First Week of English Classes!

One of the streets I pass on my walk to and from Fe y Alegria School. It was so funny to see a sheep meandering along on a residential street! Peru is always full of surprises! (Apparently, this one lives on the house that's to the left of it).




My English classes started this Monday! Truthfully, Monday went terribly, Tuesday a bit better and today was the teensiest bit better, perhaps. Poco a poco, little by little. I just have to say kids will be kids, no matter what city, country, or continent. Although I have to say, Peruvian kids seem rather rambunctious. So, in other words, my classes without their regular teacher's presence was a bit like a madhouse, zoo and worst babysitting job combined. I kid you not, my first few days have included students blatantly ignoring my requests that they sit down and please not yell, kids jumping on tables and playing tag, students dashing out of the classroom into the courtroom and running back into the classroom, and a ball being thrown at my head. The first couple days I went home with a headache and nearly lost my voice.




Today, I concluded that I would try my best for order, but if they didn't want to listen, that I would teach the ones that wanted to learn. Apparently, that strategy didn't work well either because Stella, someone who works at the school, saw my fiasco and came into the class to incorporate some order. That was such a blessing! She is wonderful with the students and the second half of 1'A went better. At least they stayed put in their seats! I also had an idea to use a ball and only the one who had the ball was allowed to speak (this worked fairly well!). Also, it ended up being that the first grade students had an question and answer session with me the whole time.




I had not known until a couple weeks ago that I was, in fact, to be the English teacher, not a teacher's assistant. So I am officially "Senorita Kimiko, or Miss; La Profesora de Ingles." This means that I teach two classes a day which is divided into four groups. My days right now start out at 8:50 a.m. and end at 12:35 p.m. I go to one class and teach half of the class first while the teacher takes the other half for their time in the library, then we switch and I take the half of the class that was in the library. This means that I teach about 12-16 students for 50 minutes, four times a day. And let me tell you, that nearly four-hour school day exhausts me. I have such a deep respect and appreciation for teachers!


But I am determined to teach my students English, even if I have to switch my strategy each week. Once they get used to me, we establish rules, and realize that they can learn and have fun, hopefully the classes with take on a smoother rhythm. Since this is my first time actually teaching a class I am not discouraged, just know this will be a year of learning, for both the students and I.



But I do enjoy going to school during the week, greeted by more students as I work in more classrooms and meet more of them. Everyday, I am bombarded with smiles, hugs, sloppy cracker crumbs and juice kisses and "Hola Senorita Kimiko." They are bien carinosos. And most of them are super excited to learn English which is great! We'll see what tomorrow brings...