Aztec parade

 Aztec Parade

Last week there was a big parade. Folks were celebrating the day of San Miguel, a local festival. Here's some photos.

Art Show in San Miguel

Art Show

Last week we put on a little art show here in San Miguel de Allende at the famous Rosewood Hotel.

The show was a success. I sold a piece and took a commission for some new work.

After the show we strolled around the grounds of the hotel.

The breakfast buffet had an incredible assortment of cereals, fruits and nuts. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and 10 different kinds of yoghurt.

We met up with Aurora's family later and strolled around the grounds.

Cassandra was visiting San Miguel with her kids. All in all it was a great weekend.

Libros Sin Fronteras

Libros Sin Fronteras

Our school here in San Miguel de Allende, Libros sin Fronteras, is accepting volunteer interns to help with teaching the children.

Linda Curran is the director of the school, and my wife Aurora teaches. 

Together we have organised a small nonprofit organisation to benefit Mexican children with low economic resources: Libros sin fronteras or Books without Borders. I work in an advisory capacity as the executive director of the foundation.

Our goal is to give kids a chance.  A lot of Mexican children don't get equal opportunities in education. We're here to help. In addition to teaching children on scholarships we have an outreach program that brings books to challenged communities outside San Miguel. Children living in rural Mexico have few opportunities to read. Some of them begin working when still very young.

We're offering internships for volunteers interested in helping the children of Mexico. Read below for more information. Or check out the website: http://www.librosparaninos.org/contactus.html

In Mexico, despite the best efforts of literacy programs, many children never learn to read. "One group of 30 students reads an average of 
one book per year." says Jesús Ledesma, San 
Miguel Education.  The Mexican poet and 
essayist, Gabriel Zaid wrote in his essay 
"Reading As an Education Failure" that 8.8 
million Mexicans have university degrees but 1.6 
million of them have never been in a bookstore, 
and after some calculations he concluded that 
more than half of the university students in 
Mexico do not read books.

The purpose of the organisation is to reach out to rural communities and donate libraries as well as to encourage reading wherever possible.Among some of the programs we offer:

Loan Books to Rural Schools
Through our mobile library-bookmobile

		Teach English to
		Primary/Secondary Students

		Train & Support Teachers on
		Current Educational Practices

OUR SCHOOL

The school is located on the first floor of a two-story building. The school boasts over 3,000 trade books,  instructional resources, various manipulatives and a piano. There is one classroom and a second room with an  Internet-connected computer lab (including five computers, four printers, a laminator and an overhead projector), as well as a kitchen, bathroom, a botanical garden  and a horticultural area with chiles, cabbage,pumpkin squash and a shady jacaranda tree near a refreshing fountain where kids can play and read.

English language classes commenced in January 2008, with an average enrollment of 30 students. Four separate classes meet four days per week for one hour from September through June. We presently haveover  40 students enrolled in our classes for the fall 2015 semester.

INTERNSHIPS AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

We offer internships to qualified and dedicated volunteers interested in helping the children of Mexico. We are interested in candidates with experience in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to children and adolescents from the local public schools, developing and employing teaching methods that will engage the students to include multi-sensory, thematic and center-based learning 

instruction to teach phonics, grammar, comprehension and fluency.

The Intern will co-teach four one-hour classes per day, from 3:00pm to 7:00pm, Monday through Thursday, at our school, Aprendezje del Ingles, in Colonia Guadalupe, San Miguel de Allende. In addition, the Intern will support the school's Mobile Library Program and teaching English classes in rural campos outside of the city. Presently, an English language class is taught once a week at the Kinder and Primary Schools in El Tigre, a small community outside of San Miguel, on Tuesday 
mornings. Interns will support the Mobile Library Program through book inventory, delivery and reading methodology instruction at rural communities. On Fridays, Interns will spend a few hours working on special projects, book inventory and grant writing.

Interns need to be able to create an instructional approach adapted and modified to the varying needs and backgrounds of the students as well as incorporate their personal interests and talents.

Books in English, Spanish and English/Spanish, from a library of over 3,000 books, are available to the students. Tuition monies also benefit urban schools through the purchase and donation of books and materials. The Association 
recently launched a mobile library supporting the schools in the remote, outlying areas of San Miguel, thanks to the  generous donation of the 100 Women Who Care Foundation to purchase a vehicle. Interns will also accompany the Director and/or Board Members of the School to the León and Guadalajara Book Fairs to purchase books as well as to the local schools to donate booksMentor/Supervisor:The School Director, Linda Carol Curran, is responsible for facilitating the intern with orientation, assessments, curriculum development and implementation, intern evaluation, grant writing, related academic functions and cultural and other adjustments and supports. Linda holds a Master of Science in Education and is Certified in Intensive Special Needs from Simmons College in Boston, and obtained ITTT TEFL Certification as well as a diploma of mastery of the Spanish 
language. She has completed numerous workshops on topics including Reading Recovery in the Classroom, Open Circle Social Competency Program, and Whole Language by Andrea Butler and Bay State Readers Academy, among others. She earned 439 Professional Development Points while working 15 years as the primary teacher (namely first grade) in renowned primary public school systems in both Virginia and Massachusetts public school systems. Linda has been a 
member of the International Reading Association since 1987. She attended the International Literacy Conference in St. Louis in July, 2015.

Equipment:The Association supplies all of the equipment and resources such as books, materials, manipulatives, five computers, broadband internet connection, copiers, overhead projector, laminating machine and a piano. Any additional materials that the Intern 
feels would benefit the teaching experience are welcome.Start Date/Duration:   We are accepting applications for the January 11-March 24, 2016 Internship.Number of Positions:  One, Director Linda Curran will facilitate the InternApplication Deadline:  Friday, November 11, 2015Compensation:  The Association provides a furnished one-bedroom apartment with laundry facilities,
located above the school, including Internet, utilities and weekly cleaning.  Additionally, the Intern will be compensated 
2000 pesos per month. The Intern is responsible for his/her airfare and health insurance.

Intern Qualifications:.  Academic background in ESL, EFL, Spanish/English and/or Bilingual Education and related majors
.  Experience, teaching ESL/EFL or prior classroom ESL/EFL exposure and some experience working with children. The 
Association prefers people whom are adaptable and show initiative.
Requirements:Please submit with your application:

• Copy of your academic transcript
  
• Your current resume, including information about relevant
  

work or volunteer experience

• Two letters of reference (one academic)
  
• A minimum 250-word essay outlining:
  

-  The skills you are seeking to develop from the internship

-  What you expect to learn and how this experience will benefit you.