Wait, that's not right. It's 80+ and sunny... and the school year has just begun in Spain. The kids have been in school for a few weeks now (without AC) but I just had my first day on Tuesday. After three days in the school and one long meeting with the other teaching assistants, I have a lot to share.
Let's start with my first day of school:
On Tuesday morning, I rushed to the bus stop (I under-estimated the distance... damn kilometers!) and made it just in time. The walk took me about 20 minutes and I was even able to buy a coffee on the way. The bus ride took another 30 minutes. The first half was winding out of Granada and whizzing down the highway, but the second half was full of beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada mountains and countryside. I looked out the window and thought to myself, 'I could get used to this'. Once in the small town of Otura (pop. ~7,000), I typed the school into Google Maps and had another 5 minute walk. I zig zagged through town until I saw the school at the top of the small hill. I arrived in the middle of their second period and went straight to the English classroom.
The school is a public school for students ages 12-16 of which there are about 300. They offer a bilingual track for the students (or parents) who want it and almost all choose to take their subjects in English. In addition to their core classes being taught in English, they also have supplementary English classes. I normally wont assist in the English class but rather in the geography, biology, math and physical education classes. I had 15 minutes to introduce myself to the first class, a group of almost thirty 13 year olds. They asked a few questions about where I'm from, my family and hobbies. Part of the gig requires me to pretend I don't speak any Spanish. Isabel, the teacher told them that I don't speak nor understand Spanish. One kid said, "She can't even say hello?!" Isabel said, "Do you know how to say hello?" and in the most American accent I said "Hola!" The kids erupted with laughter making fun of my (fake) accent. Just then the bell rang and they scurried off to their next class. Isabel and I also changed classrooms. I asked how long their passing period was and the teacher replied "Just enough time to get to the next room." In the States it is usually 5-10 minutes and the bell signals when students are officially late. Apparently, Spanish students aren't as likely to dilly-dally.
At the start of the second class, Isabel led the students in a brief relaxation/meditation. She put on peaceful music and instructed them to sit up straight, close their eyes and focus on their breathing. This lasted about two minutes. A group of teachers have decided to try this meditation at the start of each class to help the students focus in on the task at hand. Each time I've witnessed this process I've also participated. I have also noticed that in every class there is always at least one girl, if not a few, that think they're too cool for meditation. They roll their eyes and laugh at the students who get really into it and start to nod off.
For the next 58 minutes, the students asked me a whole rigamarole of questions. I wrote various names and places on the board. Again they asked about my hometown, family, friends, education, and pastimes. Due to the extra amount of time, the second group had to get a bit more creative with their questions. One kid raised his hand and said "Do you drink?" Taken aback, I said "... Coca Cola ?" and looked uncomfortably to the teacher. In the States, there is no discussion of personal drinking habits with your students. It's a taboo. The teacher then began to pry, "Beer? Wine?" Still feeling unsure, I said "No, not really. A little. I mean I'm little... so I drink a little... so, yeah." Five minutes passed and the same kid raised his hand "Do you like to party?" "Well, um, I like to dance... But, I like to go to bed early. So, no. No parties for me." (Later I asked Isabel if that was a normal question. She said that particular student was repeating that year and maybe he was into partying himself. Also, she said that Spanish people are more open about things that Americans may consider taboo.) At the end of the class, the students were assigned to write a composition about me. Unfortunately, I did not get to read these the next day.
Following that class, the students had recess at 12:15. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, a typical Spanish lunch is at 2 or 3PM so during recess students eat a snack and wait until the end of the school day to eat a full meal. During this break, the teachers all congregate in a lounge with computers, a big table, a water fountain and lockers. It was interesting for me to see all the teachers and take note of their outfits. Maybe one out of 20 some teachers was dressed up. The rest were dressed casually, most in jeans and t-shirts. Unheard of! I wore jeans maybe twice in my semester teaching in Wilmington. I had to wear skirts longer than my knees, close-toed shoes, high necklines, no exposed shoulders, etc. If I wear jeans to school, I'll blend right in with the students!
At this point in the day I was introduced to every faculty member in the school. They all gave me a kiss on each cheek and enthusiastically welcomed me to the school. Most speak English but the ones who don't made it very clear that I should speak in Spanish. A few of the teachers even want private English lessons. After being introduced to all the teachers, the principal and even the lunch lady, I was told my day was done. The biology teacher gave me a ride back to Granada and dropped me fairly close to my house.
