Primaria School Teachers, Xesacmalja
October 1st is a yet another national holiday in Guatemala: Day of the Child. I spearheaded a campaign to bring about a similar holiday in the United States in 4th grade. I wrote a letter to the president, but the only action taken was by way of a letter I received from the White House (signed by Bill Clinton!) thanking me for contributing my idea. Well, Guatemala is ahead of the U.S. in that Day of the Child is a long-established tradition. We celebrated this day today, the first Monday following the holiday, at the elementary school in Xesacmalja where I teach English. I attend quite a few school activities, as anyone who reads this blog or lives in Guatemala will know, but this one was by far one of the most fun. Instead of having a series of repetitive student dances and performances, all the teachers performed for the kids. It was so cute. They read poems, played the guitar, sang, did skits, danced, and Seño Teco (the 6th grade teacher whose class I teach English to) dressed up as a clown and goofed around. The kids loved it. The teachers led a couple short competitions for the students like sack races, egg in spoon passing, and soda chugging. I loved the enthusiasm.
