20 June 2019

20 June: Post Travel

Post Travel Journal

20 June, Thursday

So, it has been a week since I returned to the US from Ecuador. I miss it so much; I miss going to USA Academy every weekday and seeing the bright young faces of every individual student. I miss helping them with their (English) work and interacting with them. I really wish I had more time so that I could have gotten to know them better, but even in the three weeks I was there, I grew so attached to them. I also wished I would have hugged the students goodbye--a group hug would have been sufficient, honestly.

I miss having a purpose everyday... However, I do have a summer job as a writing tutor for an English class in a summer program at NAU; I work with first-generation students who have just graduated high school and are entering their first year of college, helping them with their writing. Although it is nice working with students who are of an older age, I really do miss working with student between the ages of eleven and eighteen; I just have more fun with them. I also miss the environment. The teachers and other faculty were all really kind to me and incredibly helpful and supportive; they also allowed me opportunities to teach and learn, giving me constructive criticism so that I can improve. The students were not only the main reason I was there, their personalities and enthusiasm also are part of the reason I wanted to stay and why I am so sad that I had to leave. Don't get me wrong, I like these students at NAU, but I just really miss the students from USA Academy. I was closer to the students in Ecuador because I was actually their teacher and interacting with them every day; here at NAU, I'm just a TA that helps with homework--I don't lead discussion or give lessons. I also might miss USA Academy students more because I saw them for multiple hours in a day for three weeks; these college students just aren't them.

Below, I will provide a Fieldwork Summary hat details my experience:

Fieldwork Summary

Introduction
My internship was working as a student teacher in the secondary levels of Academia USA in Quito, Ecuador. The school has just implemented a program that enforces that 40% of the classes are taught in English. So, in addition to their English as a foreign language class, other subjects are taught in English to encourage bilingualism and create more opportunities for the students. My responsibilities in this position included: serving as English Teaching Assistant to the English teacher in Ecuadorian classrooms, interacting with students on a daily basis, and helping with English-related administration and teaching. I assisted the English teachers in the classroom and helped with the students and with lesson planning as much as my skills and capabilities allowed me. I was placed with Teacher Moises (English Level II), Teacher Suany (English Level I), and Teacher Angela (Science, History, Business & Management taught in English). I worked hands-on with the students and with the teachers and other faculty of the school, helping whenever I could. I also substituted for teachers, teaching their lessons when they had other duties or tasks to complete.
I lived in an apartment with a host family; the apartment was close to the Academia USA (only a 7-minute bus-ride and a short walk away). I ate lunch at the school—for only $3—and breakfast and lunch were provided by my host mother. The busses only cost 25 cents, so that was nice and convenient; I would walk 30 minutes home. My host mother always answered my questions about the city and where to go; she was very supportive and helpful. Latinoamerica schools organized my transportation from/to the airport, my living placement, and my student teaching internship placement; other than their help with these, they were not really involved in my internship.

Intent & Outcomes
Going into this internship, I expected my position to be a way for me to gain experience in a classroom where the students’ first languages are not English. I am in the accelerated BA-English—MA-TESL program, so I am taking courses on how to help and teach students English as a second language (ESL). Although this environment may be different because I will be in another country, it will be more difficult and therefore more beneficial to me. I hope to apply the skills that I sharpen and acquire from this internship in my future classroom(s), whether as and ELA (English Language Arts) teacher or as an ESL teacher. I do not plan to teach English abroad as a career, but I will use what I learn from the field of teaching English abroad in teaching English to non-native English speakers (if that is the job I will be doing). I decided to apply to the BA-MA program because I want to be able to help and inspire as many students as I can; the job of a teacher is to teach the change she wants to see in the world. This experience will definitely aid me in achieving my goal to be the best teacher/guide/mentor/support my students need.
            I think that this experience met, and exceeded, my expectations. Yes, I gained experience in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language), however, it wasn’t difficult. The students knew enough English to communicate with me and ask for help, and I know Spanish, so I could help them in Spanish if they couldn’t express what they wanted to say in English. The teachers gave me various opportunities to teach their classrooms, with their supervision, so I practiced the skills I have learned in my education courses. While teaching and observing the teachings of my host teachers, I acquired more skills to practice in my limited time there; I will also be taking these skills and applying them to my future teaching practicums and student-teaching placement. The teachers were great models to observe and learn from; they are great teachers and I am so glad I was able to meet them and learn from them. Although they were not as passionate about teaching and education as I am, they do care for and about their students and their academic success.

