Since I had a PowerPoint presentation about my life prepared for the students, Andreu learned quite a bit about me, my life, and my family. Because of this, he wanted to show me things about his life. He logged on Facebook during the lunch break on our first or second day together and showed me picture after picture of his family (his mom’s an English teacher as well), his girlfriend (another English teacher!), his dog Iris, sports, childhood, etc. Since we’re closer in age and are both in that awkward “trying-to-establish-a-career-but-not-quite-there-yet” phase, we can relate to a lot of the same issues—especially when it comes to not having a lot of money! :-) It’s also interesting to observe another teaching style in action. I’ve been able to pick up more colloquial sayings from Andreu and learn about popular Spanish/Catalan music, and one of the best things I like about Andreu is that he’s gloriously on time! :-) I love Laura, but she’s always 5-15 minutes late. Always. But Andreu? Usually 5-15 minutes early! :-)
I’m also getting to know more of the other teachers better since I’m in different schools now. Tere is the director of Solivella and studied English before, and she’s always trying to talk to me in English to improve. She has a pretty good level, and it’s kind of funny to watch her ask completely random questions to me in English just for the practice. :-) She’s really nice, and I’ve almost put her in the “core teacher/friend” category. She’s given me a lot of advice in terms of buying food and clothing here, and she’s just a cheerful and fun person overall.
The other teachers in Solivella are always friendly and nice, but I haven’t quite “clicked” with them yet. It’s coming along though! María Jesús is often called “Choo choo” (like the train) by everyone, thanks to one student who couldn’t pronounce her name, Mercé is a sweet woman who let me give presents to her 3rd and 4th grade class since I won’t be with them until January, Rosa María teaches the oldest group, Eva is with the little ones, the school secretary is also named Eva, and there are more people, but I don’t quite remember their names. :-) Between four schools, church, Catalan classes, and a new life here, there are soooo many names to remember!
Pira is the only school with an official cook, so Solivella food is catered. It’s okay, but definitely not as good as Soco’s cooking! :-) I rotate between meals in school and bringing my own lunch, and a few of the teachers and I occasionally go out to eat as well. There’s also a woman who works in the school, and I met her and her daughter, Núria (a student) early on. Javi and I were doing some sort of errand early on and went to pick up Cati and Sergio from the pavilion—where soccer practice takes place. It was there when I first met a Solivella student, and it was hilarious trying to pretend not to understand Spanish and watch Núria try to say something to me in English. I liked her and her mother right away, and it’s great to see them everyday now. They also specifically came up to talk to me during the Castanyada in October!
My “last day” in Pira and with the 5 older students in Rocafort (3rd and 4th grade, along with one girl who is technically in 6th grade) was quite traumatic for all. :-) I had more than four weeks with them and Laura, so I really got to know everyone well. Laura and I tried to explain that I was leaving to go to the other schools but would be back with them in February, but most had no idea what we were talking about. :-) Many thought I was leaving forever, and Laura finally had to clarify in Catalan that I would be back. Aww! The little cuties were so crushed to find out that I wouldn’t be with them for awhile, but they definitely perked up when I kept specifying that I would be back. The ones in Rocafort definitely took it the hardest. Laura had the not-so-bright idea that they should all hug me, so Rafa, Anna, Ikraim, and Vero all charged at me, gave me a long group hug, and practically squeezed the life out of me. It was sweet and special at first, but after so many minutes of kids hindering your breathing, I started shooting dirty looks to the calm and way-too-amused Laura. Laura! Get them off of me! I can’t breathe! :-) Haha! More mature Naima just shook my hand. :-P I think most of them still thought I was leaving forever, and Ikraim gave me one of her precious silly bands. Yes, silly bands (bandz?) have made it over here and are all the rage in the schools! Jordi from Pira gave me one as well. :-) Granted, his was quite girly and I’m sure he was glad to be rid of it, but I love anything the kids give me. Except for, you know, germs and hugs that make you not breathe. :-D
The reaction in Pira was less dramatic, but you could see the sad and disappointed looks on their cute little faces when they heard the news. Brother. Can you imagine how fun my very last day is going to be? I’m so NOT looking forward to that day! :-) Even the teachers in Pira didn’t understand the whole “I’m leaving for now but will be back here later” thing. Haha!
