Contact Information
Email: katebarba10@gmail.com
Phone: (267) 261-4551
Peace Corps Ecuador
Peace Corps is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1961. The mission includes three goals. The first goal is to meet the need for trained men and women in countries that request assistance. The second goal is to promote a better understanding of Americans and the third goal is for Americans to promote a better understanding of the people and culture where they serve. Peace Corps is currently serving in 63 countries. In order to achieve the third goal, I am going to share a brief look at my service in Ecuador.
Ecuador is a small country located on the equator in South America. The country is abundantly diverse with four separate climate regions: the coast, the mountains, the jungle, and the Galapagos Islands. The capital of the country is Quito which is considered a World Heritage site. Economically, Ecuador relies mainly on petroleum and agricultural exports. The country is a major exporter of bananas, flowers, and cocoa. The official language is Spanish but indigenous languages such as Quechua are also recognized. The currency of the country is the American dollar but Ecuador does produce its own coins. For such a small country in size, the diversity is remarkable.
Peace Corps Ecuador currently has 112 volunteer serving in four programs: Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Community Health, Youth and Families, and Natural Resource Conservation. The program began in 1962 and since then nearly 6,000 volunteers have served at the grassroots level. The TEFL program is currently the largest program in the country and the stated purpose is as follows: teachers, students, and community members in Ecuador will gain personal, professional, and academic opportunities through English language skills. TEFL volunteers are placed in a secondary school where they will primarily work for the two years of their service.
After three months of training in technical skills, language and culture, and safety, I was assigned to a secondary school in a medium-sized city called Pasaje de Las Nieves. It is located in a southern province called El Oro and shares a border with Peru. I worked with ten English teachers in a school called Colegio de Bachillerato Carmen Mora de Encalada with just under 2,000 students. My main projects at the school besides working in English classes included offering English clubs for students, painting murals, organizing a TOEFL class for teachers in the province, facilitating summer camps, and forming a youth group. I also worked closely with the International Baccalaureate program which began during my second year of service. The program encourages students to think independently and offers the potential to continue their studies at some of the highest ranking universities around the world.
One of my greatest accomplishments during my Peace Corps service was organizing and facilitating the first volunteer run summer camp in my community. With the support of eleven fellow Peace Corps volunteers, I led a summer camp for 120 students in the community. The language of the camp was English and included activities on sexual health education and the environment. The camp was a tremendous success and we were able to offer a second camp with 200 students the following year.
Other projects included teacher training sessions for teachers that received a scholarship to study English in the United States. The workshops focused on improving the teaching methodology that was currently being used in the schools. I presented on topics such as the communicative approach, rubrics, using projects in the classroom, listening activities, and differentiated learning. The teachers expressed their appreciation for the workshops and interest in learning more strategies and techniques that they could apply to their classrooms.
Overall, my twenty-seven month experience in Ecuador was memorable. At times it was challenging especially with the differences in the educational system but it encouraged me to become more patient and resilient. I have made lasting relationships with people from all over the country and gained experience that has made me a better teacher.