I got up ridiculously early and (in the spirit of starting off my Birthday Week right) was showered, hair done and cute outfit on long before I even needed to leave for the school bus! ^_^ Hell yeah!
When I got to school, it began to hit me that it was Monday (the day with six classes - half of which are my absolute least favorites)... But moments later I overheard conversation between my coordinator and the head mistress. Apparently, one of the teachers was ill and she needed me to sub for her for the day!! ^_^ YES!!
And so I got to sub for 5th grade for two hours, 6th grade for two hours and then get my Bachi's for an hour in the middle! ^_^ Most amazing Monday schedule ever!
I love being able to nonchalantly implement my own rules when it's my class, and I love being able to treat them with respect and make their lessons more interesting, let them listen to music during study time and let them not copy as much useless crap from into their notebooks as school policy dictates they must. ;)
After school, it was Picasso time (who I'm trying a more Humanistic approach with... Introducing grammar though talking about things he enjoys, rather than drilling him on them... Poor guy just isn't that type of learner, but he definitely is intelligent... Totally not fair). On the way to their place, I mentioned it was my birthday on Thursday. Five minutes before the lesson was done, Picasso's mom called him to the kitchen. Seconds later they were marching down the hall together, singing "Happy Birthday" to me, with a lit candle in a chocolate cookie! ^_^ Um, adorable!!!
She then split the cookie for us and brought us orange Fanta. She also gave me a bag filled with face creams, explaining that her husband worked in the company and so they always had a lot of them around. :) So cute!!!
After Picasso's lesson, I walked down the street a little and headed toward my brand new second lesson on Monday nights. Picasso's mom had given this lady my number right before break, and we had decided on the time then. Turned out, she is the mom of one of Picasso's 3rd grade classmates, and was wanting to improve her oral English skills, and Picasso's mom (and her daughter!) recommended me. ^_^ Adorable. Every time Mrs. White and I had communicated through text message, her daughter had stopped me during class, very business like, to tell me her mother's response, as if feeling she needed to translate for me. It was all super cute!
I didn't know what to expect, but as soon as I got there, I felt very comfortable. The family's chalet had a beautiful stone garden in the front yard - almost like a zen garden - and the inside was very simple but elegant with lots of zen and Indian items all around. It all made sense when, after a few questions, I found out that she is a meditation instructor!! I immediately told her about my mom and (based on the parts she seemed to understand) she thought it was very cool, too!
It was nice to have class with an adult after Picasso, and, actually, now out of my four private lessons, two are with adults! Woohoo! Based on Nacho's English level compared to every single other kid in his class, I know that his mom is getting her money's worth having me there twice a week.
And Picasso... I know that he is very happy to have a teacher that is supportive and fun, rather than telling him he's wrong and bad all the time... So even if his grades don't improve drastically by the end of the year, I still think his mom is getting her money's worth just having an instructor figure in her son' life that is on his side!
Patty studies a ton, and I make sure to give her creative assignments and explanations, which I think makes me a more interesting teacher than another one she could have gotten stuck with. I'm not nearly as structured and organized as most, though... And I desperately hope she is getting her money's worth out of me. But she is very excited for every class and authentically seems to enjoy all the learning and talking to me... And her comfort, confidence and fluidity in speaking has greatly improved... So I think she is?! :)
But with this lady... I'm going to have to think of something. I know that I am supposed to bring structured lessons and whatever, but she already goes to English class for hours a week to read and write and translate... So what she needs is somebody to just talk to and listen to in a casual environment! It was funny talking to her because she could use such complex structures without problem, but then with very basic things, she had no idea. I guess I'll start off slowly and review basic concepts, while talking about everyday life with her...
But man, sometimes I really feel like I cheat these people out of their money! All I do is sit and talk with people and get paid for it. That's ridiculous! But, I guess I would pay somebody who could make me feel 100% comfortable and enthusiastic to practice Portuguese once a week... If they could really get me talking and making sense... That'd be way worth it. Maybe this is how psychologists feel? Haha. Only they charge WAY more than I do! ;)
Anyway, the whole hour Mrs. White kept asking me to correct her. Finally, towards the end I told her that I didn't believe in giving corrections at all for the first few weeks, as I am a strong believer that confidence and fluidity are key. Once she can make full sentences without thought, I'll start pointing out some things she can change and work on - but the first thing to focus on is comfort using the language... Because a few, slow perfect sentences versus a bunch of slightly imperfect sentences just weren't worth it when communicating in real life situations in real time! She laughed and agreed, seeming a little relieved. :)
After class, her daughter came down and chatted with me enthusiastically while her mom made me tea. This girl, who is fairly quiet in class, was clearly so excited to be able to show off her English in front of her mom! When her mom would say something in Spanish, her daughter would say she was going to have to give her mom a red spot as a punishment (like they do in her class) for not speaking only in English around the English teacher. :) Cute. But poor mom! Haha.
It will be interesting to see how an hour of conversation with her per week goes, and if it is enough to really help her at all! I sure hope so!
XOXO
No comments:
Post a Comment