But on the bright side, I get to see my first Rocafort students twice a week because I’m with the younger ones now. They come up and greet me every time. Rafa was almost offended that I was no longer in class with him. :-) He still didn’t “get it,” so I did my best to explain that I was in other schools now, and in February (after Christmas, after January...then February!), I’d be back. :-) His face just lit up once he understood. And then some of the other students tried to explain to me in English what classes were like without me. “Now...sad. With you...happy!” How can you not love these kids? Ahh! Best job ever!
And the English teachers meet in Pira every Wednesday, so I get to see some of the students and teachers there as well. The teachers always light up and ask how I’m doing, and it’s almost embarrassing to walk with the other English teachers towards our meeting room and hear shouts of “Sarah! Sarah’s here!” and then be surrounded by dear Pira students. The older ones constrain themselves but always greet me, but the younger ones have no shame. The 1st and 2nd graders somehow plan a unison cry of “Saaaaraaah!” making Montse crack up laughing, and I always make sure to hug or high-five any student I see. Little 4-year-old Mariona was also excited to introduce her father to me. He was like, “Ohhh...THIS is la Sarah !” :-) I see the parents after school, but I only know a few of them. But they definitely know about me! :-P I’m going to have so many ego issues by the time I’m done here. Sad, sad, sad. Haha!
Solivella is great as well. The kids all knew about me, but it was fun to formally introduce myself and get to know them. The 5th and 6th graders are eager to learn English, and like the ones in Pira, there’s just so much personality with the older ones! I learned their names by day 2, shocking Andreu and making the students feel special. I’m still working on the other classes though!
I’m not with any 3rd or 4th graders this term, but I talk to the ones in Solivella when I get a chance. My favorite is Manel, a boy who greets and hugs me every time he sees me. “Hi, teacher! January!” Yes, Manel, I’ll be with you in January. :-) The 1st and 2nd graders are fun, but like the ones in Pira, they’re exhausting. So much energy! I sometimes feel like I spend more time calming the younger ones down, sharpening pencils, giving permission for them to use the bathroom, and trying to keep them focused rather than actually teaching English. :-P Haha! The 4 and 5-year-olds are the same way. Unlike the sweet, small group in Pira, the 4 and 5-year olds in Solivella are brimming with unused energy. They’re still fun, but...wow. There’s actually a “calm down” song on the CD that goes to their English book. Yeah. They need it!
And then there are the younger ones in Rocafort. I LOVE the 1st and 2nd graders there! There are only Helena , Ariadna, Georgina , and the hilarious twin brothers Hassane and Houssam. They all charge at me with hugs when I come, except maybe for shy Helena
The youngest group in Rocafort has only three (well, there are always 3-year-olds in the schools, but I don’t work with them): cute and cuddly Xènia, a 4-year-old who’s the ideal student, perky 5-year-old Sanae, and trying, difficult, frustrating, and extremely clever Marc. Marc spends most of his time imitating animals and hiding under tables, and when he has to be punished, he reminds me sooo much of my brother Josh when he was a little terror. :-) We just do the best we can, but he’s learning. Oh, he picks up so much! One minute he’s in his own world ignoring us, and the next minute, he’ll pick up a crayon and clearly ask me, “What color is it?” Just like that!
My main job is to help the kids with speaking and listening. Every day is different in terms of what I do, and it also varies with different teachers. But here are examples of what I’ve done:
- Sang songs
- Introduced vocabulary using flashcards
- Drawn pictures on the chalkboard for guessing games, clarifications, etc.
- Given a presentation about what weekends in the
US - Explained differences between British English and American English
- Read passages and helped students learn tongue twisters
- Corrected pronunciation, both from students and the teachers :-P
- Made a PowerPoint presentation about Halloween (yeah. Teaching about something you don’t celebrate is interesting!)
- Gave a presentation about my family and city/state/country
- Talked about US sports (for those Bengals and Reds fans, the kids in Pira know about those teams now!)
