20 days!

Today as I was teaching one of my classes one student, Quizito, told me, “Teacher you know we only have 3 weeks left of classes.” I paused for a minute and was thinking about this and realized it was true. I was both really excited and stressed because that meant in just 20 days I’d be leaving for America but I somehow need to finish my classes before that!

The schedule started off weird and I missed out on two classes with one of my turmas so I’m a little behind. We are taking the first test next week and then somehow with only 3 class periods left we need to learn more information and take the 2^nd test. I’m a bit nervous and of course trying to pack as much into each lesson as possible. Wish me luck these next few weeks! Hopefully my students don’t get too frustrated with me as I make them do a lot in such a little amount of time.

At the beginning of every 6-week session I tell myself that I’m going to finish early and not be stressing out at the end. Somehow I have failed at that every semester. I really need to make that a goal of mine in the New Year! However being stressed out and trying to finish my modules means that I’m coming home very soon! I cannot tell you how excited I am to be coming home for Christmas! I know I was just home at the end of August but it feels like it’s been forever. I’m really looking forward to the cold winter weather and hopefully some snow! I’m going to be really happy to get away from this summer heat in Nacucha.

On a positive note the library is progressing slowly but surely. We’re getting the wood for the bookshelves this week and then we’ll be organizing the books an decorating the library! I’m also working on making some resources for the kids to use with the cardboard and materials we have here. I’m hoping to have it mostly done by the time I come home and the training planned! When I get back from my trip to America it will be time to recruit the tutors and give them a training before we can start when the school starts back up in February. As soon as the library looks pretty I’ll upload some pictures!

20 days until I’m on my way home!! See you all soon! 

Warm & Fuzzy’s

The past few weeks I have been feeling like I’m not doing the best I can as an English Teacher. My students haven’t been doing that well on the tests and there just isn’t enough time in the semester to explain the information—with only 6 weeks for each course I feel like I’m always leaving something out and moving too fast. I know I can do better but sometimes I just don’t even know how to go about it. I think the break in December will be a much-needed rejuvenation. I want to come back in February and have students that are learning and speaking English more fluently. I want to not feel rushed in my lessons and I want to see that spark that my students actually understand what I’m talking about.

This week, I got a really nice warm and fuzzy—it made me feel a bit better about my teaching. Do you remember from school or retreats when people wrote you warm and fuzzy’s—positive notes about yourself? Well earlier this week after we finished with the oral presentations one of my students, Neves, got up and said he wanted to make an announcement in English. All throughout the class I saw him scribbling notes in English and I wondered what he was writing. He then got up and said he wanted to speak for all the students since it was our last class for this set of modules. Neves started to say that they were all thankful they had me as a teacher and were going to remember all the information I gave them. He thanked me for being a good teacher with patience for the class and told me they would always remember me. It was very sweet and it gave me a nice feeling inside knowing that they felt that way and thought it was important enough to tell me during our last class together. I’m really proud of him because he gave that speech all in English and it was perfect—I can’t take credit for that since I’ve only had him in class in two modules but it makes me happy he’s trying and learning English well.

I know I have things to work on and I always will but sometimes it’s nice to hear that the students appreciate you and want to thank you. I didn’t thank my teachers enough in school and I regret that. I had so many amazing and inspiring teachers throughout grade school, high school and college that I want to go back and thank—so I’m going to do that here.

To all my teachers: I really appreciate everything you did for me both in the classroom and behind the scenes. I think as students we take for granted the hard work and dedication that all teachers put in to each and every day. I’m so thankful I had you in my life to help mold me into the teacher I am today…I’m not as good as my favorite teachers but I’m striving for that every day. Also I feel like I should apologize for my bad behavior as a student in grade school and high school…in 5^th grade I never shut up and as a teacher in a high school now I know how annoying and frustrating that can be…I’m really sorry. I also was one of the students who without trying could and would fall asleep during a lecture and I never thought much of it. However, now that I have my own classroom full of teenagers who are sleeping I feel your pain when you had to deal with me when I fell asleep during a test.

Teachers are amazing, wonderful and put so much love, hard work and dedication into their classes. They do not get enough recognition for what they are doing so I want to say here and now to all of my past teachers and others out there who need a warm and fuzzy… You are an inspiration to your classroom! You are thought of and loved and you will always be remembered! Know that your hard work is paying off and one day your students will look back and smile knowing they had you as their teacher. THANK YOU!