BajaNomad - donations ... doncha love me ???? update w/ student Dali versions ...

donations ... doncha love me ???? update w/ student Dali versions ...

BajaBlanca - 2-17-2012 at 09:00 PM

A plea to all amigos heading south (past vizcaino in BCS):

please bring anything you can to donate to our local schools: copy paper, pens, crayons, szissors, old magazines,
hi lighters, pencils, coloring books, posters for the classroom ANYTHING GOES

))) the stuff can be put in a box with BLANCA DE LA BOCANA on it and left at ARMIDA'S RESTAURANT right on highway 1 at the Punta Abreojos exit ...

The classrooms were BARE til I started putting up the wonderful donated maps (donated by a bajanomader) when school started Feb. 7, 2012:

a dentist in TJ donated clocks:

one of the new teachers used donated magazines to teach geometry shapes:

I had the students do artwork - we are studying impressionism along with English (decided to throw a little culture their way) and this COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE last year since I did not have magazines:

note all the national geographic animals in this one !

Can u tell this guy adores baseball and hopes to become a professional player ???? HE HATES ENGLISH LOL

and some repeat guests just brought me 2 reams of copy paper, clothes to resell at garage sales (which helps me raise money for various projects) as well as 2 wonderful BIKES !!

thanks all of you who have so generouly supported la bocana over and over ........ we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts !!

Free French classes tomorrow at 10 am for anyone interested ...

Here are some recent folks and their amazing help:

[Edited on 2-18-2012 by BajaBlanca]

[Edited on 3-6-2012 by BajaBlanca]

BajaBlanca - 2-17-2012 at 09:16 PM

note that there is no window in the bedroom behind these gentlemen

we just had the windows removed to put in sliding glass doors so all front room guests have access to their room/front porch without having to go thru the house ... it was sooooooooo messy but the end result is gorgeous !

wilderone - 2-18-2012 at 08:44 AM

Will do! Heading down next week, but a few stops before I get to your neck of the woods. Planning to go out toward San Roque and not sure if the road is OK for me to drive to La Bocana along the coast (so I may drop off at the restaurant).

mcfez - 2-18-2012 at 09:13 AM

We will be in San Felipe at the end of March.....
I know, I know....

If you give me a list, I'll fill up the box. BUT.....we need someone that is heading south to del from SF :-(

Good for you BTW for helping the kids. Folks like you...are Baja's heros

BajaBlanca - 2-19-2012 at 09:44 AM

thanks wilderone - the road seems to be fine now - we drove part of it last weekend and it was excellent...would love to meet you. come have a cup of coffee on the front porch and count the whales heading south ...

McFez - I sure hope we can figure something out - do you never come further south ? Actually, if you are coming through san diego, you can leave tanything at my mom's house ... we can u2u on this !

wilderone - 2-19-2012 at 09:59 AM

"come have a cup of coffee on the front porch and count the whales heading south ..."

I would love to, thanks. Scored on some books yesterday too that I think you'll find useful.

nomads

captkw - 2-19-2012 at 10:34 AM

Hola,It's nice to know that ther ar,,some good folk's left on this spinnin chunk of rock,,,,, K&T

Islandbuilder - 2-19-2012 at 10:36 AM

wilderone, we drove from La Bocana to Abreojos and then back to Bahia Asuncion last week. We also went out to San Roque. All the roads were fine, but some of the salt flats routes had standing water. Abreojos to La Bocana the flats were fine, but the La Bocana to Bahia Asuncion route was wet enough that we took the drier, and rougher, pole line road.
We also took several side roads to get over to the beaches, and all was well there too.

bufeo - 2-19-2012 at 11:14 AM

Blanca, I'll put together a box (or two, or three) but they probably won't reach you until later this spring. Our daughter and son-in-law will most likely be making a trip down to La Bocana.

"French classes"??? I can also throw in a few French/English books, but I don't think I have any French/Spanish ones. Can you use just plain ol' French books? How 'elementary' is the French?

Allen R

BajaBlanca - 2-19-2012 at 06:25 PM

oh bufeo - Thanks so much !! Any French book will be great !! I can make it work :tumble:

Today (class 3) was the kids' first attempt at making full sentences and they are doing so well. Now they write phrases in French on facebook to each other !! How cool is that ?!

magazines, reams of paper, szissors, glue, every student in one class got a pen and a pencil from me at the beginning of the month and they will get highlighters as prizes for knowing their verbs this Tuesday, the other class got a notebook, a folder to keep their classswork and homework in .....

I have noticed that the students are taking class more seriously and genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves, despite themselves ! BIG sigh of relief.

bufeo - 2-19-2012 at 07:52 PM

Glad to help, blanca. I'll get right on it.

Allen R

P.S. How many students?