- Helped with crafts and activities
- Played charades or acted out various phrases and actions
- Found handouts on the internet
- Sharpened pencils and crayons. A lot. Ugh.
- Recorded a dialogue
- Played a lot of guessing games!
- Asked students questions, such as “What does this mean? What color is this?”
- Found songs, games, activities, Youtube clips, etc. online. Yay for online resources!
- Helped kids blow their nose. Not cool.
- Worked with kids in small groups
- Read stories
- Made up random games
- And a lot more! :-)
So there’s just a lot of variety in what I do, which I love. Because I work with rural schools, behavior isn’t too much of a problem. Most of the children are great, and when there are issues, the teachers are quite strict. Most of the teachers want to work on a child’s character and interaction with others, and even though watching a kid get in trouble is awkward, I do appreciate what they teachers try to do. And based on what I’ve heard from the not-so-strict schools, I’m REALLY glad to be somewhere where misbehavior isn’t tolerated! Punishment can be anything from yelling, giving warnings, making a student stand up in a different spot in the room, etc. Nothing extreme or anything (well, sometimes the yelling thing is a bit extreme to me, but I’ve always been a very non-yelling person and never could handle people yelling at me or others very well). The older ones are almost always well-behaved, so it’s the younger ones who need some disciple. The most I’ve done is given warning looks, taken objects away, or informed the main teacher about something. Then I let them deal with it. :-)
Because I’m a teacher’s assistant and not a teacher, there are certain things I’m not allowed to do. Apparently this varies by region, but we’re strictly told not to be alone with the children or give grades. The grade thing is easy to avoid (well, there was one time when Laura had me do oral exams with the 1st and 2nd graders and wanted me to grade it based on three different colors/grade levels. I did it, but I’m still not sure if I should have!), but like the whole “never speak Spanish or Catalan with the children” thing, being alone with them just happens sometimes. I’m okay with a few minutes, like if the teacher has to make a copy or talk to a student or something, and generally, they’ve been really good about it. The only time I’ve had issues was towards the beginning with Laura. She went to do something that I thought would only be for a minute or two, but it was way longer! I was suddenly surrounded by 20 or so 1st and 2nd graders (yeah...the hardest class!), some randomly getting up to sharpen pencils, others ignoring me and talking among themselves, others quietly coloring, and others running up to me chanting, “Toilet please! Toilet please!” Ahh! I had no idea if I should let the kids go to the bathroom or not, and all of my non-yellingness and “Okay, everyone sit down and be quiet, okay? Okay?” did nothing. :-P Laura FINALLY came back, apologized, and gave some explanation about why she was gone so long, but I still wanted to talk to her about it after class. And that’s all I had to do! I just needed to clarify that I’m not supposed to be alone with them for a long period of time, felt uncomfortable doing so, and she’s been great about it ever since. She even took me aside one day during a school break and wanted me to talk about any concerns, questions, etc. She’s great. And I haven’t had any problems with Andreu!
Oh, and one more random-but-fun thing. The older students wanted to be my friend on Facebook. :-) Laura had to explain that teachers and students couldn’t be friends on FB, and she also couldn’t understand why 5th and 6th graders had it in the first place. Haha! I do hope I can keep in touch with the kids after the program. I’ve seen several of them in Montblanc, and they’re always quick to greet me. Through the good and bad times, snotty noses and happy hugs, I do know one thing: I should be working with kids. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
Let’s see...is there anything else to sum up about school life? Halloween was a big deal for the English classes (an entire week devoted to it!), which was weird for someone who never celebrated it. Yeah. It actually wasn’t bad, and I chose a lot of pictures and Youtube clips that were more cute and fun rather than spooky and evil. The 3rd and 4th graders loved watching a clip from the Peanuts/Snoopy Halloween cartoon! We also had a great activity for some of the students where they bring a costume and act out trick or treating. They loved it! I have plenty of pictures and video clips of the Rocafort students doing it. :-) So fun!
And finally, we’re in Christmas season now! Each grade level is learning a different song in English, and I’ll talk more about it some other time. I loooove Christmas.
Thanks for reading!
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