This week has been a roller coaster ride for me, emotionally. I am getting more attached to some students and more annoyed with others. I am starting to build relationships with classes because I am becoming confident with my Spanish, and yet at the same time, i am easily frustrated when I cant explain myself. There is still a language barrier.Things I love about my students:
Their astounding interest in me and the USA
Their energy and sense of humor
Their ability to ask absurd questions
Their oblivion to my awkwardness and dorkiness
Their greetings with kisses and hugs
When they leave me notes or make me drawings
Things that bother me about my students:
Their short attention spans (roughly 5 min) and how they easily allow things to distract them from learning (crushes, phones, notes, someone hiding your backpack, music with "hidden" headphones, card games, friends looking in our window, friends that stop by the class to hang out (what class are they suppose to be in anyway? i don't know!)...etc etc the list goes on)
Their constant chatter or rough play-fighting
Their disrespect to my things (i lost my tape and found it in a girl's bag), to the classroom (writing on desks), and to other students (when they make fun of the chubby girls)
Their forgetfulness and apathy (forgetting how to enter my classroom, how to listen to each other's talking, or how to complete an assignment)
Their laziness.
There was one point today where i actually refused to teach to one of my classes. I said softly, "bueno. no quiero ensenar mas" and i sat down at my desk and took a deep breath. I simply could not get their attention. They were too round-up. They didn't want to learn so i thought, *why should i force them?* I was frustrated with them earlier for entering my room when I had my previous class and had yelled at them. I was tired. I did not want to shout anymore.
I sat and watched them.
The class was successfully entertaining themselves, clueless to the fact that I was silent and refusing to teach. I think they assumed I wanted them to play. The boys were chasing each other around the room, hiding backpacks in corners of the room or even behind my desk. The girls were playing card games or texting on their cell phones. Some of the students even came over to try and play with me. They were completely oblivious. They had no idea that there was more to do. They were the ones that were missing out! They could have been learning!
It all just made me laugh. I remember what it's like to be a teenager. These kids weren't "bad kids". They just weren't motivated. They are lazy, carefree, curious, and playful. They only think about themselves and their hair and their crush and how they look to others.
I made a spreadsheet to record a grade for every course each week. I will be grading them on behavior, participation, and cleanliness of the room. The class with the highest points every week will get a class reward. The class with the highest points at the end of the year will win a party!
Obviously, this class scored very low today. After they ran out, each giving me a kiss goodbye, I looked at the remains of what appeared to have been caused by a tornado. Hopefully the class will recognize their low score compared to their fellow classmates and adjust their behavior accordingly next week.
(the class that didnt know i was angry with them)My following class were angels. They listened, they participated in the dialogue, and they created a drawing and poem in English about their "Future Self". They were even able to work while listening to Reggaeton, the dance music that should be the soundtrack of their lives.
Sometimes you just have to let kids be kids, or...let teenagers be teenagers.
On Saturday night, we all had a huge barbecue. We drank beer, cooked meat around a fire, and got silly. The kids played in the snow and the adults played ice soccer on the deck. The smell of the food brought out other ski instructors and friends. We all partied under the stars.
