"Be Here. Be You. Belong." -Brene Brown

Sitting under the calabash tree at school

 These words have been part of my office decor for the past few years, and many of you know that I study student belonging in an effort to increase student success.  This past week, it was my own belonging that was on my mind.  I would say that for all the time I have been here, I have definitely been doing the 1st two things--I've been present and I've been my true self.  But the belonging piece hasn't been there.  A volunteer friend captured it perfectly when she commented that everyone has been very welcoming, but there haven't been overtures of friendship.  That was a big "aha" moment for me.  I've met a lot of people and everyone has been very friendly and has made me feel most welcome and safe in my community.  And a few people have said things like "we should do _____", but then that never really materializes.  At school there are things that also contributed to the lack of belonging--
without my own space, I basically walk around all day carrying my bags of stuff from room to room.  Without a timetable, I feel like I just bounce around and I'm not really part of the rhythm of the school.  

But then this week, things started to change a little...

I actually got a desk!  I don't know that anyone has ever been happier about a piece of furniture.  And it's a weird thing to realize how much a piece of furniture can impact your mental state.  Up until this point, I had a chair and then my bags just had to be on the floor next to me--kids were always stepping on my bags, kicking them, etc. (remember that things are quite tight in classrooms).  So to be able to have my stuff out of the way and not concerned about my laptop or phones getting mashed up (St. Lucian term for broken) is a relief.  It also makes me feel like I have a "home" at school and I'm not a drifter.  

I am starting to have a timetable!  I hope that by mid-week, it's filled in.  More teachers have been asking if I have spots open to come to their classes, so that also makes me feel like I'm becoming part of the school and an acknowledgement that I have something to offer.  

I went liming (Caribbean for "hanging out") with two teachers! We just went for drinks and food after work on Friday, but it was the 1st time that I have been out since I moved here.  The drinks were some of the worst I've ever had--take a look at the picture on the right.  I don't think I've had a drink that color since I was in college, LOL.  But bad drinks aside, it was a lovely night out chatting and getting to know each other a little better.  

I had little successes in the classroom!  I worked with a small pull-out group early in the week and felt like I really connected with the students.  I have been focusing on using effort praise  and I feel like a couple students, in particular, are really responding well to the approach.  I've been doing this with my college students for years and seeing it work there, but there is something extra special about seeing it have a positive impact on these young students.  It seems like students are actually listening better when I give directions and I've even been able to use "the look" effectively (IYKYK).  

So all in all, a good week.  Today is Thanksgiving here, so no school.  The celebration here is about thanks for the harvest and also the near-end of hurricane season (we have 2 months to go).  But it's not as big of a "to do" as thanksgiving in the US; I'll be catching up on some Peace Corps tasks that I have been putting off and also making some charts for our classroom.  I'll leave you with a couple pictures from my lime--one on the left is backlit from the place we were at, but the one on the right is all moonlight!