157: Babysitter vs. Teacher

I had such high hopes at the beginning of the year. I would be a revolutionary sort of teacher who actually would teach the students something new every single class. Every single day they would leave a little bit smarter, and a little bit more motivated to learn English.

And then, a few weeks into it, survival (lazy?) mode kicked in. Suddenly it was all about trying to get the students to be quiet, to behave. It was all about trying to get their attention and hold it. It no longer mattered if they learned anything,but rather if I could keep them busy enough to not start running around the room, to not start screaming and squeaking, to not seem like a disastrous zoo of special needs animals.

I became that teacher. The teacher who didn't care if they learned anything, but who wanted to keep them busy so they wouldn't cause a ruckus. I am honestly not entirely sure how to reverse this, nor if I have the exigency right now to do so. They only have me once a week, and so I am also trying to instill in them a love for American culture as well as the language (and, I would say, I'm doing a pretty great job of THAT).

But under it all, I still think I could be a pretty decent teacher if I didn't have to deal with classroom management... Which is why I am so excited to see how things go with Patty! I spent all day thinking about the homework I promised I would send her... If there is one thing I have learned from this teaching experience so far, it is to set a prescient early and definitively. By night time I had it all figured out - she will be creating a portfolio of her learning starting this first week. Every week I will have her sum up in her own words all aspects of what she learned that week. She will write down all new vocabulary, as well. I told her I want her to think of it as less of a homework notebook and more of a a mini English textbook she is creating herself that she will be able to study from and review as needed, or even give to a friend in the future who is interested in studying Spanish.

I had a teacher in 10th grade make us do something like this and it turned out brilliantly. For this reason, I am considering making it my thesis subject - Portfolios in the Bilingual Classroom. I'm not sure how she'll see it, but I hope well!

XOXO