When the family is united it is very, very good

We are currently in the third quarter at Instituto El Rey, and my 8th grade class is in the midst of Unit 7: Clothing. As a way to summarize what we've learned so far this year and force my students to speak English in front of each other, I have assigned a creative project.

For this project, the students are to search through various magazine articles in order to find a picture they would like to describe. Their assignment is twofold. First, they are to create a story about the person in the picture by using at least 10-15 well written sentences. Second, they are to present their story orally to the class with enthusiasm and clear pronunciation.

This has been an exciting assignment for me because it has given me the opportunity to see how creative many of my students really are. Because this is only their second year to study English, I rarely see their imaginations in writing. Many of my students, however, are extremely creative and capable of both expressing themselves and forming concrete opinions.

The following excerpt comes from one of my students, Daysi. Her picture is of a father-son duo preparing breakfast for the family. Her opinions about traditional roles in rural Honduran homes are definitely opposed to the status quo. Yet, I think she has a lot of wisdom to offer her small community.

Says Daysi:
“The father and his son are cooking in the kitchen. The father is thirty-seven years old. He is old. His son is seven years old. He is little. They are making eggs for breakfast. They work together to serve their family the food. After, they go to sit and eat their delicious breakfast. They are glad to be eating with their family.

When the family is united it is very, very good. In this family the mother is not the only person who can cook. The men can cook too. This way the mother can rest for one moment. It is necessary that men learn to cook too, just like in the picture how the father and his son are cooking.”