June 2, 2015

Cloud Forest School

Today, we were given the privileged to visit the Cloud Forest school. I was very impressed by the school. This is one of Costa Ricans private schools. There are almost 200 students in grades Kindergarten through eleventh grade. This school was made my parents in hopes of giving their children a bilingual education. The school has grown into much more than just that. The school and its students are one with nature. The classrooms are open and there are many hiking trails. The schools puts a lot of emphasis on being environmentally-friendly. The students here are encouraged to show their creativity in everything they do. The student ambassador, Elena, that showed us around spoke highly of her school. She stated that this was more than a school, it had become her home and the people her family. This school is the ideal school to work for. The students don’t sit in class all day quietly at their desks. The children played and did hands-on activities. What impressed me the most was how environmentally aware they were. The students respected the beautiful world around them. They are very resourceful. The recycle and reuse materials around them and used their creative minds to make something new. Just from the little time I observed, I gained insight on so many ideas about what I could do in my own classroom. I can do anything if I think creatively. My students will plant gardens and use then resources around them. I whole heartedly believe in recycling materials and not being wasteful. The Cloud Forest’s playground was made out of all recycled material. The swings were made from tires and the slide was made out of sheet metal and old pipes. The art work displayed around the school were made of material such as plastic bottles, caps, pots, tires, and so on. It was so interesting. I was truly inspired by this school and can’t wait to take back what I learned to my own classroom.