Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a typical school day like at Blanca Jeannette Kawas Bilingual School?
Teachers report to school from 6:45 am to 1pm and 11:45 am to 6:00 pm, for elementary. High school teachers report to school from 6:45am to 2:00pm. We try to allow teachers prep time to prepare lessons and materials, correct student work or meet with other teachers. Please understand that scheduling constraints sometimes does not allow this. Occasionally teachers will be asked to use their prep to cover classes for an absent teacher when the Substitute is also absent or is already covering a class. The day also includes two breaks for recess and lunch for high school and one break for recess in elementary totaling. During one of these breaks, each teacher is assigned a supervisory role to watch kids while they play or eat. Generally, this is a relaxing duty with few problems. Primary teachers will be asked to support after school homework and ESL help sessions for their own classes. Teachers may also opt to do an after school activity like soccer or art club depending on their interests.
2. How do you plan your lessons?
Honduras education laws specify the subjects, and the number of hours per week per subject, that are to be taught. The major subjects in the Primary School (5 class hours per week per subject) are (in English): English, Reading, Math, Science, Phonic s and Spelling. Honduran teachers cover Estudios Sociales and Español, the other two required subjects. In addition to the main academic areas, BJK School teaches Handwriting, Oral Language Development, Art, Music, Physical Education, Computers, and Library.
The school provides new teachers with an inventory of texts being used for each grade level. In some cases, we do not have texts for a particular subject or do not have enough copies of a text. According to Honduran Law, teachers are required to hand in a “Year-long Plan” by October 1st each year. Each teacher is provided with last year’s year-long plan, as well as other curriculum guidelines, when they arrive for the training in August. Honduran law also requires that the Director check and initial weekly lesson plans, so teachers are asked to prepare and keep clear notes on a regular basis. Time is set aside during the school day for this preparation and planning.
3. What kind of teaching experience does a volunteer need in order to come and teach?
You must be a fluent English speaker in order to come and teach here. You do not need any prior teaching experience but we welcome experienced teachers as well. You must enjoy working with children and also be willing to work hard, be patient, and flexible. You do not need to speak Spanish, as all English classes are conducted in English.
4. What is the average class size?
The school has a policy of limiting class size to 25. More times than not we exceed our class size limits in PreK and kinder and classes have been up to 30 students. Any more than that and we definitely start another class. The average class-size in the Primary School is 20, in the Secondary School 16.
5. What subjects could a volunteer potentially teach?
Volunteers teach English in the following contexts: reading, phonics, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and math.
6. What are the dates of a typical school year?
The school year runs from the beginning of August until the middle of June. Vacation runs from the June to August. Dates are extremely flexible, meaning that they could change at a moment's notice. Though there are no classes, the school still requires help preparing for the upcoming school year so we welcome volunteer teachers at anytime during the year!
7. What do volunteers do on the weekends?
Volunteers usually spend their weekends at the beach, taking weekend trips to nearby attractions, using the internet when/if it's available, reading, sitting in the volunteer house and studying Spanish.
8. What are the housing accommodations like?
In general, the accommodation for teachers is smaller than typical American apartments but average for Tela – there are houses in town that are simpler but others that are much nicer. Much of your perception of the housing will probably depend on your previous experience in developing countries. Those who have lived in India, rural South America or Africa or come with images of four walls, a cement floor and a single light bulb dangling from a tin roof usually find themselves quite pleased. In any case, it's very important to come prepared knowing that you'll not be living in a Bed Bath and Beyond showroom; even though Tela is a lovely town, it is still in a developing country where the average monthly income is $100.
Some of the unusual housing features include plastic garden table and chairs for the kitchen, beds for living room couches, mix-matched kitchen supplies, no hot water in kitchen or bathroom sinks, the occasional leaking roof, roof terraces with no railings, flashing light bulbs during rain storms. Some of the unusual living features include electricity power cuts every few days for a couple of hours during the rainy season, water shortages in the dry season. You will also co-habit with ants that come in sizes mini to large, periodic cockroaches, and spiders, none harmful, but all annoying. If you come prepared to laugh off these little oddities, your experience here will definitely be much more satisfying. The house is within a 1 minute walk to school. Teachers are responsible for electricity, tap water, internet, cable tv and cellphone bills.
