This weekend is the annual Puyo birthday celebration. Not sure how many years old the town is but some of the pictures on display show the town over the years. Within our life time the town was little more than thatched roof huts and buildings and dusty streets. It is amazing how modern the town has become in the last thirty years.
There was a parade of bands this morning throught the town. On Monday, there will be another parade of dancers including a lot of school children. We could sure learn a lot about how to celebrate from these people.
Looks like we will be back in school on Tuesday.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
And Now For A "School Board"
We will attempt to summarize a meeting last evening that has been some time in the making. The school desperately needs an oversight committee of some sort to assist the Director with a long list of management issues. The oversight committee is commonly called a Board of Education in North America. Here, it is referred to as a Junta. Four women were asked by the senior pastor to consider appointment to the Junta. Last night the four gather along with the Director, an assistant pastor in charge of church administration, MJ’s co-teacher who acts as translator and us.
The meeting was excellent! The four potential Junta members, who all have some education experience, asked excellent questions about a model I had written. The model, translated into Spanish, consisted of about four pages of basic responsibilities of the Junta, how meetings should be conducted, and necessary orientation points for the individual members. After two hours of reviewing the model, asking questions and discussing some of the points, the group agreed to meet again next Thursday evening.
Now I am in a strange situation. I have attended and participated in hundreds of board meetings in the last 30 years. Now when I am faced with initiating a board meeting process, I am not sure what to advise. The structure was always provided before. Establishing a board meeting process in a culture which is not familiar with this as well as with people who have no experience, is indeed a challenge.
We will start with what is valid and what is not allowed in such meetings. It comes down to clarifying what the authority domain of the board is as opposed to the authority domain of the school administration.
Secondly, we will outline an agenda structure. The agenda has to include a number of items that as as prompts to remind all concerned that these matters should be discussed. For example, the budget is not really made out. We just spend until the kitty is empty and the church is asked to pick up the deficit. Monthly budget status reports are a must. This example is one of about eight things that must be discussed monthly.
We have also outlined a list of about 15 items that are major issues facing the school at the moment. In the past, items that may be on this list were resolved by default or became a crisis that took various tolls. Proactive school administration is a new concept here.
More to come on this topic in another week.
The meeting was excellent! The four potential Junta members, who all have some education experience, asked excellent questions about a model I had written. The model, translated into Spanish, consisted of about four pages of basic responsibilities of the Junta, how meetings should be conducted, and necessary orientation points for the individual members. After two hours of reviewing the model, asking questions and discussing some of the points, the group agreed to meet again next Thursday evening.
Now I am in a strange situation. I have attended and participated in hundreds of board meetings in the last 30 years. Now when I am faced with initiating a board meeting process, I am not sure what to advise. The structure was always provided before. Establishing a board meeting process in a culture which is not familiar with this as well as with people who have no experience, is indeed a challenge.
We will start with what is valid and what is not allowed in such meetings. It comes down to clarifying what the authority domain of the board is as opposed to the authority domain of the school administration.
Secondly, we will outline an agenda structure. The agenda has to include a number of items that as as prompts to remind all concerned that these matters should be discussed. For example, the budget is not really made out. We just spend until the kitty is empty and the church is asked to pick up the deficit. Monthly budget status reports are a must. This example is one of about eight things that must be discussed monthly.
We have also outlined a list of about 15 items that are major issues facing the school at the moment. In the past, items that may be on this list were resolved by default or became a crisis that took various tolls. Proactive school administration is a new concept here.
More to come on this topic in another week.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
School Problems & Issues
A number of issues seem to be coming to a head in the last few days. This was not unexpected. As a matter of fact we have been expecting a last minute rush of issues and the "please do list" would get crazy.
We had suggested the concept of a type of school board for school governace some months ago. Just now a quick scheduled meeting will be held tomorrow evening with potential board (junta) members, the director and the administrative assitant pastor of the church. The senior pastor is out of town yet again. I asked if people coming to the meeting had received the materials I wrote some three months ago about organizing a board. No materials had been distributed. We must start meeting with no information and from scratch. Something about cultural operations here that does not "allow" preparation for a meeting.
Semester test (a new concept) reality is upon us. Had a major confusion set straight in an after school meeting today. One teacher thought the semester test was to be distrinuted to students so they could memorize the correct answers. After a lot of tension, that one got re-directed.
There is some thought about using the semester test as an entrance exam for student for next year. there are still a ton of complexities to work out with that one not the least of which is test security.
We are NOT bored!
We had suggested the concept of a type of school board for school governace some months ago. Just now a quick scheduled meeting will be held tomorrow evening with potential board (junta) members, the director and the administrative assitant pastor of the church. The senior pastor is out of town yet again. I asked if people coming to the meeting had received the materials I wrote some three months ago about organizing a board. No materials had been distributed. We must start meeting with no information and from scratch. Something about cultural operations here that does not "allow" preparation for a meeting.
Semester test (a new concept) reality is upon us. Had a major confusion set straight in an after school meeting today. One teacher thought the semester test was to be distrinuted to students so they could memorize the correct answers. After a lot of tension, that one got re-directed.