[Edited on 2-20-2012 by bufeo]

BajaBlanca - 2-20-2012 at 09:59 PM

Bufeo - I have 2 classes and they are HUGE. Please, just bring what you can and we will be very happy !!

one class has 38 and the other 36.

Bajaboy - 2-20-2012 at 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca
Bufeo - I have 2 classes and they are HUGE. Please, just bring what you can and we will be very happy !!

one class has 38 and the other 36.

In San Diego/Chula Vista...that is the norm.... :?:

805gregg - 2-22-2012 at 07:51 PM

All of you US residents, the US schools also need donations so they can educate the illegal residents children, give at home first.

[Edited on 2-23-2012 by 805gregg]

Joelt - 2-22-2012 at 07:57 PM

I'll be heading down in April and will see what I can bring down.

BajaBlanca - 2-23-2012 at 07:30 AM

actually gregg - people can donate time reading to kids at home - the LEGAL ones, anytime ... the kindergardeners - the first graders - the second graders ...they all need adult help, so Ihope you go to your local schools and for donate TIME. It is a huge gift .... do it for your nephews nieces grandkids and local kids.

Libraries also have programs where we can help out.

I did all the above in the States Gregg and now I live here so I ask for help HERE. I think we have had this conversation before .... broken record !! If you need my help in your area Gregg, simply ask and I will be your spokesperson too !!!

bajaboy - I sure wish the economy was better so that class sizes could come down ...35+ is just so so so big.

I still laugh every time I read the part about "this spinnin chunk of rock" ...'cause really, that is all it is, isn't it ?????

thanks all, the donations are still acoming and I am very thankful to all of you. very.

[Edited on 3-5-2012 by BajaBlanca]

angels4 - 2-23-2012 at 08:02 AM

HI Blanca,
I mailed your mom a check as promised. Can I send her a box with school supplies too? Will she be able to get it to you? Please advise and I'll help as much as I can.
Laura

Fernweh - 2-23-2012 at 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 805gregg
All of you US residents, the US schools also need donations so they can educate the illegal residents children, give at home first.

[Edited on 2-23-2012 by 805gregg]

Why?

Your future maids and gardeners don't need to speak French, even in Ojai.

If not supporting those kids, how about doing it for those great & wonderful people like Bajablanca, going out of their way and teaching & probably installing some fond memories in those kids, you might not ever had......

Karl

angels4 - 2-23-2012 at 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 805gregg
All of you US residents, the US schools also need donations so they can educate the illegal residents children, give at home first.

[Edited on 2-23-2012 by 805gregg]

I also donate my time and money to US Schools so the kids can be educated and not be illiterate and close minded. Glad that you have children's best interest at hand. As a mother of a Kindergartener and a 4th grader I know how difficult ALL teachers have it ALL over the world, so I will always help within my means.

BajaBlanca - 2-28-2012 at 10:36 PM

funny story: I decided to give the kids some BLEU cheese to enhance their French experience last Sunday .... for sure you all must-ve heard the EWWWWWWWWWWWWWS coming out of their mouths ... aww, it was a precious moment foks, priceless.

angels 4 - THANKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS - now I added 2 + 2 to get 4. Now i know who you are !!

WILDERONE IS HERE !! and she really brought me such a fun box of goodies .... and she also brought a wealth of stories that make my jaw just drop in awe ... how can one woman be so courageous ???? My hat off to her bigtime. I am rewarding the kids who memorize verbs/pass oral quizzes with high scores with pens, pencils, highlighters, notebooks ....

I have 8 classes .... Les rolls his eyes ...we are supposed to be retired !!

:lol:

SALVADOR DALI

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 06:41 PM

So....amigos... the latest is the Dali project - create your version of his painting ....

[Edited on 3-6-2012 by BajaBlanca]

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 06:45 PM

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 06:47 PM

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 06:49 PM

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 06:53 PM

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 06:55 PM

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 07:00 PM

there are obviously a lot more (35 sts in the class) but these were some of my favorites ..... to come in a coupel weeks: Manet - Magritte- Escher n more !!

english or art

volcano - 3-5-2012 at 07:09 PM

is this class englsh emersion or art emersion? just sayin'

BajaBlanca - 3-5-2012 at 07:44 PM

we do both ... I have them read and write about the artist and then draw their version and then we take some grammatical point and further discuss ....

we are supposed to come up with a theme for each 4 months and my theme is general culture = art .... hence all the artwork !!

[Edited on 3-6-2012 by BajaBlanca]

volcano - 3-6-2012 at 07:45 AM

really cool, and so innovative and stimulating. you will be remembered by your students

BajaBlanca - 3-6-2012 at 06:00 PM

thanks Volcano - I took the advice that many gave me here on BajaNomad and kinda put it all together- I was having a lot of trouble from this one class ... needed some way to calm them down and have them respond to me and to my teaching .... the art has helped tremendously to achieve this goal.

