So I am currently laying on the beach on this Saturday afternoon typing this blog from my newly unlocked iPhone. This is the first time I've been able to use the Internet without searching for wifi in random markets of by standing next to the McDonald's in the mall...so it's pretty exciting for me. I'm sure that my roommate, who keeps Shabbat and is laying next to me, is thrilled about me using my phone right now but whatever. Sorry Danielle...hopefully (your) god won't be too upset.
Anyway this weekend marks the end of our first official week of teaching. But it's not really teaching...most of us are coming to terms with the fact that we're really more teachers aides rather than actual teachers. Most of us spent the week taking 2-3 students out of class at a time...reading the same passage with them that the teacher was reading with the whole class inside the room.
When the week began, Nicole, my partner, and I were still just observing. Helen, the English teacher were with most of the time, wanted us to get a feel for how she teaches English. I swear by the end of day two I was hearing her voice while I was trying to fall asleep saying and clapping in rhythm "How are you? Fine thank you." in a French-Israeli accent that she used to teach the 3rd graders introductions. Helen is such a hoot. First of all, the woman's got an aroma that could kill, but it's grown to be the smell of home for us and when were at school without her, it just doesn't feel right without the bad breath/b.o. thing she has going on. But she's our mama. She gets genuinely mad at us if we but something before asking her if she has the item first. She heard me mention that I need sheets and promptly alerted all the teachers and her neighbors to bring me any extra sheets they had (as well as hangers, pots, pans, etc...) She's absolutely wonderful and I would dislike my school a lot if it wasn't for her.
So with only observing for a few days, I was struggling to feel needed and useful. Helen and the other English teacher/vice principal/authoritarian dictator, Dorit, have their shit together. I felt that they had to go out if their way to find something for us to do rather than us filling a purpose they couldn't. But it's getting a little better. By Thursday, the last day of our week, I was taking kids out at every period. With the babies I was reviewing the letters they knew, adding in the letter N, and going over those introductions which they now have solidified through rote memorization (If the kids say hey! To us, and we respond with "Hi, how are you?" The smile will wipe off their face as they try to remember how to properly say "Fine, thank you."). With the older kids, they wanted us to work with them to write articles (basically a paragraph). It felt better to be useful and to be supplementing the class rather than just doing the exact same thing. Still, though, I do not feel extremely confident that the kids are learning anything with me. I haven't really found my footing yet as a transmitter of knowledge, but it's only been a week-I'm sure ill get there.
I hope to be with the same kids every week so that I can track their progress and form connections with them. I think that will make me feel a lot better. I hate having to ask for these poor kids names everyday but its because I'm never with any kid more than 30 minutes at a time. So that's one thing that I'm going to ask about. Once I know that that can happen, I think I'll be a lot more enthusiastic because ill be able to make and prepare materials for them. Right now, there's no point in planning ahead because we don't know a.what we'll be teaching that day or b.who we'll be working with.
So that's where I am right now. I'll keep you updated!
Shabbat shalom!
To g
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