"When I was your age..."

"When I was your age, I used to walk 15 miles up hill to get to school..."

 

 

We've all heard different variations of this story told by grandparents/relatives/or on the TV series "Rugrats." (For you youngins reading this blog, "Rugrats" is the greatest cartoon series known to my generation.  Youtube it.) 

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I can now tell the same story above thanks to Priego de Cordoba.  Today, for my first day of teaching, I literally had to walk probably a mile to school.  Up hill.  I guess this is one way to burn off all of the baguette and chocolate calories I've been consuming.  (A baguette a day, keeps the doctor away.) 

 

As for my first day of school... it was definitely interesting.  I split my time between 1st, 5th, and 2nd grade.  With each grade, I worked with the other teacher in the classroom and followed the science curriculum they already planned.  I teach the English aspect and the other teacher chimes in with a Spanish translation when needed.  Again, I have to pretend I do not understand any Spanish when I am in the classroom.  (This is perfect because I don't have to pretend because I don't actualy understand Spanish 95% of the time.)  In 1st grade, I work with an awesome teacher named Antonio.  It is his first year teaching in this school, so he has never worked with an a Language Teacher before. 

 

Sidenote:  The school last year had an American Language Teacher last year named Mark Anthony.  I've never met the guy, but apparently from what I hear he speaks five languages, plays a ton of instruments, sports, and had a routine he completed in each class.  Because of him, the bar has been set rather high for me.  And it seems the other teachers want me to pick up where he left off and learn all of the languages he knows.  (I'm like whoa... let me learn Spanish first please.)  I do not particularly agree with his daily routines since the students already know them perfectly and it is comparable to me relearning every year in school: "Hola. Como estas?" "Muy bien gracias. Y tu?" This short conversation has gotten me no where here in Spain I might add.  I feel the students need to learn other phrases, but some of the teachers seem to think that I should continue with Mark Anthony's routine.  (If you happen to be reading this Mark Anthony, just know that I am currently shaking my fist at you saying, "Why I oughta...")

 

Back to Antonio the 1st grade teacher... He is awesome because he has zero expectations for me, and I am free to do whatever I want!  For example, today he wanted me to talk about the parts of the body.  So to help the students remember the vocabulary, I taught them the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."  (Not that they needed help-- these 1st graders were experts in knowing each part.)  But the song made me the cool teacher in the eyes of the little ones.

 

Sidenote #2:  Everyone knows that the gym teacher is the coolest teacher in the school.  With every school I have attended or worked in, this has consistently been the case.  However, in Spain, I am the coolest teacher in the school which is pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  Amurica'. 

 

After 1st grade, I headed over to 5th grade where I worked with a teacher named Alice.  Alice is wonderful in that she actually has classroom management. (This is a lacking feature in Spanish classrooms.)  The students were attentive and very good at English.  With this class, I showed the students the power point I had made highlighting the differences between New Jersey and Spain along with some fun facts about myself.  After my presentation, the students told me facts about themselves.  I'm already excited to be back in this classroom tomorrow.

The slide explaining in pictures that I DO NOT live at the Jersey Shore.

There are other parts to New Jersey than the TV Show.

Next was our break.  The Headmaster told me I look like Little Red Riding Hood; I just need to carry around a basket.  Thank you? (I think?)

My last class of the day was with 2nd grade.  Oh my goodness.  This class was insane.  In a crazy, chaotic, I want to rip my hair out because I can't take it anymore, teacher way.  The teacher in the classroom was very nice.  But she literally had zero classroom management.  There were students under their desks.  Other students were running around. Some were talking to their neighbor. One student was throwing his eraser at the back of another student's head.  And while all of this was going on, the teacher wanted me to teach the students about feelings.  Ahhhh.  She insisted that this is how they always are and there was nothing to be done to stop it, and I should continue my lesson.  Again... Ahhhh.  Being that it was my first day, I did not want to step on any toes.  So I followed her style of teaching by ignoring the bad behavior.  (Except for the kid with the eraser.  I did confiscate it, and he was baffled.)  The problem is that the students don't understand English enough for me to even say to them that this behavior is unacceptable.  And I can't speak Spanish.  What is a teacher to do?! 

Some more fun facts about Spanish Schools: 

1. They have locked gates at the entrance of the school.  However, it is used to keep the students from running away instead of keeping bad people out.
2. Basically all of the students have brown hair and brown eyes.  (So much for doing eye color or hair color graphs.)

3.The teachers travel with the students through the years.

4. They know cursive starting in 1st grade.

5. Again, there is a break from 11:30-12:00 everyday where the teachers gather and eat food.  Amazing.

6. They can touch the students.  For example, Antonio lifted one of the little girls today so she could reach the chalkboard.

7. They call me by my first name.  Which is pretty comical because Kelly is hard to say in Spanish.  Especially for the little ones.  They would have an easier time with Miss Fedynich.

8. They leave a classroom of 7 year olds alone.  While the teacher ran to the bathroom.  7 year olds.  In the classroom.  By themselves.  AHHHH  (And it was exactly the chaos you are seeing in your head right now.)

 9. It doesn't matter what country you are in, teachers will continue to get handmade drawings from their students.