There is some thought about using the semester test as an entrance exam for student for next year. there are still a ton of complexities to work out with that one not the least of which is test security.
We are NOT bored!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Puyo Fair - The Flowers
We just finished two days and night of about 6 inches of rain. Temperatures dropped to a cool 69 degrees. One windoow we never close was slide shut. Everything is a little damp. We are thankful for a place with a clothes drier. Things are looking up now.
Last week we heard the main highway to Quito was closed around Banos due to five landslides. That was open after an over night closing. Problem is that additional rain often causes additional slides in the same area.
Before leaving the local fair, we thought we would send along some pictures from the flower section. We have mentioned before that orchids grow wild all over the place. We have noticed a place between here and Banos along the highway where orchids are just thick on the road bank.
The flower collection at the fair was just amazing. We have included a few for you to look at.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Puyo "County Fair" Part II
Food is always a good place to start. The picture above was our lunch. Beans, banana chips, tuna, corn, tomato, onion with lemon and a bit of aiji (strong spice) The plate was good enough for the both of us. Cost $2. When is the last time you filled up at the fair for a dollar a person!!
We don't just walk around looking for good-looking young gals. This one was a former short term English student when we volunteered at a private tutors home for a week or two. She was handling out bank calendars.
Families here, as is the case most places, enjoy the fair. Kids have to eat the goodies.
The little guys can always have all the fun they need with an open water hose. Two open hoses is double the fun.
The picture above is a lot of bull. We were impressed with the size and bulk of the animals since little or no grain is fed to them. Grass and other green plants are plentiful, however.
There has been recent rebuilding of some of the structures at the fairgrounds. This cattle barn is in excellent condition.
Friday, May 2, 2008
"County Fair" Time in Puyo
Today and for the next several days, the "county fair" is on here in Puyo. Actually, it more of a "state fair" as Puyo is the capital of the Pastaza provience of Ecuador. It is a huge are which is mostly covered with rain forest and open area. Puyo is by far the largest town at some where around 25 to 30,000 people.
The fair is similar in many ways to county fairs in the US. The additional feature is a good showing of all the indiginous groups who live in the area. The pictures below show some of the carfts from the Huaorani culture. This was the tribe that some 50 years ago killed five Americam missionaries.
The picture below is tree bark soaked in water for several days and dried. It is then used for women's skirts or a "baby carrier".
The darts used in the higly effect blow guns are shown below. These darts are made of extremely hard wood and are finely crafted to travel straight.
The fair is similar in many ways to county fairs in the US. The additional feature is a good showing of all the indiginous groups who live in the area. The pictures below show some of the carfts from the Huaorani culture. This was the tribe that some 50 years ago killed five Americam missionaries.
The picture below is tree bark soaked in water for several days and dried. It is then used for women's skirts or a "baby carrier".
The darts used in the higly effect blow guns are shown below. These darts are made of extremely hard wood and are finely crafted to travel straight.
Other groups are also featured. The pictures below show the hand crafted jewelry of the Shiwar.
There are several meat choices available. Check out the next two pictures for the obvious answers to these choices.
There were a number of displays in which the excellent vegetables of the area we on display. Even here there seems to be a contest between the "naturally grown" and fetilized products.
Sugar cane is grown all over the area and the resulting products are on display. Easy to get your sugar fix here.
Future blog postings will feature other displays from the fair.
There is some locally made furniture which is shown below.
A kind of "Chinese patato" shown below is cut up in a modern slicer. The chips are deep fried and are very good. They are a bit more crisp then chips we know in the US
A kind of "Chinese patato" shown below is cut up in a modern slicer. The chips are deep fried and are very good. They are a bit more crisp then chips we know in the US
There are several meat choices available. Check out the next two pictures for the obvious answers to these choices.
There were a number of displays in which the excellent vegetables of the area we on display. Even here there seems to be a contest between the "naturally grown" and fetilized products.
Sugar cane is grown all over the area and the resulting products are on display. Easy to get your sugar fix here.
Future blog postings will feature other displays from the fair.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Labor Day Break
We are on a two day "labor day" holiday. Spent the morning working with the school Director and the church corporation administrator looking at school finance. That was another world.
We looked at cost per student based on expenditures and cost per student based on total school income. There is a $25 a month NEGATIVE difference between the two. The church supplements the school budget 30% so the bottom line evens out at the end of the year. We will not go into detail except to say that when you run a school on less than $900 per year per student (with church help), there is a new definition for "basic education". Readers who know about school finance in the US will find this a small fraction of the cost of operation in usual circumstances.
We hope to find a day in the long weekend to travel to the community of Banos (volcano town) to just look around.
We looked at cost per student based on expenditures and cost per student based on total school income. There is a $25 a month NEGATIVE difference between the two. The church supplements the school budget 30% so the bottom line evens out at the end of the year. We will not go into detail except to say that when you run a school on less than $900 per year per student (with church help), there is a new definition for "basic education". Readers who know about school finance in the US will find this a small fraction of the cost of operation in usual circumstances.
We hope to find a day in the long weekend to travel to the community of Banos (volcano town) to just look around.
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