Putting Minds Together…!

Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” By Sitting Bull

Covid-19 Update…!

I continue to monitor the news from Costa Rica regarding the pandemic. The best I can surmise is there continues to be a high rate of infections being reported and some measures being re-instated to help manage the situation. However, there is apparently a strong reluctance to returning to more stringent and restrictive measures on tourist travel and other areas that could have a negative impact on the country’s economy.

As far as the status of public education in Copey, students are attending school only on a part time basis. Some of their public school education is being done virtually. I recently saw a report issued by the Ministry of Education stating public schools will remain open in spite of union opposition. I will assume not much will change in Copey over the next weeks and months including Copey Learning Center students continuing with on-line education.

Another Profile of Dream Team II…!

Introducing “Friends” to Dream Team II volunteers is a real thrill for me. Getting to know better the teachers who are currently in charge of the English education for our Copey students is very uplifting. A total of three more members are left to be featured. This Post will highlight one of the two males we have on the job.

Toby Yates…The English Connection..!

Hailing from Brighton, a small city near London, Toby is an extraordinary member of Dream Team II. He is in charge of the pre-high school students ages 11 thru 15 years old. He is a serious traveler. Some of the countries he has visited and worked in include; Uganda, Thailand, Poland, Italy, and Spain. In 2011, Toby spent 9 months in San Jose, Costa Rica at a language school.  It is very impressive to see how much Toby and the other volunteers have traveled around the world developing unique educational experiences now being shared with Copey students.

Toby obtained his Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) in 2007 and obviously has put this training to excellent use. Currently, Toby is working as an Academic English teacher at a small school in the United Kingdom. There he is preparing foreign students for university study and helping them meet their English language requirements.
All the volunteers so far on this Dream Team II have stated their appreciation for the opportunity to teach the Copey Learning Center students. This was a consistent expression provided by Dream Team I members as well.
I am not surprised to hear this.
After my years and years of personal involvement, I know there is something good and special about these students.
Toby shared these thoughts recently:
Learning on-line is not easy and so far my students have adapted really well. Teaching them has been a great experience and I am very happy to have the opportunity to help out the Copey Learning Center as an on-line teacher.
It has been ten years since I was last in Costa Rica and I hope to be there in person as soon I can. I want to return as a volunteer as it is a country I hold dear and have been wanting to go back to for some time now.”  Toby Yates

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