First, some background about our staff: Mayatan currently hosts 18 foreign teachers from the United States, Canada, and Australia, who deliver classes alongside 14 Honduran teachers. Having certified, native English-speaking teachers on our staff sets us apart from other 'bilingual' schools that host few, if any, native speakers. Thank you to all the teachers, administrators, and maintenance personnel who make Mayatan a wonderful learning environment for our students!

Our 2012-13 Mayatan Staff!

Mayatan has just begun accepting applications for the 2013-14 school year. Visit our Teaching at Mayatan page if you're interested in joining our team next year.

Marin Jackson

Marin joined our staff as a Second grade teacher for the 2011-12 school year, and then decided to extend her stay for an additional year.

What were you doing prior to coming to Mayatan?

I had graduated with a Masters degree in ESOL teaching, with a specialty in Elementary Education, and spent a year working close to home before I decided to make the leap abroad.

Why did you choose to teach at Mayatan?

I had been planning to teach abroad, so I applied to quite a few schools, but I ended up choosing Mayatan because it seemed like it had a strong, accepting community and I liked the idea of the scholarship program.

What do you like most about teaching here?

I really like the fact that Copan is a small community -- walking down the street you run into your students and their parents all the time. It makes it a lot easier to get to know your students and to be more invested in their education. I feel like I have the opportunity to make a big impact in their lives.

Andrew Gordon

Andrew arrived at Mayatan this year as our school's first Ahtletic Director, leading PE classes and our sports teams' participation in local and national tournaments. He also teaches Art History.

What were you doing before you came to Mayatan?

I had just graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South where I studied Religion and Spanish, and I was working at a summer camp close to home. I decided that I wanted to live and work in Latin America, and Mayatan's 1-year teaching commitment seemed like a good fit for me.

What surprised you most about teaching here?

I was surprised by how hard it is to teach well, how long the days are, and how consuming the job becomes. Wake up, give classes, practice after school with the sports teams, go home and write lesson plans -- it's exhausting.

How would you describe the experience to a friend?

I just wrote a friend back home: "My life here is introspective, difficult, awesome, and exactly what I need right now."

Any favorite moments so far?

My favorite day of the each week is Saturday, when a few other teachers and I hike up to give tutoring to kids from La Pintada [a small village outside of Copan Ruinas]. It's great to help our own students from La Pintada, while also getting to know the other kids in the village.

Keyla Valverth

Keyla is a Honduran teacher from Copan Ruinas who has been at Mayatan for nine years. She teachers Literature (Spanish) and Civic Education to middle and high school classes. [Interview translated from Spanish]

What were you doing before you came to Mayatan?

I was giving private tutoring and therapy to kids with special needs. When I had the chance to come work at Mayatan, I jumped at the opportunity, because I knew it was a good teaching position and a good place to work.

What are your favorite things about the school?

The quality of the teaching that occurs here makes Mayatan very unique. I also enjoy the opportunity the cultural exchange between the Honduran and foreign teachers. Being able to both teach and learn from the students of all different ages is another great thing about the school.

Did anything surprise you when you first started teaching here?

I was surprised by the difference between teaching small classes and teaching large classes. I taught briefly at a public school in Honduras and I had over 40 children in my classroom. Mayatan keeps class sizes smaller, and it was really amazing how much easier that made it to teach.

Diane Howard

Diane came to Mayatan this school year to teach 5th grade science and mathematics. Before coming to Mayatan, Diane taught at bilingual schools in Gracias and Comayagua, Honduras.

Why did you decide to come to Mayatan?

I had heard a lot of good things about Mayatan from other teachers in Honduras, so I visited the school over break. I found the staff to be very friendly -- and the campus was beautiful -- so I decided to go for it.

What do you like most about teaching here?

The administration has been very supportive, and when they take care of all the little things it really frees me up to focus on my teaching. I also enjoy the fact that we have a diverse group of students -- in my classroom I have kids from families that are very well-off, and kids from poor villages outside of Copan. It gives me a better perspective in and out of the classroom.

How would you describe teaching here to a friend back home?

Expect the unexpected, but many of the surprises are pleasant ones!

Any plans for next year?

I'm planning to stay another year here at Mayatan.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I brought my 15 year old daughter, Elena, with me to Copan Ruinas. She's enrolled in the 10th grade at Mayatan and I've been happy with the quality of education that she's getting here. That has been very important for me.

Thank you to Marin, Andrew, Keyla, and Diane for sharing your thoughts with us. Good luck with the rest of the school year!

