Teaching Stories (Part 1)

This week marks the halfway point through the first bimestre (our school year is divided into four bimestres, each 10 weeks long, give or take). While there have been some bad days, some exhausting days, some days when I just couldn't, and some days when Marlene, Natalie and I end up on the couch after work venting/ranting, there have also been some good days and some pretty damn good days. These are days I want to remember and like to share, so here's a little post on that. :)

My first graders have been diligently working on their short vowel sounds. At an age where they're still working on their reading and writing skills in Spanish, it's so great to see them be able to produce sounds and read short words in English.

The little boy on the picture above on the left is one of the scholars of the school. He has delayed literacy skills (even in Spanish), and I try to spend a little time during class working one-on-one with him. His upbeat attitude makes my day. He always gives me the tightest hugs when he sees me, and it makes me smile when he says the one thing he can say in perfect English: "Can I got to the bathroom, please?"

One Friday, to start off our project in fourth grade, I brought some dictionaries to class, and the kids loved it. They were so engrossed in their work, they barely looked up when it was almost dismissal time. It's heartening to see how sometimes the simplest resources can go a long way with these kids.

 

After that we spent about a week working on their project, and it was a nice encouraging seeing (most of) the kids put in care and effort.

 

We finally started our physical education program in the park, and my first graders were assigned to judo. It was a lot of fun (I enjoyed it as much as the kids did, plus it's a pretty good work out!), and I was amazed at how attentive they were at one point (see the picture below on the right).

After the one hour of class, we then head to the playground area for snacks and to play. The kids always ask me to accompany them to the little store a comprar (to buy something). These stores sell chips, candy, and sliced fruits (popular here with chile and lime) among other things, as well as granizadas, which are like snow cones, but topped with fruits, juice syrups, condensed milk, and several other things. The kids usually bring around 5Q (about $0.70 or 30 pesos), and it reminds me of how kids similarly buy goodies at a sari sari store back home.

I have kids regularly request for me to play with them (another good workout running around chasing them), and sit beside them on the bus (where we take random pictures and selfies).

One day at school we had the equivalent of a flag ceremony. We crammed the kids into the second grade classroom, and they sang the Guatemalan national anthem, another song, and recited an allegiance of some sort. 

On February 14th we celebrated día del amor / del cariño / de la amistad (what they call Valentine's Day). The school went all out with decorations, school being less than half day, the kids coming in casual clothes, classes being suspended (we had a party and games instead), and the teachers celebrating again after, and as my sister pointed out, it's not even a "real" holiday. It was a fun day, nevertheless. I spent the first two hours with my primeros where we had a small gift exchange.

This crazy cutie and I got each other for the gift exchange. This kid is one of my most difficult ones in class, but sometimes the most difficult ones are the ones with the most love to give.

♥ 

My primeros (first graders)

 After the gift exchange I went up to spend some time with the cuartos (fourth grade). I got a couple of gifts from the students, and we spent the rest of the time dancing, taking selfies, and having a pizza party before the kids headed home.

These kids drive me crazy on 5 out of the 5 school days of the week, but I love them all the same.

These two brothers below warm my heart. Their little brother is the one I mentioned earlier in first grade, and they too are challenged with their literacy skills. Moreover, they're 14 and 15 years old in a class of 9, 10, and 11 year olds, and in the previous years, they were challenged socially in class as well (they've since integrated well into the class). Like with their younger brother, I try to give them individual attention to help them out, and it's encouraging and gratifying for me when they get their lightbulb moment, finally understanding the lesson.

Speaking of the fourth graders, a conversation in class when we were reviewing animal vocabulary and I was asking them to give me the Spanish translation:

Me: Squirrel?
Boy eagerly raising his hand to be called: Es un Pokemon!!!

And another one with a boy whose parents were late to pick him up:

Me: Pues, tiene que dormir acá. (Well, you're going to have to sleep here.)
Him: No, me da miedo. (No, I'm afraid to.)
Me: ¿Por qué? (Why?)
Him: Va a aparecer "Choo-key." ("Choo-key" is going to appear.)
Me: ¿Qué es? (What's that?)
Him: Es un niño pequeño que mata a... (It's a small boy that kills...)
Me: Ohhhh, Chucky!

Last but not least, I was having a really great day a couple of days back, so my students and I commemorated the moment with a cute Boomerang. Hope you enjoy it, and that your week is going just as great. :)