The one thing I'm truly glad I did / am doing while in Spain is teaching the ninos at the colegio. I know I complain about it daily but that's mainly because the 15 minute walk is too much for my lazy ass.
I teach English to 6 different classes. Okay, not on my own. I help a class with a professor, Ana Maria. The students are terrofied of her and I was too, at first. However, after a few times volunteering together with some little kids (more on that experience, later) and a few coffee and ice cream outings we've seem to get along quite well and I really like her a lot. She cares about the students and she really does want them to learn. She just tends to teach in an old fashioned style. but that's what Im here for!
Each week (every day but Thursday and the weekends) I go to the Catholic school where I try and convince these 12-14 year olds that they are, in fact, capable of learning English and yes, they are quite intelligent. It's amazing how many of them don't believe that. I go back to the sala de profesores where I get three or four students at a time and we talk about what they are learning that week. So, starting a couple weeks ago, after we discuss what we did that past week (to work on past tense and create a relaxed atmoshpere as well as kill some time because studying can be b-o-r-i-n-g) I ask them what they think they are the best at when it comes to English. Is it future tense? Sometimes. Talking about food? Most of the time. Asking for my facebook name? All the time. And no, I do not release that cherished information.
I've noticed that in this school in Spain and I believe the same goes in many other schools around the world, the kids are not only not chastised for not drawing a perfect face or tree but they are actually put down and scolded for drawing outside the lines and not following every direction.
I myself, have experienced the same punishment when in 6th grade I spent hours working on a "how-to-survive-in-the-wild" kit (with the help of my mom, who also spent many hours working on it. Thanks, mom!) and failed, miserably. I was so proud of this project because I thought no one else would do the same thing I did and the teacher would be SO impressed that I took the project into my own hands that she would not only give me an A, but she would tell the class that they should all try and be more like me and think outside the box. These day dreams almost never came true for me, to my dismay. I ended up getting a D on the project (which was failing at Kenmore Middle School if you were a white middle class girl). I was so furious (and still am) that I had received that grade. She told me that I followed only two of the 10 rules given for this project and one of those was putting your name on it. I only got that one because my mom reminded me to do it at the last minute. A lot of times after I've done poorly on an exam or project, even to this day, I will feel like its the end of the world. After a quick phone call to my dad, who tells me I wont even remember it in 2 weeks, I usually feel much better. And he's right. Most of the time I do forget about failing an international relations exam or a stat's project. But, at the age of 12 when grades were your only priority (and sleeping) I knew this was something I wouldn't forget. And that teacher who's name I cant remember because it obviously is as important to me as the rubric for that project, can kiss my butt because I've managed to still do well even when I forget to put my name on a few things!
anyhow, enough about my past. All I'm saying is I feel it's my responsibility to not let that happen to these kids. If it weren't for my dad who convinced me that I had done the project right, it was the teacher who was too brainwashed too see that, I would have grudgingly conformed to how the system wanted their shit done. When you are 12 and believe that everything the teacher says is law you take what they say to heart. So when they are called stupid because their desks aren't perfectly straight or when they are yelled at for not memorizing every single tense and irregular they believe it really is THEIR fault. So, once we've finished talking about our day and what we are good at when it comes to English and what we can work on I inform them that they are very bright students. After I say this, their faces almost always look a little confused and worried. And then I hear the words I hate "we're not smart. We're stupid." They've gotten a lot better at their response recently and I can see them becoming more confident when they speak English with me. But there are times when they have that look in their eyes like they don't fully believe me when I say they're smart. They may not be the best at English but that doesn't mean they aren't smart and as I explain this to them each day their English gets progressively better and their attitudes seem to shift for the better as well. I'm not saying that students should be spoiled or things should be sugar coated but they should be told the truth, even if the truth happens to be a positive thing. No, you are not stupid if your desk isn't straight. Yes, you probably shouldn't throw rocks at your friend Timmy and for that you will get detention, but you are not stupid. Just a little annoying and maybe we should check out that family situation at home.
Half of the things that I've pursued in my life I did because someone told me I could. Even if I couldn't (which I figured out on my own and decided it wasn't for me so I quite. Unless my mom didn't let me then the whole thing just suckeddd *ahem. track and field*) just knowing that someone thought I could made me want to prove it to myself. Not only should the students not be chastised for messing up their adjectives but when they are doing something correctly, this should be pointed out and maybe with a thumbs up or a smiley face on the page (no pats on the backs anymore because that could be construed as abuse).
Anyhoo, that is my rant of the day. That is not to say the teacher's are not fantastic at these schools. They usually are. Ana Maria for instance is one of those teacher's that I would have sucked up to in middle school because she really cares about her students and I sure as hell wouldn't want to get on her bad side. She wants the students to learn and she cares about what they are doing inside and outside of schools. There should be more teachers like this but with more of an open mind on how students learn. Textbooks aren't for everyone.
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