The day of the meeting:
Usually, I am a very punctual person. I find a lot of the time, I'm waiting for the other person to show or the meeting to start because I've arrived either just on time or a few minutes early. Living in Latin America, I learned to be a bit more lenient with my time. The director of the language assistant program sent out an email saying that between 10 and 10:30AM we'd be picking up paper work. I left at 10, hoping to arrive at 10:15, thinking I'd still have time to socialize before the meeting. Well, I walked in the door, everyone was seated and the meeting had already begun. I sat down and within seconds everyone got up to go take the most disorganized group photo. There are 70 or so teaching assistants and we all gathered on a big staircase. No "short people to the front" or "squish together" or even "1, 2, 3... CHEESE!" We all just kind of congregated and FLASH! That was that.
When we went back to the room, I moved closer to the front and sat on the edge of the row. The girl next to me struck up a conversation. Martina is 22 and from Ireland. We hit it off and spent the rest of the day chatting and giggling. Teaching assistants come from all English speaking countries, Germany or France. They spoke to us about how to get an ID card, but the circumstances are different for European citizens, people who have done this program before, etc. The microphone was muffled and the man spoke fast, heavily accented Spanish. I thought it was a shame I couldn't understand but I've already started this process so I just tuned out. One other girl was none too pleased. About 15 or 20 minutes into the speech a British girl raised her hand, then stood up and said in English "Excuse me, but some of us, like, don't understand you. Like, not at all." Fed up, she sat back down. A few more people spoke up in Spanish asking the man to turn the microphone or speak louder, but even after his varied efforts, it was still impossible to understand him.
Another girl had asked at one point about receiving free Spanish lessons. During our break, I leaned across the aisle, thinking I knew a thing or two, and told her about some classes I had seen online. We got to talking and she asked in which school I was working. When I told her she said, "Oh, you're Danielle?!" She had worked in the same town last year (at a different school), had seen my name and the list and was going to give me some pointers. We went for a coffee together and exchanged numbers. Christina is an American woman from California married to a Spanish man. They have a gorgeous little girl named Violeta and when I ran into Christina on the sidewalk later that day, I got to meet her husband and daughter.
When the meeting was over, they invited us to a free lunch. Martina and I agreed to go straight there because we are both bad with directions and wanted to leave room for error. Well, we arrived almost and hour early and ordered a drink to cool us down after roasting in the sun. The tapa we received was bread with cream cheese and an anchovy. We both cringed and I suggested we eat the just bread and feed the slimy, canned fish to the birds (although I just fed it to some hungry American guys when they arrived 30 minutes later).
Most of the group showed up for lunch which consisted of a salad, a soupy paella (yellow rice with seafood & meat), and flan for dessert. They even gave each table a pitcher of beer and red wine. I sat at the head of the table and like the typical Leo I am, put on quite a show. A guy further down the table called me out and said "I'm sorry, do you need more attention?" Sounds rude, but he was right. I hadn't realized how boisterous I had been (well, have been my whole life) and so I giggled, turned red and shut up for ten whole seconds.
After lunch, we were offered a free tour of Granada. It wasn't very extensive but Martina and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to learn a thing or two. We saw the cathedral (second biggest in Spain), an old marketplace, and a hotel were merchants used to bring their silk and spend a night or two. The guide was very knowledgeable and often looked at me when he was talking. I just smiled and nodded.
Let's start with my first day of school:
On Tuesday morning, I rushed to the bus stop (I under-estimated the distance... damn kilometers!) and made it just in time. The walk took me about 20 minutes and I was even able to buy a coffee on the way. The bus ride took another 30 minutes. The first half was winding out of Granada and whizzing down the highway, but the second half was full of beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada mountains and countryside. I looked out the window and thought to myself, 'I could get used to this'. Once in the small town of Otura (pop. ~7,000), I typed the school into Google Maps and had another 5 minute walk. I zig zagged through town until I saw the school at the top of the small hill. I arrived in the middle of their second period and went straight to the English classroom.
The school is a public school for students ages 12-16 of which there are about 300. They offer a bilingual track for the students (or parents) who want it and almost all choose to take their subjects in English. In addition to their core classes being taught in English, they also have supplementary English classes. I normally wont assist in the English class but rather in the geography, biology, math and physical education classes. I had 15 minutes to introduce myself to the first class, a group of almost thirty 13 year olds. They asked a few questions about where I'm from, my family and hobbies. Part of the gig requires me to pretend I don't speak any Spanish. Isabel, the teacher told them that I don't speak nor understand Spanish. One kid said, "She can't even say hello?!" Isabel said, "Do you know how to say hello?" and in the most American accent I said "Hola!" The kids erupted with laughter making fun of my (fake) accent. Just then the bell rang and they scurried off to their next class. Isabel and I also changed classrooms. I asked how long their passing period was and the teacher replied "Just enough time to get to the next room." In the States it is usually 5-10 minutes and the bell signals when students are officially late. Apparently, Spanish students aren't as likely to dilly-dally.