SOLICITATION FOR TEACHERS, 2013-14 ACADEMIC YEAR

Mayatan Bilingual School

Copán Ruinas, Honduras

info@mayatanfoundation.org, +(504) 2651-4149

The Mayatan Bilingual School in Copán Ruinas, Honduras is seeking elementary, middle, and high school teachers for the 2013-14 school year (August 2013 through June 2014). Ideal candidates are independent, self-guided, self-reliant individuals who are capable of making the best of limited resources and adapting to circumstances.

This is a full-time professional teaching position. You will work on our beautiful hillside campus above the town of Copán Ruinas, Honduras, and you will live in a furnished apartment in town.

Mayatan Bilingual School is a private, independent PK-12th grade school of 330 students that was founded by local mothers in 1991.  Some 45% of the school's students receive scholarships and a path out of poverty, and students of all economic and social backgrounds attend the school.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are seeking certified (or soon to be certified) teachers who are native speakers of English. International travel and work experience is a plus. Spanish language is an advantage but not essential, as you will be teaching exclusively in English.

Candidates who lack a teaching certificate, but who possess a Bachelor’s degree and some teaching or tutoring experience, may also be considered.

POSITIONS

There are about 20 foreign teachers at any given time. While here, you will have relative freedom to develop your own lesson plans and teach creatively while following the school's curriculum.

For the 2013-14 academic year, we are hiring:

• Homeroom teachers for grades K-6
• English, Literature, Science, Mathematics, and Technology teachers for grades 7-12
• Special Education instructor (relevant degree required)
• Administrative Director

COMPENSATION

Teacher will receive a living stipend of 7000 Lempiras ($350) a month, health insurance, and furnished apartment housing in town. This is adequate to live on in Honduras.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, you must:

1. Thoroughly review the Teaching at Mayatan and Living in Copan Ruinas sections of the school website. Teaching at Mayatan is a challenge and is not desirable for all prospective candidates; therefore, we require that you carefully consider the information found in the above-mentioned pages BEFORE applying for a teaching position.
2. Send a letter of interest to our Primary and Secondary School Directors at teachers@mayatanfoundation.org. Attach a résumé and contact information for 2-3 professional, academic, or personal references. If you have letters of reference available, you may also attach these.
3. Once we review your application materials, Mayatan may contact you for a phone interview. If we choose to offer you a position, we will send you a contract. Your position will be filled once you have signed and returned a contract to us.

It all began back in late November. For three whole months Mayatan students had been preparing, practicing, studying and putting in extra hours in order to represent Mayatan proudly at the annual Spelling Bee and Speech competition in Honduras’ capital, Tegucigalpa.

All of our competitors in Tegucigalpa

The nine hour trek to Tegucigalpa from Copan Ruinas isn’t an easy journey. Yet somehow, the time seemed to fly. Approaching Tegucigalpa, the students brought out their spelling words and started quizzing each other. Students who normally don’t interact with each other were bonding over their passion for English.

The weekend began with a quick trip to Chiminike, a children’s museum. The highlight of this attraction was a house built on a 22 degree angle – the students were amazed! A lowlight of the museum was when a student experienced a quick electric shock. Don’t fear; no students were harmed throughout this trip. The excitement didn’t end there. Everyone piled into the bus and experienced the sights and sounds of the mall. Pizza Hut, Walmart and shoe stores galore! As you can imagine, it was quite difficult getting the younger students to sleep after indulging in chocolate and ice-cream.

The competition was held at the Discovery International School, a renowned educational facility in Honduras.  The sheer size of this school and the resources that it possesses is enough to make anyone nervous. After hearing inspirational speeches delivered from ambassadors from both Spain and the United States, the students separated based on their grades to participate in the spelling bee.

After two practice rounds, our students battled against over 30 other students who came from all over Honduras. Mayatan students held their own. Our third grade students, Kency and Nahomy, were our shining stars, coming in a respectable 4^th and 5^th place overall.

Sara, Sergio, and Jose Rodolfo

Meanwhile, the three speech competitors spent the morning bracing their nerves and practicing their speeches. Come one o’clock the spelling competitors were on the bus back to Copan, while the pressure was put on the speech competitors to bring home an award for Mayatan.

The competition rules clearly stated that each competitor needs to have three printed copies of their speeches to give to the judges, but none of the Mayatan students had brought print outs! Mayatan was off to a rough start. This minor set-back, however, did not prevent Jose (9^th grade) and Sergio (11^th grade) from each taking home a 3^rd place prize! And trust me, their fellow competitors came prepared with speeches ranging in topics. Students presented on bullying, the importance of reading, and the magic of music.

