This is a Teachers 2 Teachers service and professional development trip to the Amor y Esperanza school in Quito, Ecuador, lead by Linda Goeller.

Ecuador (Quito) Trip Details

 The city of Quito, Ecuador, has much to recommend it. Not only is it the closest capital city to the equator, it was named an inaugural World Cultural Heritage Site in recognition of its well-preserved historic center. On either end of the school visit, you will have ample time available to explore the area’s churches, artisan workshops, and architecturally significant buildings. The school you will visit in Quito is called Amor y Esperanza, which translates as “love and hope”. Students at this faith-based K-8 school come from the impoverished Carmen Bajo neighborhood. During your week, you will partner with a classroom teacher and provide crucial support to the faculty of this fast-growing school.

Itinerary

Day 1: Saturday

• After arriving from the airport, you’ll make your way to the guesthouse to settle in.
• If time allows, the team will have dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Day 2: Sunday

• The first part of the day will be spent holding a brief meeting and then adjourning for optional church attendance.
• Beginning mid-afternoon, the team will gather to plan for the week. Dinner will be eaten at the guesthouse.

 Day 3: Monday

• Your first day will begin with the school's morning devotion, singing, and introductions.
• Today will provide opportunities for you to observe your partner and her/his classroom, to meet one-on-one, and to participate in the first professional development session.

 Day 4: Tuesday

• During the morning, you will deliver the lesson you have prepared the night before. One-on-one meetings and a group professional development session will occupy the afternoon. 
• You will eat dinner in town with the team and then discuss answers to the question, “What surprised you today?” 

Day 5: Wednesday

•  While the students are at school in the morning, you and your partner will co-teach a lesson. Another 90-minute professional development session will follow. Questions to process as a group in the evening are “What did or did not go as well as you’d like?” and “How will this knowledge affect your strategies tomorrow?”

 Day 6: Thursday

•  Our final observations will focus on how your partner delivers the lesson you and she prepared together. You will have very brief individual meetings to plan for maintaining contact in the future.
• The afternoon and evening will be free for you to explore the city or just relax.

 Day 7: Friday

• Today is all about the students! They will take turns leading the class through the problems they wrote. During the afternoon, you will process the morning with your partner and with the entire team. 
• This evening you are free to explore Quito.

 Day 8: Saturday

• You’ll want to wake up early today for the 90-minute journey to the popular town of Otavalo. Its Saturday market is renowned for textiles, leather goods, tagua nut jewelry, indigenous costumes, and musical instruments.  If shopping doesn’t interest you, the surrounding volcanic hillsides offer excellent hiking.

 Day 9: Sunday

• Sadly, today is for departures. You will make your way back to the US, knowing that a part of you will remain connected with Ecuador forever.