It has been one of the most difficult classes of my 30 year career ....

and thanks to all of you, the rooms looks better (they were dismal), I have magazines and crayons and highlighters and even candy to reward them. They are so competitive when it comes to getting a prize .... the learing curve all of a sudden becomes perfect LOL

bajalinda - 3-7-2012 at 11:06 AM

very cool, Blanca! and glad to hear you are having a lot less trouble from that class of yours.

BajaBlanca - 3-7-2012 at 03:22 PM

thanks Linda .... they are light years behind where they should be Englishwise but slowly getting a little bit of a base .... hard t believe they reached 6 years of studying English and can't even tell me the word for YO, USTED, NOSOTROS en ingles !!!! and they are supposed to be conversant at this stage of the game

anyways - I have them describe the painting using adjectives (5 - 10) and then the most advanced 10 write about the painter while the rest of the classs gets taught the past tense using the artists' lives ....Although it has been a challenge to prepare - the end result has me muy feliz

:bounce:

805gregg - 3-7-2012 at 06:22 PM

What good is French in this modern world? English or Chinese would be better. French and even Spanish are dead lanugages, no new words are created, they just use the english words, whats the French or Spanish word for computer?

Fernweh - 3-7-2012 at 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 805gregg
What good is French in this modern world? English or Chinese would be better. French and even Spanish are dead lanugages, no new words are created, they just use the english words, whats the French or Spanish word for computer?

You Got Mail!

Fernweh - 3-15-2012 at 04:27 PM

msteve1014 - 3-15-2012 at 05:24 PM

Quote:

It's mister positive just popping in to brighten your day, again. you go, Blanca.
Greg, why are you worried about the modern world? You live in Shangri La don't you? :lol:

BajaBlanca - 3-15-2012 at 05:52 PM

French is, perhaps, useless but we are having fun. and that is priceless. It also opens their minds to travel. priceless. and they get to try bleu cheese. in la bocana. priceless.

Can I ask all the naysayers to please post someplace else. I don't know why you even read what I write ???????? I can't tell you how tired I am of your negative comments. so over it.

however, I do know that many of my European students are now studying Spanish ... of course, they know English as well as their native language already.

BajaBlanca - 3-15-2012 at 05:57 PM

Karl - THANKSSSSSSSSSSSSS we got the packages and was I ever surprised at all the goodies ............. whoooo hooooo. Really, thanks very much

:yes:

The paper went straight to Valentine who is our office copy manager. He was OUT of letter size and making me copies with legal size paper til I gave him a new supply today thanks to YOU.

The bulletin board in the back is the one islandbuilder donated .... also got put up immediately behind Valentine's desk so he didnt have to tape notes to the wall. Looks soooooooooooo much nicer !!

:bounce:

Thanks guys.

bufeo - 3-15-2012 at 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca
..Can I ask all the naysayers to please post someplace else. I don't know why you even read what I write ???????? I can't tell you how tired I am of your negative comments. so over it. ...

Not to worry, Blanca. Ignore them. Philistines the lot of 'em. (What's more they'll probably have to look that up to know what kind of criticism I'm throwing at them.)

Keep up the good work!

I'm still working on that box of 'stuff' to send down. Soon, I hope.

Allen R

BajaBlanca - 3-16-2012 at 02:00 PM

thanks for the kind words .... it has been one very long long week. we got the new books (I will tell you that story another day) for the lower level class and they are ab so lute ly fantastic - the best English as a Second Language book I have yet to see. In 45 minutes, the kids get writing reading listening in a masterfully put together session. the books are called UPLOAD.

thanks to all of you, I have lots of goodies to give out as incentives next Tuesday ... all of us love freebees and these kids are no exception.

MONDAY IS A HOLIDAY here and I need one.

bufeo - thanks again. I know I shouldn't let it get to me. easier said than done !

norte - 3-16-2012 at 03:19 PM

good job. Is English mandatory for all students? and how much support does the community provide for foreign language classes.

bajalinda - 3-16-2012 at 07:09 PM

hey Blanca. I don't totally agree with "teaching French is, perhaps, useless". Aren't these students learning French outside of regular school classes because they want to and asked you to do it? (or did I get that wrong?) You never know what doors it could open for these kids who really take an interest in it (or in languages in general). As somebody else said...Don't listen to the naysayers.

BajaBlanca - 3-17-2012 at 08:59 AM

yes, bajalinda, they did ask me and I give up my very VERY V V EE RR YY precious weekends to teach them .... and they are enjoying the classes to no end. I am just astounded that any kid would get up early on Sat and Sun to study another language tht is NOT part of the school curriculum at all.

and the recent experience of them speaking with/experiencing the 2 canadian boys who ONLY spoke French Canadian was beyond fun.

AND I am telling them that they be diplomats one day - talk about planting a seed !!

what I meant by saying "perhaps useless" is that someone might have that opinion and I respect it.

thanks for the positive comments.