I am SO in love with my English class!!!! =D First of all, I just walked home with a bag full of freshly picked jocote because one of my students picked and gave them to me saying, “I don't know if you like them. I...I think you.. do.. not.. have jocote in New York.” Cue my immediate and genuine excitement over 1. being thought of by my students outside of class 2. receiving awesome new fruit that we indeed do not have in NY and 3. his awesome English explanation!
Getting to teach in a classroom full of students who are eager to learn and participate is the best feeling ever. Back in the states, I had plenty of days when I left work on a high because I was proud of my kids or because I loved how a lesson went, or because someone asked a question that showed me they were really thinking; but those kinds of results always required careful strategy and diligent lesson planning – plenty of hard work on my part. Getting to teach these kids/adults who asked me for class and who ask me for homework is so refreshing! During class, I get to see them really challenge themselves. It's genuinely hard for them to speak in front of the class when every single pronunciation “le cuesta” (costs/is difficult for them). I told them right from the start though, that to be in my class, they'd have to participate and I've been holding them to that. There are a few that require a lot of prompting, but they always at least try. =) (Don't worry...during my daily science classes, I'll be with regular school kids during the regular school day, and they will be just as obstinate, distracted and regular as the American kids I'm used to teaching – if not worse.)
Speaking of which, the school year officially started today!!! I had an awesome day and got to meet 4 of the 7 classes I'll be working with. Of course I love them all already. I guess I should fill you all in on my work schedule for the next two years since I've been slacking on the Peace Corps duties part of this blog lately. =P
Well, I'll be working full school days in 4 schools in my municipality. Two of those, (the ones I visited today for the welcome back ceremonies) are large schools located in the “centro urbano” of Belen – which means I'll have between 35 and 47(!) kids in each class. One of the other two is a half hour bus/45 minute bike ride from town. I'll be headed there once a week – hopefully by bike if I can ever find one that's decently priced. And the other is the mountain school I hiked to a few weeks ago – I'll only be out there like twice a month. I'll be working with two teachers in each school to co-plan and co-teach Natural Sciences (since the mountain school only has one teacher for all the grades put together, I'm only working with one there haha). With my teachers, I'll be working on forming interactive, student-centered lessons that encourage question asking, discovery, hands-on participation, and actual thought on the part of the students – all of which are rare in these classrooms where students generally copy from textbooks all day. I'm excited to get things started here, and I'll be sure to keep you all posted on what I'm up to!
Consider this a despedida (goodbye) to my vacaciones! I'm gonna be busy literally dawn 'til dusk!
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