Woohoo! Back to the library with renewed energy and enthusiasm! Thank goodness, because I’m going to need it!
I arrived in the community on Monday afternoon to find that, unfortunately, the substitute teacher I told the students they were going to have didn’t work out. It’s a bummer, but I had a feeling that was going to happen. The most difficult part is that not all of my students know that classes have started again. I have seen most of the younger kids, but the older students come from further and haven’t gotten the message yet. That makes lesson planning just that much harder because I don’t want half the class to miss the new material. So we’ll be reviewing for a while.
I’m also not in the classroom right now. The building is currently only used for English classes, which means it hasn’t been used for a month and is a mess! I want to go in and clean it, but no one wants me to do it by myself and no one has time to help me. So no classroom for me! haha Luckily, the library recently constructed a covered area to the side of the library that I can use. It works just fine!
On Tuesday we had visitors from California who helped the level one students make tie-dye t-shirts! They LOVED it! And we got to practice colors and words like please and thank you! The kids did great!
And the level three boys fell in love with the two American girls who came to help. They wanted to learn how to say things like, “You’re really pretty.” and “You have beautiful eyes.” I told them they needed to take it slow and converse first. In Nicaragua shouting “hey, lady!” is acceptable, but not in the US. I explained that they will have more success if they ask questions to show they’re interested in the girl as a person. This might be the most practical English lesson I have ever taught. Even my troublemakers paid close attention!
Currently, I am procrastinating in figuring out a solution to the printer being broken. My plans for the night class included printed worksheets, so I’ve got to think of a new way to use the material. It’s always something and it keeps me on my toes! Although, just once I would like a day when everything goes according to plan! *sigh*
Miss Lindsay Teaches 