At the start of the second class, Isabel led the students in a brief relaxation/meditation. She put on peaceful music and instructed them to sit up straight, close their eyes and focus on their breathing. This lasted about two minutes. A group of teachers have decided to try this meditation at the start of each class to help the students focus in on the task at hand. Each time I've witnessed this process I've also participated. I have also noticed that in every class there is always at least one girl, if not a few, that think they're too cool for meditation. They roll their eyes and laugh at the students who get really into it and start to nod off.
For the next 58 minutes, the students asked me a whole rigamarole of questions. I wrote various names and places on the board. Again they asked about my hometown, family, friends, education, and pastimes. Due to the extra amount of time, the second group had to get a bit more creative with their questions. One kid raised his hand and said "Do you drink?" Taken aback, I said "... Coca Cola ?" and looked uncomfortably to the teacher. In the States, there is no discussion of personal drinking habits with your students. It's a taboo. The teacher then began to pry, "Beer? Wine?" Still feeling unsure, I said "No, not really. A little. I mean I'm little... so I drink a little... so, yeah." Five minutes passed and the same kid raised his hand "Do you like to party?" "Well, um, I like to dance... But, I like to go to bed early. So, no. No parties for me." (Later I asked Isabel if that was a normal question. She said that particular student was repeating that year and maybe he was into partying himself. Also, she said that Spanish people are more open about things that Americans may consider taboo.) At the end of the class, the students were assigned to write a composition about me. Unfortunately, I did not get to read these the next day.
Following that class, the students had recess at 12:15. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, a typical Spanish lunch is at 2 or 3PM so during recess students eat a snack and wait until the end of the school day to eat a full meal. During this break, the teachers all congregate in a lounge with computers, a big table, a water fountain and lockers. It was interesting for me to see all the teachers and take note of their outfits. Maybe one out of 20 some teachers was dressed up. The rest were dressed casually, most in jeans and t-shirts. Unheard of! I wore jeans maybe twice in my semester teaching in Wilmington. I had to wear skirts longer than my knees, close-toed shoes, high necklines, no exposed shoulders, etc. If I wear jeans to school, I'll blend right in with the students!
At this point in the day I was introduced to every faculty member in the school. They all gave me a kiss on each cheek and enthusiastically welcomed me to the school. Most speak English but the ones who don't made it very clear that I should speak in Spanish. A few of the teachers even want private English lessons. After being introduced to all the teachers, the principal and even the lunch lady, I was told my day was done. The biology teacher gave me a ride back to Granada and dropped me fairly close to my house.
The day of the meeting:
Usually, I am a very punctual person. I find a lot of the time, I'm waiting for the other person to show or the meeting to start because I've arrived either just on time or a few minutes early. Living in Latin America, I learned to be a bit more lenient with my time. The director of the language assistant program sent out an email saying that between 10 and 10:30AM we'd be picking up paper work. I left at 10, hoping to arrive at 10:15, thinking I'd still have time to socialize before the meeting. Well, I walked in the door, everyone was seated and the meeting had already begun. I sat down and within seconds everyone got up to go take the most disorganized group photo. There are 70 or so teaching assistants and we all gathered on a big staircase. No "short people to the front" or "squish together" or even "1, 2, 3... CHEESE!" We all just kind of congregated and FLASH! That was that.
When we went back to the room, I moved closer to the front and sat on the edge of the row. The girl next to me struck up a conversation. Martina is 22 and from Ireland. We hit it off and spent the rest of the day chatting and giggling. Teaching assistants come from all English speaking countries, Germany or France. They spoke to us about how to get an ID card, but the circumstances are different for European citizens, people who have done this program before, etc. The microphone was muffled and the man spoke fast, heavily accented Spanish. I thought it was a shame I couldn't understand but I've already started this process so I just tuned out. One other girl was none too pleased. About 15 or 20 minutes into the speech a British girl raised her hand, then stood up and said in English "Excuse me, but some of us, like, don't understand you. Like, not at all." Fed up, she sat back down. A few more people spoke up in Spanish asking the man to turn the microphone or speak louder, but even after his varied efforts, it was still impossible to understand him.
Another girl had asked at one point about receiving free Spanish lessons. During our break, I leaned across the aisle, thinking I knew a thing or two, and told her about some classes I had seen online. We got to talking and she asked in which school I was working. When I told her she said, "Oh, you're Danielle?!" She had worked in the same town last year (at a different school), had seen my name and the list and was going to give me some pointers. We went for a coffee together and exchanged numbers. Christina is an American woman from California married to a Spanish man. They have a gorgeous little girl named Violeta and when I ran into Christina on the sidewalk later that day, I got to meet her husband and daughter.
