Sapos y ranas.
I can' t say that I haven't had time to update because, honestly, all I've had is time, really. I only work on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And I'm out by 2:45 P.M. Or, as the locals might say, 14:45. I've just been too lazy. ¡Perdóname!
Work has had its ups and its downs. It is tough working with adolescents. Some of them are great students, ready to learn; others are know-it-alls; a handful don't give a fuck; and the others never stop talking. Working with a handful of different teachers with different styles is also tough, but I can't complain. I only work twelve hours a week. I am not allowed to complain... by law.
There is a group of students that I see four times a week. They are the group that I've come to know the most. They are a group of about twenty-five 12- to 14-year-olds. Yeah, that age. Think of yourself at your most awkward, and then add a foreign language on top of that. Still, I find myself laughing along with them a lot, so that makes it fun. I really enjoy hearing these kids speaking perfect Spanish with an andaluz accent. And it's fun to encourage them to speak in English because you can tell that most of the time they really are trying, but they get embarrassed with their pronunciation. If I correct them with a neutral tone, don't laugh, and praise them if they give it an honest effort, though, they seem to light up.
One of my favorite students is named Adrián. I guess you could say he's the runt of the class. I feel for you, Chiquitín. I'm still waiting for my second growth spurt, too. He tends to get picked on by the others, if only because he's the shortest. Aún, él es listo. He gives it back as good as he takes it. I think he took a quick liking to me, and so did I. He's always asking me to sit near his desk, trying to talk to me, but he struggles because he's at a really low English level. He's cool, though.
I've also got another group that I see twice a week. They are about a year older than the first group. A bit more mature but hardly so. This group is tough because there are about twenty kids in the bilingual program, yet at the same time, there are ten kids in the classroom who aren't bilingual by any means. So, those ten always feel left out when we work on English. It's a stupid setup, but I can't do anything about it. Oddly enough, it's one of the non-bilingual kids who I remember most--Iván. He knows a bit of English but not enough to hold a conversation. I think he's just amazed by the fact that I'm American. He's always trying to impress me. It's funny. "I get it, Iván--you're cool!" A bit of a troublemaker but harmless.
I have two other groups of older kids (fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds), but I only see each group once a week. The oldest ones are very well-behaved, but the younger ones--oh man, they are a handful. Today, I played the game two truths and a lie with them, and these are the sentences Raúl came up with: (a) I love marihuana (b) I love girls (c) I love school. Hmm... This is the same kid who, every time I have class with him, somehow manages to mention marihuana and asks me if I smoke. Este vato. I'm afraid to run into him while I'm at a botellón because he's mentioned to me that he goes on the weekends. Awkward!
Anyway, I guess I could talk a lot more about these kids, but I imagine it would bore you. I apologize for switching the blog, but now that some of the people I talk about in the blog are my friends on myspace, it feels awkward to keep posting there. I guess that's also the reason I haven't posted in a while. I've been trying to find a new place. But, now here I am. Oh, and I just posted new pictures, so check them out on flickr!
Work has had its ups and its downs. It is tough working with adolescents. Some of them are great students, ready to learn; others are know-it-alls; a handful don't give a fuck; and the others never stop talking. Working with a handful of different teachers with different styles is also tough, but I can't complain. I only work twelve hours a week. I am not allowed to complain... by law.
There is a group of students that I see four times a week. They are the group that I've come to know the most. They are a group of about twenty-five 12- to 14-year-olds. Yeah, that age. Think of yourself at your most awkward, and then add a foreign language on top of that. Still, I find myself laughing along with them a lot, so that makes it fun. I really enjoy hearing these kids speaking perfect Spanish with an andaluz accent. And it's fun to encourage them to speak in English because you can tell that most of the time they really are trying, but they get embarrassed with their pronunciation. If I correct them with a neutral tone, don't laugh, and praise them if they give it an honest effort, though, they seem to light up.
One of my favorite students is named Adrián. I guess you could say he's the runt of the class. I feel for you, Chiquitín. I'm still waiting for my second growth spurt, too. He tends to get picked on by the others, if only because he's the shortest. Aún, él es listo. He gives it back as good as he takes it. I think he took a quick liking to me, and so did I. He's always asking me to sit near his desk, trying to talk to me, but he struggles because he's at a really low English level. He's cool, though.
I've also got another group that I see twice a week. They are about a year older than the first group. A bit more mature but hardly so. This group is tough because there are about twenty kids in the bilingual program, yet at the same time, there are ten kids in the classroom who aren't bilingual by any means. So, those ten always feel left out when we work on English. It's a stupid setup, but I can't do anything about it. Oddly enough, it's one of the non-bilingual kids who I remember most--Iván. He knows a bit of English but not enough to hold a conversation. I think he's just amazed by the fact that I'm American. He's always trying to impress me. It's funny. "I get it, Iván--you're cool!" A bit of a troublemaker but harmless.
I have two other groups of older kids (fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds), but I only see each group once a week. The oldest ones are very well-behaved, but the younger ones--oh man, they are a handful. Today, I played the game two truths and a lie with them, and these are the sentences Raúl came up with: (a) I love marihuana (b) I love girls (c) I love school. Hmm... This is the same kid who, every time I have class with him, somehow manages to mention marihuana and asks me if I smoke. Este vato. I'm afraid to run into him while I'm at a botellón because he's mentioned to me that he goes on the weekends. Awkward!
Anyway, I guess I could talk a lot more about these kids, but I imagine it would bore you. I apologize for switching the blog, but now that some of the people I talk about in the blog are my friends on myspace, it feels awkward to keep posting there. I guess that's also the reason I haven't posted in a while. I've been trying to find a new place. But, now here I am. Oh, and I just posted new pictures, so check them out on flickr!
posted by anonymous at 19:55
5 Comments:
Actually, I like reading about your 'kids'. Keep it coming, Arturito!
Oh, and I love marihuana as well Raul.
Reading your post made me cry. It made me realize how much I missed you...but yes, like Aissa bear... I liked reading about your work and kids.
Love,
Rosie
I will keep it coming, then! I usually have stuff to say about "my kids," but never know who would even want to hear it.
I felt so, so filthily dishonest lying to Raúl, but what's a responsible teacher's assistant to say?!
Aw, Rosie, I didn't mean to make you cry... sorry! I will definitely post more about the kids, though.
Adrian.... a. I don't know. Is this "cool" student real?? I mean, his name sure is close to mine and I know how much you are longing for the presence of your best friend. Are you sure he isn't the Mr. Snuffalufagus (uh) to your Big Bird?
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