Detailed Analysis of the Experience
This experience was an incredible opportunity for me to practice teaching. Since the classrooms I was in were taught in English, I could practice ESL/EFL teaching and teaching in a “normal” classroom. Although I did not practice teaching in a literature classroom, it was still a very good environment for me to refine my current skills and acquire new skills. I improved my confidence in the classroom and my skills in classroom management, public speaking, discipline, lesson planning, time management, cooperation with other teachers, and asking for help when needed.  I also learned new skills like getting comfortable with (good) discomfort and improvising and handling pressure in the classroom,. When I would substitute for the teachers is when I would get the best practice in both my current and new skills; I was alone with the students (of different grade levels—even kindergarten), allowing me to really only rely on myself and my teacher intuition. Those classes went well, so I think I am a decent teacher with a good, effective, polished skillset—however, there is always room for improvement and refinement through practice.
My internship was to work with secondary level students, however, there was one day where I was forced to teach kindergarten. And I say “forced” because when I try to decline, the director of the English department of the school told me that I needed to do it; out of fear of saying “no” again and fear of disappointing, I did it (even though this was an unpaid internship and there would not really be consequences for me if I declined again). I do not have anything against children, I just did not feel comfortable handling a classroom of 4-year-olds since I do not have the training for that. Regardless of my lack of training, I was forced to substitute for this class (in Ecuador, upcoming teachers in college have to do practicum/student teaching in all the grade levels). In this experience, I had to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable—which I have learned in the past, but never in my professional teaching setting. I want my classroom to be an environment where students feel safe, so naturally, I should feel safe and comfortable as well; however, I cannot get too comfortable because I need to my uncomfortable at times—especially when trying new things in the class to make the students have the best learning experiences. Although I will probably never be in another primary school classroom, this was a valuable experience with a worthwhile lesson (but only valuable enough to teach for one day rather than the rest of the week the school wanted me to do it; I had emailed the principal saying that I need to be in secondary level because that is what I need to experience for my studies in secondary education, which he took well by finding another substitute for the kindergarten teacher).
This school worked on a homeroom block schedule where the teachers move around rather than the students—which I know there are schools in the U.S. that work this way, however, I have not experienced it before. However, I did notice that the students have a higher amount of respect for authority and are more well-mannered here in Ecuador (and Latin America) than in the United States. The students stand up whenever another teacher enters the classroom to show respect and do not sit down unless the teacher says so; they also always greet when they enter a room and say goodbye when they leave. This school also focuses so much on teaching English as a second language rather than a foreign language so that the students are more well-rounded, which schools in the U.S. do not do because the U.S. (as a whole) thinks that English is the only language people need and that learning another language/culture is not necessary—which I totally disagree with this idea of English-is-best, by the way. However, because English is the world/business language, it does influence non-Western countries to adopt English in their culture—whether it be for tourism, business, academic, or anything else.

Recommendations & Suggestions

I would definitely recommend this experience to other students. The school I worked in, Academia USA, was amazing with kid faculty and staff. However, I think that only (English) education majors and/or students who have had teaching experience (education classes, work, and practicum) should participate in this experience; background in teaching is necessary to work with these students because one needs to know how to manage a classroom, discipline, and create and execute lesson plans. Having a formal background in English and grammar (college courses) is also necessary to be able to help students learn the language and grammar—simply speaking English because it was your first language is not enough because students need to learn the “correct” standard English (grammar and mechanics). This experience was great for me because I do have all this background. However, if I did not take any formal English grammars classes, it would be difficult to teach tense and modals and all that “fun” stuff to the students; you also do not want unexperienced students to misinform the students while they are learning English as a foreign (and second) language.


12 June 2019

Week 4: 12 June


12 June: Last day in Ecuador💔

On my last day, Wednesday, I relaxed—not knowing what I could do by myself in a few hours before I would get picked up for the airport at 8pm. I went to the mall again—looked around but didn’t buy anything—and ate lunch there. I decided to eat traditional food since it was my last day and I would not be eating dinner prepared by my host mother. As I was walking around the mall—which felt like any mall I know from AZ—I was trying to forget that I was leaving such a beautiful country. The people all seemed just like any other people, which helped me come to terms with leaving—which I dreaded.

