Touching moments.

I just wrote a whole bunch of blog entries. Prepare to be deluged!

Here are some things about school.

• At the end of the year last year, in some sort of Baccalaureate ceremony, one of my favorite English club students (and a brilliant kid as well) gave me a ribbon of appreciation. “Even though she hasn’t been here very long, I consider her a friend and she has helped me a lot.”
• Reminds me of the Morning Motivational we used to do at TIP about where the Dad gives his kid a blue ribbon of appreciation, and the kid decides not to commit suicide after all. 

   It was always fun to explain over and over again that “commit suicide” is the only correct form and “do suicide” and “suicide himself” are just not quite right.

 

• Peace Corps came to my school to do their yearly check-up meeting, and the coordinator and all my co-teachers were pleased as punch with me and couldn’t stop raving. Several people have already told me that they wish I were here next year.
• Much better than last year’s meeting where the afternoon coteachers said something to the effect of that they wished Peace Corps had sent them a tape recorder instead. That meeting ended with me crying
• Also better than the only other time when Peace Corps came to my school and a teacher told the country director (while I was sitting there) that I was unfriendly and I never talked to anyone and that they wished they could have the last volunteer back.  That meeting also ended with me crying.
• These are two of the three times that I have cried at school.
• I don’t remember the last time I had a good cry.

 

• Last year’s English club started with three (very excellent and wonderful) students and grew to about eight students. This year on the first day there were 35 9^th   – 11^th graders at the first meeting. Who knows how many will be cumplido and show up every time, but hey, not a bad start.
• My coteacher also said the students told her they enjoyed the club meeting yesterday. (and here I thought it had been mostly a fracaso)
• 6^th-8^th graders have been constantly asking me when their English Club will start. Next week kids. I need time to recover.
• We even have a classroom now and don’t have to meet on the patio.
• We ran out of chairs.

 

• My very best English student from last year says she still wants to have English club. I should tell her that we are allowed to just hang out and speak English like friends.
• Me: “Who else do you think might come to an English club?” “Well, [the other two from last year] have classes in the morning and I have classes in the afternoon, so probably just me.”

 

• I taught 3^rd graders for the first time today. They were so cute and reasonably well behaved. I really enjoyed it because it was their first proper English lesson (maybe first ever English lesson?) So they aren’t expected to know anything. We worked on the first half of the alphabet and “My name is.”
• They also haven’t learned to be ashamed of their English skills yet. My coteacher was like, “You’re going to say ‘my name is’ and then your name, vale?” and every single one of those pipsqueaks stood up beside their desk and said “My name is” and their name. It wasn’t perfect, but not a single one of them said “I can’t.”
• So cute. I just met them and during the break they all came and hugged my legs. We just met you but, we love you we love you we love you!!! Awww.
• I think I’m going to like teaching 3^rd graders.