Schools, Bikes, and the Like...

First the bike... On Monday I went for another bike ride out on the new boulevard. I ended up doing three full laps and it felt great. While I'm out there I get some interesting looks: I'm a gringa, on a bike, riding for exercise. That's not something they see every day around here. I figure that within a few weeks the people there will get used to seeing me riding back and forth, up and down the boulevard and say something like, "There's that gringa loca again."

The cool thing is that Monday must have been Wear an American Sports Team Ballcap Day. Shortly after starting out, I spotted a guy on a bike wearing a faded Michigan cap. Now, his cap wasn't nearly as faded as my brother's, but it was still a good effort. I think Bill would have been proud. A lap or so later, I saw a KC Royals cap. That's right, the Kansas City Royals are representing right here in Comayagua. OK, maybe you'll think it a bit strange, but seeing those caps made me smile and feel a bit closer to being in the States.

About the schools... Yesterday the government declared that all schools must be finished by next Friday (instead of the normal early-mid November), and grades submitted. Oh, and the real kicker? No student is allowed to be failed. If they are currently failing, or won't finish their school work on time, tough. They must pass anyway. I guess it's kind of like the failed No Child Left Behind. Sandi told me that something like this usually happens during an election year. Although, this is the first time that the "no fail" clause has been inserted. So, I'm thinking that if they know it's an election year and that they're going to shorten the school year anyway, why not just build that in to the school calendar on election years rather than scrambling at the end? I dunno; makes sense to me to plan ahead.

For me, it means that we have cancelled my Literature class with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades so that they can concentrate on getting their core work done. My class was something extra that was added when I got here. Since I won't be teaching those classes, they're asking me to spend my time in various classes, trying to help the students there finish their work. (Sorry, that first "they're" just kind of came out of nowhere, but I decided to use they're, there, and their all in one sentence.)

And the like... Well, I didn't really have anything in mind for the "like". I guess I just "liked" the sound of it when I was thinking of a catchy title for this post.