Ordinary Day-Vanessa Carlton

Alex picked us up bright and early at 6:30 today so we could get to Integral school by 7:00 for the first session of classes.  We met with two grade-three classes, which means these students are in their final year of high school and are preparing for intensive college entrance exams.  They had great questions and we discussed the protests occurring all over Brazil (more about these later.)  After class we met with several social studies teachers from the school and learned more about what classes are required for students. 

Social Studies meeting, the sign is a long story...

We also discussed many of the issues facing educators in Brazil and the United States.  This meeting was much shorter than I would have liked, but we were scheduled to meet with the principals of the school.  Since Integral is a private school, it has an owner, who serves as one of the principals handling logistics, structure and the budget of the school.  There is also a pedagogical principal who deals more with curriculum matters and instruction.  We learned about how these positions work together to achieve the mission of the school.  We also learned how the schools reach out to parents and the community, as well as how the school tries to keep up with current technology.  It was interesting to hear how private schools differ from public schools.

Alex had another meeting to get to so we were given some free time.  I took advantage of it by asking the hotel staff to help me make pão de queijo, one of my favorite new foods of Brazil.  These are little rolls made with tapioca flour (therefore gluten free J) that have a soft cheesy center.  Even though there was a language barrier, we managed to follow the recipe and enjoy the finished product 40 minutes later, so delicious!

working in the kitchen

working in the kitchen

We brought these and some other snacks to Alex’s dad’s house where Tami and I were happy to once again bring the Brazil soccer team “hot feet.”  They defeated Mexico 2-0, which assures they will advance to the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup.

 

Later that evening we bonded over a traditional Brazilian meal of carne de sol, salted beef.  It was so funny because as the three of us were talking, we kept saying the same things and sharing similar ideas.  We started brainstorming about how we can build on the foundation we have started and get our students working together on a globally collaborative project-we have some exciting ideas.  I also enjoyed a caipirinha which is my new favorite beverage!

Traditional meal

 

delicious!