My School!

Day 3 - Thursday,  December 1, 2011

Today was our first full day on the job-site. We had an early wake-up call so that we could have breakfast at 7:15AM and be on the bus by 8:15AM. Breakfast was wonderful. I did not know what to expect from a Dominican breakfast, but I was delighted to find ham, cheeses, pineapples, mango, scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes.

By 8:30AM, we had arrived at the school ready for a full day of work. We quickly resumed our masonry duties. Seeing what we had accomplished in a short day the day before helped motivate us as we began our day. It was so exciting to watch the walls grow block by block. The care and passion that went into the work was so obvious. Blocks were removed to be reset when the level indicated that were not perfectly placed. It was so wonderful to watch the other principals and superintendents really get into hard work.

After a full day of laying block, we were incredibly tired, but also incredibly happy. We had taken occasional breaks to play with the kids hanging out on the edges of the construction zone. On one break, I asked one little boy if this was his school. He shook his head and said no. I smiled and said this is your school. We are building it for you. He began to smile broadly and repeated "mi eschela" - my school! It was a beautiful moment and made it easy to really give my all to the work.

If every student takes ownership in their school, if they believe it is their school, they will keep it clean and take care of it. More importantly, they will believe that in their school, they can achieve their dreams. We have often said that we are building hope. This school is theirs. Here they will find a pathway to a bright future.