The Day.
So just sitting on my bed listening to a little banda. I like banda. It makes me happy....upbeat....fun....
Anyways....I've been an extremely inattentive/lazy communicator this week....so I apologize to the faithful ones who have responded to my emails...and have sent thoughtful words my way. I've been buried, seemingly...and really exhausted this week. Really exhausted.
My kids have their bimestral exams this week...so bless their hearts, they're STIR CRAZY....which is hard on them AND on me. I referee a LOT more and have to work a LOT harder for their full attention. However, today we sang "I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas" with all of the sounds of the vowels. That was hysterical. We had a great time...and they were captivated for a little while. My sixth graders listened to the recording of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech so that they can create reflections via artwork tomorrow. That was like pulling teeth...they didn't have the attention span for it....but we'll see what they actually did absorb from the listening and the analysis. Ha. Who knows?
Then during after-school tutoring in which I have the secundaria students (that's like junior high in the States and Canada), two flipped over in their chairs...and one WROTE ON HER DESK with those oil-based crayons. It took all I had not to react in a very drastic manner. Instead, I walked over to the desk, waited for the presenter to finish his story....and removed the crayon from her hand. Then I calmly looked at the two who were chatting....and said "Quien lo hizo?"
Then I marched myself to the cleaning lady, obtained a cleaner and rag...and she scrubbed. I was pretty sure the color wasn't going to come off, but I was going to make sure she used every ounce of muscle and effort in her body to try. It did, amazingly....but she spent the last fifteen or so minutes of class removing it. I found out upon leaving that she is the PRINCIPAL'S DAUGHTER....por el amor de Dios. Ay yayay....me matan!
Sometimes it just isn't funny anymore....when the kids in talleres don't want to be there....but that's the whole point....is to make them equal with the others in the class...when they won't open their mouth (as in the case of this same girl who colored all over the desk)....literally, I asked her several times to do something or respond to something....and, of course, not making her be the first or only one...I always made sure that she'd seen plenty of examples from the others (more advanced) in the class. Not once did she open her mouth. NOt one time. I had a hard time not just looking at her and saying, "Why are you here again? Because, really, I'm thinking htere's no point." I think I'll do that when I talk to her mom, the principal.
Anyways....on the flip side, I'm pretty excited that we're going to begin studying some fun "unit things." Halloween combined with Dia de los Muertos....it's a big thing here...and there is some really extreme and cool history. So we'll be exploring that the week after next. Next week is United Nations Day, so as a department we've been asked to forge the way with that....my kids are going to do research projects and then present their own individual countries of choice. I'm excited to see what mine come up with and then proudly display them in the school's entrance. Very cool.
More than that, each teacher/staff person has a mandatory meeting this week with the school's psychologist (or at least they TOLD me all of us had to go...maybe it's jsut me....hehe....they're discovering my secrets...hehe). I had my meeting with her yesterday. Made me feel like I fit. We're discussing interpersonal relationships and how to improve the climate, in general, among the staff/direction/etc....it was good for me to experience that...to give my input and be heard...my frustrations were able to be spilled forth and that was okay. I think things are definitely improving in that area for me personally. A lot of it was just learning how to fit in this system with these people...happens everywhere. So anyways...maybe some changes yet to come...for the betterment of the institution.
Wow. Okay. My eyes are closing. I've gotta jump under the covers. Have a great end of the week. Thanks for your faithfulness and friendship.
Anyways....I've been an extremely inattentive/lazy communicator this week....so I apologize to the faithful ones who have responded to my emails...and have sent thoughtful words my way. I've been buried, seemingly...and really exhausted this week. Really exhausted.
My kids have their bimestral exams this week...so bless their hearts, they're STIR CRAZY....which is hard on them AND on me. I referee a LOT more and have to work a LOT harder for their full attention. However, today we sang "I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas" with all of the sounds of the vowels. That was hysterical. We had a great time...and they were captivated for a little while. My sixth graders listened to the recording of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech so that they can create reflections via artwork tomorrow. That was like pulling teeth...they didn't have the attention span for it....but we'll see what they actually did absorb from the listening and the analysis. Ha. Who knows?
Then during after-school tutoring in which I have the secundaria students (that's like junior high in the States and Canada), two flipped over in their chairs...and one WROTE ON HER DESK with those oil-based crayons. It took all I had not to react in a very drastic manner. Instead, I walked over to the desk, waited for the presenter to finish his story....and removed the crayon from her hand. Then I calmly looked at the two who were chatting....and said "Quien lo hizo?"
Then I marched myself to the cleaning lady, obtained a cleaner and rag...and she scrubbed. I was pretty sure the color wasn't going to come off, but I was going to make sure she used every ounce of muscle and effort in her body to try. It did, amazingly....but she spent the last fifteen or so minutes of class removing it. I found out upon leaving that she is the PRINCIPAL'S DAUGHTER....por el amor de Dios. Ay yayay....me matan!
Sometimes it just isn't funny anymore....when the kids in talleres don't want to be there....but that's the whole point....is to make them equal with the others in the class...when they won't open their mouth (as in the case of this same girl who colored all over the desk)....literally, I asked her several times to do something or respond to something....and, of course, not making her be the first or only one...I always made sure that she'd seen plenty of examples from the others (more advanced) in the class. Not once did she open her mouth. NOt one time. I had a hard time not just looking at her and saying, "Why are you here again? Because, really, I'm thinking htere's no point." I think I'll do that when I talk to her mom, the principal.
Anyways....on the flip side, I'm pretty excited that we're going to begin studying some fun "unit things." Halloween combined with Dia de los Muertos....it's a big thing here...and there is some really extreme and cool history. So we'll be exploring that the week after next. Next week is United Nations Day, so as a department we've been asked to forge the way with that....my kids are going to do research projects and then present their own individual countries of choice. I'm excited to see what mine come up with and then proudly display them in the school's entrance. Very cool.
More than that, each teacher/staff person has a mandatory meeting this week with the school's psychologist (or at least they TOLD me all of us had to go...maybe it's jsut me....hehe....they're discovering my secrets...hehe). I had my meeting with her yesterday. Made me feel like I fit. We're discussing interpersonal relationships and how to improve the climate, in general, among the staff/direction/etc....it was good for me to experience that...to give my input and be heard...my frustrations were able to be spilled forth and that was okay. I think things are definitely improving in that area for me personally. A lot of it was just learning how to fit in this system with these people...happens everywhere. So anyways...maybe some changes yet to come...for the betterment of the institution.
Wow. Okay. My eyes are closing. I've gotta jump under the covers. Have a great end of the week. Thanks for your faithfulness and friendship.
posted by Courtney @ 7:25 PM
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