Teaching

Hint:  Mine's the white one.

I’ve been teaching for almost a month now, so I figured it’s time for me to tell you what it’s like.

It is so crazy awesome.

There are different levels of the program.  Students enter at Kinder.  These students are so tiny and so adorable.  They hardly know any English, and this is where they establish their foundation. 

Then it’s Basic Reading.  I don’t really know what it takes to move from Kinder to Basic Reading, and I don’t really know what goes on at that level, either.  I think they read a lot of stories, like the name would imply.  I’m not sure though.

Anyway, after that they go to Elementary.  That is where my area of expertise lies.  Both my classes are in Elementary 2.

I love Elementary 2.  Would you like to know why?  Because my kids are a little older (about 7 to 11, as I told you before) and they know a lot of English.  Really, A LOT.  Sometimes I forget English is their second language.  So I will be just talking to them and talking and talking and then I will talk fast as I sometimes tend to do and they stare at me and are like, “Uh.  What?”  And then I remember, “Oh ya.  These kids speak Spanish.  Slow down, dude.” 

But it’s fun because they can tell stories and we can joke around and have fun and what not.  But don’t worry, I am not wasting my time here because there is also A LOT they can learn.  Even though they can say many things, I am sometimes surprised at the things they don’t know.  So teach them I am and it is splendid.

The first day was so hard.  They were insane.  They were all telling me the wrong names and they were freaking out all over the place and I had to send for Miss Carol twice.  Miss Carol is the principal and all the kids are afraid of her.  So you just threaten to go get her and they behave.  But on the first day you have to establish leadership and show that you are the teacher and they have to listen to you.   They didn’t think I would actually go get her so I had to do it, just to show them I would.  Twice!  But don’t worry, I haven’t had to once since that day.  Anyway, that day was the worst for everyone for the same reason.  We teachers all came together at the end of the day and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.  We were exhausted and frustrated and kind of surprised.  But we were determined.

So the next day we marched into class, this time knowing what to expect, and we showed those kids who is boss.  It was about seven thousand times better.

Okay so let me tell you what it’s really like being a teacher.  It’s so hard!  First of all, there is lesson planning.  I spend hours planning lessons for these children.  Hours I tell you.  Then I have to give them to Kelly to approve them and make sure all is well.  And then I use them in class.  And guess what.  The kids are boooorred.

So the next week, I sit down to plan more lessons.  I think to myself, “Okay, ya, those lessons were kind of boring, but it was my first week, so it’s okay.  This week will be better.”  So I plan my lessons, and they really are better.  There are awesome games involved that will help them learn and have fun at the same time, and I think I am so brilliant.  Then I use them in class and guess what.  They are booorred.

What the heck.

So then I’m like, “Okay, ya, maybe those games weren’t the best games on the planet.  Let me try something else.”

And guess what.  They are still bored.

Now listen.  I really don’t take it personally at all because here’s the deal.  I know that my lessons are good, and I know that the games are actually fun.  It’s just their attitudes that make them bored.  The reason they don’t like my games is because they involve learning.  They hate learning and playing at the same time.   They would rather just play. 

Ricky said to me once, “Can we do something fun?”

I said, “Absolutely.  What would you like to do?”

“Play Sardines.”

If you don’t know what Sardines is, here’s the jist:  It’s like hide and seek, but only one person hides and everyone else is looking.  When you find the hiding person, you hide with them.  You get it?

So of course I said, “Uh, no.  That involves absolutely no talking at all and the whole reason we are even here is to get you to speak English.”

Now I see why these kids are bored.  It was Teacher McKenzie from last semester who let them play that game and now she’s ruining my life, because I have to deal with the consequences.  Not cool, McKenzie.

I also don’t take it personally because, really, they are just normal kids.  What kid would want to go to two extra hours of school everyday?  I certainly would not.  So I see where they are coming from.

That’s basically the biggest con to this teaching business.  They are kids and they are bored and I have to work super hard to try and teach them and not bore them to death and not bite their heads off. 

However, there are some definite pros. 

Numero uno.  It really is so fun.  When I can actually get just one little part of the lesson to go right, it is a blast.  The kids are totally engaged and they are taking in everything.  It’s crazy.  I wish you could see it.  You can see in their eyes that they are SOAKING in everything you are saying and it is so fun! 

I love when they remember something I teach them.  One day I taught them the word “until.”  More than a week later we were reading a story when that word came up and Fermin popped his head up.

“You-ntil!!  Remember?!?!?  You-ntil!!”  (He was pronouncing the U like “you”).

It was awesome!  When they do things like that, I know they are actually listening and learning, even though they act like they aren’t.

Sara basically remembers everything I say word for word.  It’s hilarious.  If I teach them a word and use it in a sentence to explain it, she will say that sentence over and over for weeks.  The same one.  It’s so funny. 