Overall, Mayatan couldn’t be prouder of our 14 students who gave it their all in the capital city of Honduras.

Congratulations to all Mayatan's participants in the annual ABSH (Association of Bilingual Schools of Honduras) Spelling Bee and Speech Competition (grades in parentheses):

Spanish Spelling Bee: Nahomy (3), Ana Cecilia (4), Stefany (5), Elvira (6), Angie (7), Fidelina (8)

English Spelling Bee: Kency (3), Jade (4), Ritzy (5), Nilvio (6), Elsa (7)

Speech Competition: Sara (6), Jose (9), Sergio (11)

Spirit Week started off with three days of themed dress: Pajama and Crazy Hair Day on Monday, Sports Day on Tuesday, and Twin Day on Wednesday. On Thursday, our junior class organized events for Valentine's Day as a means of raising money for an upcoming class field trip: they sold cupcakes, roses, chocolate-covered fruit, Valentine-grams, and even song dedications played over a loudspeaker.

The week culminated with Fun Day, when our sophomore class coordinated a range of outdoor activities for the younger students. As the photos reveal, there were some great water balloon and shaving cream battles between our students and teachers! While we're now back to our normal class schedule, our students are no doubt already looking forward to next year's Spirit Week. Enjoy some photos from the week below (more photos on our Facebook page):

2012 Graduating Class

First, some background: Up until 2012, Mayatan's highest graduating class was 9th grade. Typically, graduating 9th graders either  continued their education at public high schools in Copan Ruinas, or attended bilingual schools in San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa. Members of these early classes include students who have received scholarships to attend university in the United States, or who have opened their own businesses in Copan. In 2012, Mayatan graduated its first-ever high school class, comprised of six students. Five of these six are currently enrolled in universities in Central America, with three attending the prestigious Zamorano Agricultural School (the sixth considering enrolling in university next year).

Now, for our 2013 graduating class. Whether our students decide to venture off to foreign universities, or stay in Copan Ruinas to manage a family business, we wish them the best of luck! Latest news below:

Update 1/14/13: Three seniors have already received acceptances to colleges abroad. Henry and Jose Danilo were accepted to Rock Valley Community College in Rockford, Illinois, and are now applying for tuition waivers worth $15,000 annually. Sayda has been accepted to Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Congrats!

Update 4/3/13: Manuel has announced his plans to study Law and Political Science at the Universidad Católica in La Ceiba, Honduras. Congrats Manuel! We still have a number of seniors considering schools in the United States. A big obstacle is cost; High School Director John Weber is working closely with colleges and communities to find housing options and reduce tuition expenses. Finally, Graduation Day has been set for June 22nd, 2013! We'll look forward to seeing our seniors graduate in just over 2 months!

Our 2013 Mayatan Senior class

UPDATE for 2013: While the holiday season has ended, we are still accepting donations to the Academic Achievers campaign. You can use the donation link posted below. Best wishes for 2013!

This holiday season, you can give a well-deserved gift to scholarship students who are truly taking advantage of the opportunity to study at Mayatan. Our 'Academic Achievers' are unsponsored scholarship students who are achieving a grade average of 90% or higher this year; many of them are the top students in their class (and one had the highest grade average in the entire school!).

By donating to our Academic Achievers, you're ensuring that Mayatan can continue to reward scholarships to these high-performing students for years to come. Donations of all amounts are welcome and appreciated, and each donation will be matched up to an individual scholarship student. Donors will receive updates on this student's academic progress as the year continues. We'll even send a personalized holiday e-card to all donors (or to the person they name their donation 'in honor' of)!

Give your support to our Academic Achievers by clicking the donate button below. They are truly deserving of some holiday cheer! All tax-deductible donations are sent to Hope for Tomorrow, a 501(c)3 organization in the United States that supports scholarships at Mayatan. Your donation to the Academic Achievers program will go 100% toward Mayatan scholarship students.

A few of our Academic Achievers:

Kevin Alberto is a 10th grader at Mayatan who has excelled academically for his entire career at Mayatan. Our high school students are burdened with a heavy workload, as they must satisfy both U.S. and Honduran curriculum requirements --  and are rewarded at the end with diplomas from both nations! Kevin has proven that he is up to the challenge, performing particularly well in his scientific coursework, psychology and biology. Due to Kevin's success in middle school, he was awarded Mayatan's first-ever high school academic scholarship. While he receives partial support from a sponsor, we are looking to fundraise for the remainder of his full-tuition scholarship.

