Escuela Caracol

Our cottage was located next to Escuela Caracol, which is Josh and Courtney's new school located in the middle of a beautiful garden. It was their first home until they were able to establish it as a school. The kindergarten and the playground were built later. Josh’s dad helped build much of the playground during several different visits. The curriculum is based on the Waldorf Education Model. It teaches children awareness of self and others. The purpose of the school is to nurture and develop the whole child with an empasis on basic life skills. At present Courtney teaches the kindergarten and Josh handles administrative tasks and first grade. Each year a new level will be added until it reaches K-6. Their most recent addition is the new composting toilet. It was brightly painted by visiting volunteers. Five hundred 20 ounce stuffed bottles were used in building the toilet’s walls. Then plaster was applied to cover the bottles. Using stuffed bottles aids in cleaning up San Marcos La Laguna, as much of the trash can be disposed of in this manner. For more information about the school go to its website: http://www.escuelacaracol.org/

We visited the school on Sunday, then we visited the next morning to meet the children. They were busy preparing their snack for the morning: Fresh watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, banana and strawberries. The school has its own coffee, lime, mango, jocote, pitaya, and banana trees. There are also exotic flowers lining the paths through the school’s grounds. The children greeted us warmly and offered us a snack too. This was the week before Easter, and the kids had great fun painting the eggs. Afterward, there was an Easter egg hunt, which was a new experience for these Third World children. They have been drying coffee beans and will eventually roast them. They may be able to sell their final product. They are also growing orange and mandarin orange trees that will provide fruit in the future. They use Cakchiqel, Spanish, and English. Josh also teaches the recorder as part of the first grade lessons. Besides Josh and Courtney, there are two teachers and two men who maintain the buildings and grounds.