Brush Your Teeth!

Today is Thursday and I call it Guadalajara day because nearly every Thursday, we travel on our bicycles through the sugarcane plantations, cross the river, and to the small pueblo of Guadalajara to work in a school. Everytime we visit I teach fifth, sixth, and third grade English and Steve teaches fourth and second grade English. We also teach a Como Planear Mi Vida lesson together to fifth and sixth graders. Como Planear Mi Vida translates into English exactly as How to plan my Life and inside the teacher`s manual it has several lessons on self esteem, relationships, sex, aids, drugs, study strategies and values. In my opinion it is a great program developed in Costa Rica with many necessary conversations and activities for youth. Today, however, we left our house with more than our English plans and our teaching manuals. We left armed with eighty toothbrushes and toothpaste packets donated to Peace Corps from Colgate.
After teaching my fifth and sixth graders a lesson in the numbers from one to one hundred in English, I counted out twelve of them in English to volunteer to do a skit and teach the first graders how to brush their teeth. Four of the sixth grade students entered the first grade classroom with me holding white pieces of paper. I told the first graders that the four students holding the white sheets of paper were our TEETH. Then I told them that we were pretending it was in the morning and we were going to eat a few pieces of candy. I asked them who liked candy and of course every first grader raised their hand. On cue of hearing the word CONFITE (candy in Spanish) a student holding a bright pink paper with the word CONFITE written on it entered the room and stood in front of one of our TEETH. I told the students that candy is sweet and has lots of sugar in it and it covers our teeth with a layer of sugar. Next, I told them that it was snack time and we were hungry for charamuscas (little frozen juices in bags that resemble popsicles). Everybody agreed that they loved charamuscas. So on cue, a sixth grader holding a yellow paper with the word CHARAMUSCA written on it entered the classroom and stood in front of another one of our TEETH. I explained once again that charamuscas have lots of sugar in them and that sugar coates our teeth and eats away at them and can ruin them. Then I told them that it was the afternoon and asked if anyone wanted a coca cola to drink. Everyone of course shreaked with enthusiasm. A sixth grader holding a sign reading Coca Cola entered and covered another TOOTH. With all my sweet delights standing in front of the students role playing teeth, I explained that our teeth were now all covered with sugar and were being ruined. I can save our teeth and clean them by brushing them, I explained. I picked up a broom and told them that this was my toothbrush. They all roared with laughter as I brushed the students posing as sweets away and we once again could see our shiney white TEETH! I explained using the broom that we brush the teeth on the sides making little circles, almost like painting and the ones in front with an up and down movement. Next another sixth grader entered and posed as an example and I brushed his teeth in front of everyone demonstrating the proper circular movements on his teeth. Then I gave all the sixth graders toothbrushes and asked if they could do it correctly for the first graders. Finally, each pair of sixth graders took ten first graders outside and helped them brush their teeth using water in buckets from the pila (cement sink). It was an amazing dental moment in history! Seventy children brushing their teeth together in the school yard! Believe me, I took lots of pictures and they will be on their way to your email boxes as soon as I sign my name with love to this entry.
Oh, one more thing-- as you brush your teeth tonight think of me and remember that I love you all and miss you oh so much.
All our love, Teresa and Steve