9. What if I want to come and teach for a period of time that is longer than a tourist visa permits?
Upon arrival you will receive a tourist visa of 90 days. If you are planning on staying longer than that you need to leave Honduras and come back in order to renew your tourist visa. It is relatively easy to do this and our volunteers have enjoyed traveling while teaching.
10. How long does the typical volunteer stay in Tela to teach?
If both you and the school are happy with the arrangement, BJK School would be delighted if you would choose to stay for another school year. You would have the option to teach the same class (in the next grade) if you wish.
11. How many other volunteers are at the school?
We try to have six to eight volunteer English teachers during the school year, but we usually have three to six.
12. What countries are the volunteers from?
We have hosted volunteers from all over the world. You must be a fluent English speaker in order to volunteer.
13. What is the weather like in Tela?
The weather is wonderful. You can live year round with the windows open. On the coldest mornings (in December and January) you will want a warm jacket or a heavy sweater until the sun comes out. There are days when the sun doesn't come out, and you will need the jacket for the whole day. On the coldest evenings/mornings it might get down to 65 degrees F. but most of the time it is mid 80's to 100's (25-32 degrees C.). . During March and April, the temperature is frequently very warm, but even on the hottest days there is often a breeze. It gets uncomfortable and very humid since this is the coast of Honduras.
14. What do volunteers wear for teaching?
Conservative attire and personal grooming are taken much more seriously in Honduras than in the United States. It is important for Blanca Jeannette Kawas Bilingual School's relations with parents and with the community that our faculty respect local standards of proper attire and grooming. Further, teachers are role models for the students, who are required to wear uniform. General statement: think neat and fairly conservative.
Teachers will pay for one school polo shirt. Each day of the week you will wear white blouse, red schiffon tie, with navy trousers or skirts and black sandals or shoes. For men White Shirt, red tie, black pants and black shoes. This actually makes packing a little lighter since you only need weekend clothes. You will probably want to bring one dressy outfit for special occasions, ie., graduations. The school would prefer no visible piercing (other than - for women - earrings or a discreet nose pin) and no dreads.
1. What is a typical school day like at Blanca Jeannette Kawas Bilingual School?
Teachers report to school from 6:45 am to 1pm and 11:45 am to 6:00 pm, for elementary. High school teachers report to school from 6:45am to 2:00pm. We try to allow teachers prep time to prepare lessons and materials, correct student work or meet with other teachers. Please understand that scheduling constraints sometimes does not allow this. Occasionally teachers will be asked to use their prep to cover classes for an absent teacher when the Substitute is also absent or is already covering a class. The day also includes two breaks for recess and lunch for high school and one break for recess in elementary totaling. During one of these breaks, each teacher is assigned a supervisory role to watch kids while they play or eat. Generally, this is a relaxing duty with few problems. Primary teachers will be asked to support after school homework and ESL help sessions for their own classes. Teachers may also opt to do an after school activity like soccer or art club depending on their interests.
2. How do you plan your lessons?
Honduras education laws specify the subjects, and the number of hours per week per subject, that are to be taught. The major subjects in the Primary School (5 class hours per week per subject) are (in English): English, Reading, Math, Science, Phonic s and Spelling. Honduran teachers cover Estudios Sociales and Español, the other two required subjects. In addition to the main academic areas, BJK School teaches Handwriting, Oral Language Development, Art, Music, Physical Education, Computers, and Library.
The school provides new teachers with an inventory of texts being used for each grade level. In some cases, we do not have texts for a particular subject or do not have enough copies of a text. According to Honduran Law, teachers are required to hand in a “Year-long Plan” by October 1st each year. Each teacher is provided with last year’s year-long plan, as well as other curriculum guidelines, when they arrive for the training in August. Honduran law also requires that the Director check and initial weekly lesson plans, so teachers are asked to prepare and keep clear notes on a regular basis. Time is set aside during the school day for this preparation and planning.
3. What kind of teaching experience does a volunteer need in order to come and teach?
You must be a fluent English speaker in order to come and teach here. You do not need any prior teaching experience but we welcome experienced teachers as well. You must enjoy working with children and also be willing to work hard, be patient, and flexible. You do not need to speak Spanish, as all English classes are conducted in English.
