Teacher and May Day

This past week has been one of celebration and holiday for Paraguayans and me. Yesterday we had the day off from school to celebrate Teacher’s Day, a national holiday break from school and scholarly endeavor to thank those special teachers in charge of our educational present and to call to memory and venerate those special teachers who have touched our already-formed past. Festivities started a day early in school on Tuesday with a special program presented by the children from preschool to high school. Some sang songs in English, others recited poetry in Guarani, but all had only nice things to say about their maestros. It was a beautiful program that once again brought to my very-recently very-discouraged mind the importance of my work here, the impact of teachers, and the grand significance of educational formation.

After the recital-style assembly and presentation for all the teachers, the students left for their individual classrooms to celebrate with their own teachers. The kids and their parents brought in every sort of treat and decoration just like when we had Halloween or Christmas parties at Seville Elementary School, with everything from frosted cakes to fried empanadas to giant bottles of soda to share on the important day. As an itinerant English teacher, I had the chance to visit every classroom that I wanted, dabbling in a piece of cake here and sipping on some soda there. By the end of the morning session, I was sick to my stomach full of so many cookies and sugar drinks and sandwichitos.

At the end of the day, though, my stomach wasn’t the only thing that was full. My bookbag, too, was packed to the brim with regalitos—little gifts—from all my students as a sign of their appreciation for who I am and what I do as a teacher. Among other things, I got a pair of black socks that say “America”, a little pink alarm clock, a purple marker, a nice Parker pen, a bookmark, a calculator, a thermos, and a guampa to drink maté. The day, a super one full of celebration and congratulatory hugs, ended with a beautiful dinner paid for by the school at a churrasqueria- a huge Paraguayan buffet where men with little bowties push around carts that serve the most beautiful and delicious meat in the whole world. Really, the meal was a dream-come-true with all-I-could-eat sausages and stuffed chickens and fancy noodles and fresh salads and ice cream. I took good advantage, and ended up contentedly rolling myself home with several more kilos on my person than before.

Today we’re left with just one more day to celebrate. In Paraguay, Cuba, and all the former Soviet States, May 1 means international workers’ day. Here, celebrating labor means another day off of work in the middle of the week to give credit to workers where their credit is due. Today is a rainy and miserable day outside, though, preventing the soccer tournament and clothes sale that had been planned at the church. And so, instead I sit at home writing and reflecting and sharing a bit about work and school and life in Paraguay. The work I’m doing here, although sometimes I feel like it doesn’t mean a darn thing, is important and that fact that I have work to do, and important character-forming work as teacher(for both the students and me), is a huge blessing for which I am incredibly thankful. God is so good to give me and the whole world useful, creative, and good things to do every day in our work; just as His own work in the whole world, too, always is and in all ways is useful, creative, and Good.