Chelsy Sofia is a 5th grade student whose academic prowess is already renowned -- last year, she had the highest grade average in the entire school. This year, she looks to be on the same track, receiving a number of 100% marks on her first quarter report card. Chelsy also represented her class at this year's Mayatan Spelling Bee and made it to the final rounds of the competition. Chelsy receives a half-tuition scholarship to help her family afford the cost of sending both her and her younger brother to Mayatan.

Gerardo Jose is a 2nd grade student whose academic talents are matched only by his abilities on the soccer field. With an energetic and friendly demeanor, he has become a social leader of his class. We're looking forward to seeing what Gerardo can achieve both on the field and in the classroom as he continues at Primary school. Gerardo receives a full-tuition scholarship at Mayatan, and has an older sister in the 10th grade class.

Sara Jasmin is one of Gerardo's 2nd grade classmates. With a 99% grade point average for the first quarter, Sara is the top student in the grade. Sara received a scholarship after both parents lost work, a result of the recent downturn in tourism to Copan Ruinas. With such a promising academic performance so far, we are eagerly looking to find support for Sara's full-tuition scholarship.

Elsa Berenice is a 7th grader at Mayatan, one of two students to receive academic scholarships to our secondary (middle) school based on their strong performance through the primary grades. Elsa has continued to impress her teachers, who have gone so far as to claim that Elsa "is going to change the world for the better"! She is without doubt a positive influence on her classmates and is always humble in her academic achievements. Elsa currently receives partial support from a sponsor in the United States, but we are hoping to fundraise for the remainder of her full-tuition.

Support these Academic Achievers by using the Donate button below! Other donation options can be found here. Please contact fundraising@mayatanfoundation.org with any questions, or to receive more information about our Academic Achievers. Thank you for your support and happy holidays!

As those nine teams warmed up on the track, the tenth team stood apart, huddled together in a far corner of the stadium. This team had only nine students -- seven boys and two girls -- and they wore simple white t-shirts emblazoned with their school logo. They had just two supporters in the stands: their school's founder, and the bus driver who drove them to the meet. If they were worn out from their 9-hour bus journey the previous day, they certainly didn't show it. This was the first time any of these students had participated in a track meet -- indeed, it was the first time some of them had been to Tegucigalpa -- and they were visibly excited to be there.

As they huddled together in the morning cold they chanted a single word, louder with each repetition until they were yelling it the at top of their lungs, turning heads from the teams warming up nearby. It was a word which they had cheered at the end of each of their practices for the past two months; practices which had taken place not on lined track ovals like at the Villa Olimpica, but rather on the cobble-stoned streets and winding dirt roads of their hometown. Now they were shouting out this single word for the last time as a team: "Pride! Pride! Pride!" Pride in the hard training they had undergone together, pride in their teammates' efforts, and pride in their school, the Mayatan Bilingual School of Copan Ruinas.

Soon afterwards, the meet began and our students had the chance to show their pride to the other schools and supporters present. Over the course of the day, Mayatan's team competed in twelve events, ranging from the 100m dash, to the 4x400m relay, to the 1500m. Each student ran hard all the way to the finish line, and a couple came away with ribbons -- Alex Peraza of 10th grade placed 2nd in the 800m, and 12th grader Oscar Portillo finished 3rd in the 100m. Henry Faye and Eduardo Berganza each finished 4th in the 400m and 1500m, respectively, narrowly missing out on a ribbon. Every student improved their times drastically since beginning their training in September, and team coach Andrew Gordon was impressed with the students' efforts.

The Mayatan Track team's story had all the hallmarks of a classic underdog sports film. While the meet did not result in a story-book 1st place finish for our team, we are very proud of the commitment and sacrifice our nine students made to train and attend the meet. Congratulations to Mayatan's first-ever track team: Eduardo Berganza, Francisco Villeda, Oscar Portillo, Henry Faye, Jose Danilo Vazquez, Martha Marquez, Samuel Leiva, Alex Peraza, and Kency Elizabeth Coto -- you made us all proud on Friday! And a big thank you to their coaches Andrew Gordon, Charlie Wofford, Sara DeGasperis, Kris Schnepf, and Tommy Flint, and to our #1 fan, school founder Nora Arita.

Check out some photos from the meet below. A complete album can be found on our Facebook page.