Cheri Mann has traveled a lot, but her most recent excursion was a “life-altering experience.”
Mann was selected as a fellow by the Fund for Teachers fellowship.
She traveled to Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico during the summer to visit several hometowns and family members of her current students.
“I learned so much about where my kids are from, things about them and the places they lived,” Cheri said. The English Language Learners teacher noted she had many preconceived notions about the countries and it was eye-opening to discover how many of them were wrong. For example, not all parts of Guatemala are hot even though it’s in Central America. One town was at 9,000 feet elevation and was cold. “I realized kids really do know cold,” she said. “We lump them together, but it’s very different places.”
She has used those experiences to create projects for her class to “honor the places they’ve lived.” The students will use images and Google Maps to give a better understanding of their homelands.
Cheri said she was warmly greeted at every stop on her journey. “The common theme from families was ‘we never imagined a teacher of our family member would visit us,’” she said. She noted that Jutiapa, one town she visited in Guatemala, was home to 11 of her students and she met their grandmother. She was able to show her photos and examples of her grandchildrens’ work in school.
The families were proud to host her and her students were proud she got to meet their families and see their hometowns. She visited with the family of her student, Pablo, and was treated to a tour of their town by his dad. Many of the improvements to the town, such as paved roads, are due to people sending money back home while they work in the United states. Pablo has never seen the paved roads that runs in front of his family’s home in Guatemala.
“Now I can text Pablo’s dad and tell him how proud I am of him,” she said. “The relationships I have with students have grown also. Pablo was really proud I got to meet his family.”
During her adventure she also reconnected with some families who moved back to their homeland. They were considered wealthy because they saved money during their 12 years living in the United States and can now afford large and comfortable homes in Guatemala.
Cheri said her favorite part of the trip was getting to see where her students are from and meet their families. “They get to see how much I care for them and they really took care of me,” she said.
Parts of the journey were long and a little harrowing, but it was an experience she will forever remember and cherish. Cheri laughed and recalled riding the equivalent of a souped-up school bus on part of her journey. “I thought I was going to die on that bus,” she said with a smile, noting it was like riding downhill with no brakes. “The kids said that’s normal and that’s where people learn to pray.”
“I’m glad I did it once. That’s how my kids have traveled,” she said.
She also volunteered in a migrant shelter where some of her students lived for up to 18 months. “I was only there for two hours, but it really hit hard,” she said.
A lifelong teacher, it was also enlightening for her to see the condition of schools. Most of them were very hot and had no books. Students do not have computers until high school and, even then, they are typically available in private schools. Many students have to drop out of school because it’s too expensive and/or too far to travel.
Cheri is hoping to influence her fellow teachers to apply for the FFT fellowship so they can build their own professional development like she did. Cheri’s blog recounting her travels and utilizing her experiences in school is available at https://itscherij.edublogs.org/.