entertainer”, librarian, counselor, and just an overall ally to the students..some students. To name a few titles or” titlos”  (Vincentian dialect takes out the “LE” from LE words and replaces it with LO. So instead of Table, it’s tablo. Pineapple, is pineapplo. Humble, is humblo, Gentle is gentlo) You get the point lol.

Back to school life... I really feel like the kids are warming up to me which is nice because at first, it was S U P E R tough getting the kids to behave as I taught lessons and I found myself managing behavior more than half way through the school day! And as far as me, the kids are really earning their way to my heart. I didn’t expect to have such a soft spot for the students early on (well maybe, I’m such a lover lol) but I can tell they(some) would make my time here worthwhile.

I don’t feel too qualified for the work that is set out before me and I get overwhelmed more often that not but what keeps me encouraged is knowing: God doesn’t call on the qualified, He qualifies the called. He is the perfecter of our faith and He will continue working on our behalf to achieve all that He has called us for. I don’t need to everything figured out which is the hardest thing I’m trying to come to terms with.

It’s so easy for me to overthink things and unconsciously work towards perfection but perfection is literally IMPOSSIBLE, and nobody has EVER said I need to be perfect. And He doesn’t expect perfection, not even by a long shot! Pleasing God and God alone should be my TOP priority. Not pleasing others or trying to live up to society’s views or expectations of me. DASSIT. That’s the focus right there.

ALSO- I have decided to take a break from social media, mainly Instagram becauseeee man. I find myself losing sight of certain things and instead of coming to terms with that and dealing with issues head on, I would spend hours on social media just drowning myself in other expectations, ideals or unrealistic nonsense. So I decided to just cut back on that and spend my time doing things that feed my spirit, resting or writing my blog posts more consistently haha.

So yea! That’s all I have! I was going to get super deep with this post and really get into the nitty gritty but today was a good day and I believe it’s the start of many, so I’ll just stay on that flow.

Talk soon!

-Xoxo, Ash

Enjoy a pictures of me with some of my Grade 1 students. Today only ONE kid got stabbed with a pencil, cried and bled. So it’s been a good day! Cheers to that.