4. What is the average class size?
The school has a policy of limiting class size to 25. More times than not we exceed our class size limits in PreK and kinder and classes have been up to 30 students. Any more than that and we definitely start another class. The average class-size in the Primary School is 20, in the Secondary School 16.
5. What subjects could a volunteer potentially teach?
Volunteers teach English in the following contexts: reading, phonics, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and math.
6. What are the dates of a typical school year?
The school year runs from the beginning of August until the middle of June. Vacation runs from the June to August. Dates are extremely flexible, meaning that they could change at a moment's notice. Though there are no classes, the school still requires help preparing for the upcoming school year so we welcome volunteer teachers at anytime during the year!
7. What do volunteers do on the weekends?
Volunteers usually spend their weekends at the beach, taking weekend trips to nearby attractions, using the internet when/if it's available, reading, sitting in the volunteer house and studying Spanish.
8. What are the housing accommodations like?
In general, the accommodation for teachers is smaller than typical American apartments but average for Tela – there are houses in town that are simpler but others that are much nicer. Much of your perception of the housing will probably depend on your previous experience in developing countries. Those who have lived in India, rural South America or Africa or come with images of four walls, a cement floor and a single light bulb dangling from a tin roof usually find themselves quite pleased. In any case, it's very important to come prepared knowing that you'll not be living in a Bed Bath and Beyond showroom; even though Tela is a lovely town, it is still in a developing country where the average monthly income is $100.
Some of the unusual housing features include plastic garden table and chairs for the kitchen, beds for living room couches, mix-matched kitchen supplies, no hot water in kitchen or bathroom sinks, the occasional leaking roof, roof terraces with no railings, flashing light bulbs during rain storms. Some of the unusual living features include electricity power cuts every few days for a couple of hours during the rainy season, water shortages in the dry season. You will also co-habit with ants that come in sizes mini to large, periodic cockroaches, and spiders, none harmful, but all annoying. If you come prepared to laugh off these little oddities, your experience here will definitely be much more satisfying. The house is within a 1 minute walk to school. Teachers are responsible for electricity, tap water, internet, cable tv and cellphone bills.
9. What if I want to come and teach for a period of time that is longer than a tourist visa permits?
Upon arrival you will receive a tourist visa of 90 days. If you are planning on staying longer than that you need to leave Honduras and come back in order to renew your tourist visa. It is relatively easy to do this and our volunteers have enjoyed traveling while teaching.
10. How long does the typical volunteer stay in Tela to teach?
If both you and the school are happy with the arrangement, BJK School would be delighted if you would choose to stay for another school year. You would have the option to teach the same class (in the next grade) if you wish.
11. How many other volunteers are at the school?
We try to have six to eight volunteer English teachers during the school year, but we usually have three to six.
12. What countries are the volunteers from?
We have hosted volunteers from all over the world. You must be a fluent English speaker in order to volunteer.
13. What is the weather like in Tela?
The weather is wonderful. You can live year round with the windows open. On the coldest mornings (in December and January) you will want a warm jacket or a heavy sweater until the sun comes out. There are days when the sun doesn't come out, and you will need the jacket for the whole day. On the coldest evenings/mornings it might get down to 65 degrees F. but most of the time it is mid 80's to 100's (25-32 degrees C.). . During March and April, the temperature is frequently very warm, but even on the hottest days there is often a breeze. It gets uncomfortable and very humid since this is the coast of Honduras.
14. What do volunteers wear for teaching?
Conservative attire and personal grooming are taken much more seriously in Honduras than in the United States. It is important for Blanca Jeannette Kawas Bilingual School's relations with parents and with the community that our faculty respect local standards of proper attire and grooming. Further, teachers are role models for the students, who are required to wear uniform. General statement: think neat and fairly conservative.
Teachers will pay for one school polo shirt. Each day of the week you will wear white blouse, red schiffon tie, with navy trousers or skirts and black sandals or shoes. For men White Shirt, red tie, black pants and black shoes. This actually makes packing a little lighter since you only need weekend clothes. You will probably want to bring one dressy outfit for special occasions, ie., graduations. The school would prefer no visible piercing (other than - for women - earrings or a discreet nose pin) and no dreads.