When the meeting was over, they invited us to a free lunch. Martina and I agreed to go straight there because we are both bad with directions and wanted to leave room for error. Well, we arrived almost and hour early and ordered a drink to cool us down after roasting in the sun. The tapa we received was bread with cream cheese and an anchovy. We both cringed and I suggested we eat the just bread and feed the slimy, canned fish to the birds (although I just fed it to some hungry American guys when they arrived 30 minutes later).
Most of the group showed up for lunch which consisted of a salad, a soupy paella (yellow rice with seafood & meat), and flan for dessert. They even gave each table a pitcher of beer and red wine. I sat at the head of the table and like the typical Leo I am, put on quite a show. A guy further down the table called me out and said "I'm sorry, do you need more attention?" Sounds rude, but he was right. I hadn't realized how boisterous I had been (well, have been my whole life) and so I giggled, turned red and shut up for ten whole seconds.
After lunch, we were offered a free tour of Granada. It wasn't very extensive but Martina and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to learn a thing or two. We saw the cathedral (second biggest in Spain), an old marketplace, and a hotel were merchants used to bring their silk and spend a night or two. The guide was very knowledgeable and often looked at me when he was talking. I just smiled and nodded.
Thursday and Friday:
The next few days at school went well. On Thursday I woke up around 7 so I could catch a ride at 8. I couldn't believe how dark it was and when I left the house it was raining. I got to school and went directly to a biology classroom. When I looked out the window the sky had cleared and this is what I saw:
The next few days at school went well. On Thursday I woke up around 7 so I could catch a ride at 8. I couldn't believe how dark it was and when I left the house it was raining. I got to school and went directly to a biology classroom. When I looked out the window the sky had cleared and this is what I saw:
After biology, I went to two geography classes. The teacher introduced me and told the students they were very lucky to have a native speaker as an English teacher. He asked them, "Did you know that a good English will open doors in the future? That you'll have more opportunities? So take advantage of Ellie. We are very lucky to have her."
I spent most of the day reading off worksheets and textbooks and having students repeat after me. I had to correct their grammar and pronunciation. The teacher also asked me to correct his English so at the end of the class I gave him some pointers. (ex: It's proJect, not proYect.)
Thursday after school, while waiting for the bus, an old Spanish woman started mumbling nonsense at me. I couldn't understand a word so I would nod like I agreed with everything. She would blow her nose into a handkerchief then use that same cloth to shine her shoes. At one point, some kids were playing behind the bus stop and she made some angry comment about children and schools. All I understood was "They have all this homework and they make the parents do half of it anyway!" This woman had a lot to say... If only I could have understood.
Friday was another easy day at school. Again, I helped out with geography class in the morning and a more advanced biology class in the afternoon. The biology students had the entire class period to ask me questions but they used most of their time to talk with their friends. Like the earlier class, they asked about alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. I looked to the teacher and he did & said nothing. This group of student was the most rowdy. I tried everything to get them quiet (evil eyes, walking out of the classroom, etc.) but they really could care less.
Friday after school:
In the evening, I met with a teacher from the school. She has an English exam next weekend and was looking for more practice. We spent two hours walking around the city while speaking in English. She told me about different hot spots in town and I gave her pointers on pronunciation.
I spent most of the day reading off worksheets and textbooks and having students repeat after me. I had to correct their grammar and pronunciation. The teacher also asked me to correct his English so at the end of the class I gave him some pointers. (ex: It's proJect, not proYect.)
Thursday after school, while waiting for the bus, an old Spanish woman started mumbling nonsense at me. I couldn't understand a word so I would nod like I agreed with everything. She would blow her nose into a handkerchief then use that same cloth to shine her shoes. At one point, some kids were playing behind the bus stop and she made some angry comment about children and schools. All I understood was "They have all this homework and they make the parents do half of it anyway!" This woman had a lot to say... If only I could have understood.
Friday was another easy day at school. Again, I helped out with geography class in the morning and a more advanced biology class in the afternoon. The biology students had the entire class period to ask me questions but they used most of their time to talk with their friends. Like the earlier class, they asked about alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. I looked to the teacher and he did & said nothing. This group of student was the most rowdy. I tried everything to get them quiet (evil eyes, walking out of the classroom, etc.) but they really could care less.
Friday after school:
In the evening, I met with a teacher from the school. She has an English exam next weekend and was looking for more practice. We spent two hours walking around the city while speaking in English. She told me about different hot spots in town and I gave her pointers on pronunciation.
The rest of the weekend has been pretty low-key. Tomorrow I don't have school (seems like I'll have Mondays off) so I'm considering making a day trip to a beach that is just an hour away. It is supposed to be sunny and in the low 80's so I'll have to seize the day before winter comes.
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