Maribel

Also on Thursday, Maribel called me while at school to tell me we'd have a meeting on Friday at 11 and she would come by at 10 to deliver books and pick me up.  I also received notice that form 8-10 would be parent clean-up day.  The principal sent home a note that parents were encouraged to come help clean the grounds.  In Nashville, if we have beautification days like this, they're on Saturdays.  This was first thing on a "learning day."  I clarified with the 5th grade teacher so I would know how to plan appropriately and she said it should last about 20 minutes.  That meant that my day would look normal until 10 when Maribel got there.  So I would need to cut short my second group (3rd grade, happily!).  At 9:15 they were wrapping up the cleaning, but I was only prepared for 2nd grade, so I went to their class 25 minutes late and stayed there until Maribel showed up at 9:45.  We gave ourselves a headache again trying to figure out the whole book situation.  Finally we kind of just gave up and made the numbers work!

We went to the meeting which was more or less a professional development.  A man got up and presented some classroom management techniques.  Then Maribel told us that in groups we would be doing a lesson plan since NO ONE had turned theirs in.  It seems here in Culiacán, you turn in your lesson plans on the 1st and 15th of each month.  That's right: two weeks of plans turned in (let me tell you how often your plans change in elementary school... it's only that much more in Mexico where you might not have class because of a sick teacher/birthday party/faculty meeting/clean-up day!).  

Maribel told us she'd fine us 50 pesos every time we didn't do it and that would fund our cakes at our meetings!

I left there Friday knowing I would spend all of Sunday afternoon and probably Monday and Tuesday as well working on lesson plans.  Maribel dropped me at the nearest Canal Tres bus stop and I scurried as fast as I could back home to meet Mabel and go to the bus station for Mazatlán.  As I was walking up the drive, I hear Mabel from her bedroom window above me say, "Laura Klapheke.  You are late."  It was kinda hilarious.  Off we went.  More on Mazatlán in the next.