Well it has now been a month since my arrival to Spain, and I won't like, it's felt like a year. So much has happened, yet nothing at all, if that makes sense. What I mean is, I have had to do so much to figure out how to, well, survive here, that it makes my head spin. On the other hand when my friends and family eagerly ask me, "Hows Spain?? Tell me all about it!!!" I don't have much to tell. The process of adjusting is slow and I have yet to make friends with any Spanish people. I also have not taken the chance the travel yet, although Portugal is on the schedule for this weekend. The one thing that I do have to share is my teaching.
I just finished my second week of teaching. I was given even more responsibility this week as today (thrusday) one of the bilingual teachers had to go to the doctor and I was to teach her classes. Legally I'm not allowed to be alone in the class, so other teachers sat in, but by "sat in" I mean exactly that. They sat quietly at the back of the room doing other work while I taught. They would sometimes help quiet them down, but nothing more. My first challenge for this task was knowing what material to cover. As it was only my second week I still do not know the students level of English, speed at which they learn or how their class runs. I of course wanted to make the class fun and interesting but the school has such limited resources, writing on the black board is sometimes the only option. The older kids have a projection screen in their room so I was able to do a powerpoint for the 6th graders. We learned about the 5 sensed and their organs. I spend the better of one hour preparing a game where I put something that corresponds to a sense ( like a skunk, or flower, or radio) on the screen and they would be in teams and have to be the first to answer correctly. Of course the game only lasted about 10 minutes and was only moderately successful. But they are only 12 and I cannot ask for too much. Especially when they probably don't understand me half the time. But I was told to teach them english, so I try to only speak to them in English, even though Spanish is necessary sometimes for explaining. I also taught science to 3rd and 4th graders. The Respiratory system. Let me just say it is awesome to hear a 8 year old try to pronounce the word Larynx, or Pharynx or Windpipe.
The most challenging part of teaching here is going to be the discipline. In the school systems here when the class is being loud or not paying attention the teachers just scream at the children or pound on the desk with their hand or any object they can find. Honestly I don't know how any of them still have voices. I swear half the day is spent yelling at the kids. They also make it a habit to single kids out. They will single on child out and yell at them for not doing the assignment right, or not listening, or whatever really. Not what i'm use to at all, and not what i'm comfortable doing either. I can't yell at a class, and I won't single anyone out if I don't have to. But this is what the kids are use to, and it is what they respond to, so I guess I'm going to have to figure out another way to get them to listen to me. They also don't call their teachers by their last name here. It is Seña or profe, or their name. Since most of the kids don't know my name (some do and use it) they call me teacher or my favorite, which the 3rd graders where using today señorita teacher. As we they worked on their worksheet they would run up to show me what they had done yelling, "señorita teacher!!!" So thats it so far. I am not yet friend, or compañera but señorita teacher. I guess for now that is enough. Hopefully the others will follow. Missing you all very much.
Señorita teacher
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