Teaching in La Hoya
I’ve only just begun teaching this week but
I’m already enjoying it. It’s hard work but the kids here are so enthusiastic
and so happy to be learning English that I can’t help but be enthused as well.
My first lesson was what could probably be
termed a nearly-avoided disaster. I had my first English class with the very
large and very rowdy Seventh grade class, who became excited to the point of
distraction when I tried to get them to play a simple name game with me. The
game quickly descended into chaos, and I was forced to draw the game (and the
class) to an early close. Some quick editing to my lessons plans and my second
class, with Fifth grade, went significantly better, as I now understood how to
control the class. Class with the fourth
graders is probably the most interesting, since Fourth grade is the first year
of English tuition. They’re very excited to be learning English but really
struggle with every word.
I think I probably enjoyed teaching the
fifth graders the most. They know enough English to manage the material but
it’s still new enough that they’re enthused and excited.
I’m really jealous of my partner Becky, who
teaches art. Art is taught to all the grades here in La Hoya, so Becky has the
first and second graders, who are so small and adorable. I did have the chance to substitute for one
of the pre-school teachers on Friday. Daisy, the main pre-school teacher, and
myself, worked with the pre-school together and I was forced to confiscate a
dead lizard from a student. Teachers I know back home are busy confiscating
phones and video games, while I find myself confiscating dead lizards from
pre-schoolers!
At the close of my first week of teaching,
I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year. Discipline is difficult to
enforce but kids here are incredibly enthusiastic and really desperate to
learn. I have high hopes for the forthcoming year and hope to be able to regale
you with some success stories as time passes!
DEAD LIZARD.
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