Even though I told you they are bored all the time, some of them actually do want to learn, even if/though they don’t realize it.  I can tell, and I love it.  Those are my favorite students.  When these students get a new concept or the meaning of a new word, their faces light up.  They love it!  And then they practice it because it just makes sense to them all of a sudden.  It is seriously the best.

I love when I plan an activity and every single student participates without complaint, and enjoys it, and learns, and everything is in harmony.  That has only happened like five times, maybe, but really.  That is Heaven in Mexico right there.

Aside from the learning aspect of this teaching business, the kids are funny.  I laugh my head off on a daily basis.  I wrote down some things Rico has said to me.

“It’s a lot of money!  It’s like one million, no, ten times one million dollars, no, eleven millions!”

And then there was:  CAN WE DO THE DIVIDISIONS?!?!?

Me:  What?

Rico:  (Shaking up and down) I WANT TO DO THE DIVIDISIONS!!!!!!!

I seriously had no idea what he was talking about.  We had just finished writing sentences with our spelling words.  As soon as he put the period on that last sentence, he drew a line under it and frantically shouted the previous quote. 

Turns out he wanted to do division.  Like long division.  He loves it!  It was so funny.

Then there is Star Student.  Every week we have to pick one student in the class who was being awesome during the week to be Star Student.  They love it.  They ask me every single day who it’s going to be.  One time we were sitting in class like normal and Rico said, “Who is the Star Student?”  And then suddenly sat up stick straight in his chair, folded his arms, and stared straight ahead (he wanted to be it).  I said, “I can’t tell you!”  And then he said, “Only God and you.” 

Me:  What?

Rico:  Only God and you know the Star Student.  You know…(and then he does the cross thing and kisses his hand).

So funny.

And since we are speaking of good times with Rico, let me tell you something else I love about this job.  Last week Rico and I had a beat down.  As in, we wrestled.  Over a pencil.  I totally dominated.  It was probably the funnest thing I have done in class thus far.  We were laughing so hard.  That’s what it’s like to teach in Mexico where they don’t have laws about touching.  Not only do you have little beat downs with your students, but they come give you hugs and sit on your lap and it is so adorable!  I love it.

One time Rico was the only one who came to class, but one of Brian’s students named Nydia came to join us for some reason.  So it was Rico, Nydia, and me.  For part of the lesson, we made those fortune teller things…

Pick a color: Orange.

Pick a number:  Seven.

Do what it says:  Tell Teacher Brittan that she is AWESOME!

Anyway, one of Rico’s said, “Stand up and dance.”

We ended up having a dance off right then and there in class and it was so FUN!  I was laughing so hard.  One of the funnest lessons, I’m not gonna lie.

Everyday we have rotation, which is where we teach someone else’s class for 30 minutes.  So, you know that song by Black Eyed Peas that they sang during the Super Bowl, “I’ve…had…the time of my liiiife…” You know?  Well one day I was teaching Megan’s class and I started singing that song.  All I said was, “I’ve…” and all six of the kids started singing along.  And then little Sebastian, who is so cute and so little, stood up and held his hand up like a microphone and started dancing and basically did a little concert for us and he knew every single word.  It was so so so hilarious.  I could not stop laughing.

Everyday after my evening class, I stand outside and wait for Elvira to come pick me up.  And everyday Nydia comes to pick up her little sister.  So she always passes me and says, “Hi Teacher!”  And I say, “Hi Nydia!”  And we smile and feel great.  Well the other day, all was normal, and she came walking up, and then she said, “Hi Teacher.  You look beautiful!”  Yep, that pretty much made my entire trip.  I LOVED it.

Since we are on the topic of students that aren’t mine:  Miguel.  He is a little trouble-maker in Megan’s class.  He is so smart and cute though and he wants to learn so that makes up for his difficultness.  Anyway, the first time I had him in class, he didn’t seem fully interested, or like he was fully participating, and I thought he was bored or something.  But after class, as I waited for my ride as usual, he came walking by with his padre and he looked up at me and said, “Bye Teacher!”  And then he got to his car and turned and said goodbye to me again.  Now, not all students would do this.  Sometimes students are just shy when they see you out of class and they don’t like to acknowledge your existence and they pretend like you’re not there.  But Miguel went out of his way to say bye to me!  So then I knew he actually did pay attention to the fact that I was at least trying to teach him something earlier that day.  It was awesome.

And there is this girl named Alma who is also not mine, but she absolutely loves me and I likewise her.  She asks me to go cross-eyed for her every time I see her.  And she laughs every time. 

I think one of my favorite parts is being called “Teacher.”  Everyday I have kids calling out to me, “Teacher, look at this!” 

“Teacher, guess what!”

Teacher this, Teacher that.  And they are talking to me.  To ME! 

I am a teacher. 

In Mexico.

I love it.