Nicaragua: Pretend like it's the weekend now
Happy Teacher Day! Today is "Día del Maestro" here in Nicaragua, which means a day off of school and celebrations for teachers in place of class. As is the custom with all other holidays here, there was a large public assembly which we call the "acto" held, in today's case, in honor of all teachers.
So far I've attended actos for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Book Day, and now Teacher Day. I think I have the acto format pretty well figured out by now. It begins with the national anthem, followed by a prayer, and is proceeded by a series of student performances which are normally limited to singing and dancing. I particularly enjoy when these events escalate from praising baby Jesus to watching teenage girls in mini-skirts shake their hips. I'm not going to say that these actos are dreadfully dry and boring to sit through, but I'm also not going to say that they are my favorite events in the world. Interpret that as you wish.
The frequency of these actos is another topic for discussion. The debate for which days should be given as holidays in the states can be a juicy subject, especially among students who are itching to get days off of school. Here it seems that at least one holiday or celebration pops up each week which gives reason to cancel class. Welcome to the education system in the developing world.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Teacher Day being a thing in the US. While teaching is a beautiful profession and our over-worked and under-paid teachers most definitely deserve some recognition, I'm not sure that calling another day off of school is the best way to go about it. Who knows, maybe that's just me.
Regardless, here's to all teachers. Thank you for taking on the responsibility to educate those whom we call "our future." Go have a Snickers bar as a reward for all of your hard work, dedication, and patience. Then feel free to send me a care package filled with Snickers as well.
So far I've attended actos for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Book Day, and now Teacher Day. I think I have the acto format pretty well figured out by now. It begins with the national anthem, followed by a prayer, and is proceeded by a series of student performances which are normally limited to singing and dancing. I particularly enjoy when these events escalate from praising baby Jesus to watching teenage girls in mini-skirts shake their hips. I'm not going to say that these actos are dreadfully dry and boring to sit through, but I'm also not going to say that they are my favorite events in the world. Interpret that as you wish.
The frequency of these actos is another topic for discussion. The debate for which days should be given as holidays in the states can be a juicy subject, especially among students who are itching to get days off of school. Here it seems that at least one holiday or celebration pops up each week which gives reason to cancel class. Welcome to the education system in the developing world.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Teacher Day being a thing in the US. While teaching is a beautiful profession and our over-worked and under-paid teachers most definitely deserve some recognition, I'm not sure that calling another day off of school is the best way to go about it. Who knows, maybe that's just me.
Regardless, here's to all teachers. Thank you for taking on the responsibility to educate those whom we call "our future." Go have a Snickers bar as a reward for all of your hard work, dedication, and patience. Then feel free to send me a care package filled with Snickers as well.
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