I then walked back to my home, and I realized that I still had time to kill, so I decided to walk to a park nearby—the one section of pure greenery in the city and not on the outskirts of the area. I sat and read at one spot on the trail because I did not know where the trail would take me. I took a couple pictures, not knowing that there would be better scenery further along the path. After I finished reading, I decided to continue on the trail. I took pictures along the way, like the one in the upper left.  I arrived to a lookout point, which was so beautiful. I then went through the trees and found an off path in the woods—I only did went through there because I could tell other people have trekked through there before. I got concerned that I was lost at some parts, seriously considering just going back and getting back on the main trail, but I continued along making inferences about where the second lookout would be and survived! which is quite odd because I have a terrible sense of direction, haha. It was scary being alone, but also quite relaxing since I was in nature and there weren't any other people. After taking time to reflect as I was sitting on a bench over-viewing a certain part of the city, I decided to make my way home on the main path. I made it back safely and just waited with my packed bags watching Netflix to pass the two hours until the driver arrived to take me to the airport.

During my alone time, both at the lookout and during my Netflix solitude, I couldn't help but think about the students I said goodbye to yesterday. I'm sad to be leaving my students. They are such sweethearts! I don't want to leave them. I want to cry thinking about them, and seeing the pictures we took both help and hurts more. I wish I could hug them all right now. I seriously thought about going back during school time—but that would be a waste of time because they have class to do and I don't want to disrupt that. I really just wanted to go so that I could hug them, but I didn't want to cross boundaries; I did leave them my Instagram username so they could follow me (since I am no longer their teacher) and I could see all the great things they will do in life. My Facebook and Snapchat is too personal and just for family, which is why I did Instagram—which is not public, but it is more informal.

Anyway, I really do miss them even though it has only been a day. Just the fact that I grew so attached to these students expresses just how much of an impact they have had on me; it also shows just how much more impact my future students as a graduated teacher will have on me since I'll have a whole year with them rather than merely three weeks. I'm so sensitive, but honestly, I cannot wait to develop these relationship with those students, regardless of how sad I'll be when they leave. However, I think I got super emotional with the students from USA Academy because I know that I will never see them again, as opposed to students I will have in AZ middle/high school, where I will continue to see the students (except for seniors and student promoting from 8th grade).

11 June 2019

Week 4: 10-11 June

Week 4: My Last Days in Ecuador!

10 June, Monday
Monday, I took the day off and didn’t go to the school, which felt really odd. Instead, I went to the main churches in the historic center with Baya—who appreciates catholic culture even though she is Muslim (Hilary is Jewish, so she could not go with us). The Basílica del Voto Nacional was so beautiful and reminded me a lot of Notre Dame in Paris, which is quite ironic because I was with a Parisian. We climbed the tower of the basilica and had a beautiful view of the city and of the statue of the virgin of Quito (El Panecillo), which we will go to later.
After the second church, Baya and I ate lunch and then headed over to the little mountain that the virgin sits upon, where we met with Hilary. The view from there was also very beautiful! Quito is such an amazing and large city—I am sad that I did not have the chance to explore it in the little time that I am here; I definitely am coming back some day. Anyway, after exploring the inside of the statue of the virgin—who is special because she is the only version of the virgin with wings—we went to this well-known coffee shop that has an incredible view of Quito. From this café, which sits on another hill, you can see the other little mountain where the virgin sits (lit in purple), as well as other landmarks in the city--there are so many hills and mountains in this city. I really am dreading having to leave.

2nd & 3rd BGU, English Level II
11 June, Tuesday 
My last day was on Friday the 7th, but on Tuesday, I went back to visit them and say goodbye one last time before my flights back to the US on Wednesday. I'm going to miss every single one of the students. I only knew them for three weeks, but I love them so much. I only legit cried in front of one of the five classes (10th/1st BGU, English Level II) I said goodbye to this day, so I consider that an accomplishment—especially since I'm such an emotional person. I cried because as I was speaking, one of the students, Rafael, had his guitar and was playing sad music on it, so I just couldn’t hold it! I was doing fine like I did with the first batch of students, but I lost it with the powerful music in the background.
2nd & 3rd BGU, English Level I
Also, when I told them I leave for the states Wednesday, they all reacted with "Aww" and "Noooo," so I got happier and sadder that they would actually miss me. Rafael just pushed me over the edge with the sad guitar music.
I'm so weak and sensitive; however, I don't know why I got so emotional and attached—I have only known them three weeks. These kids really did have an impact on me, though; my time and experiences with them have made me a better teacher and a better person. I may have been their teacher (for only three weeks), but they taught me so much more (valuable lessons) in those three weeks than what I could have taught them in a semester.

9th EBG advisory

10th EBG & 1st BGU, English Level II
10th EBG & 1st BGU, English Level I

10 June 2019

Week 3: 7-9 June

Historic Center
Week 3: Last Weekend in Ecuador

7 June, Friday
This weekend was my last weekend in Ecuador, which makes me very sad. Friday, I said goodbye to the students and my host teachers. I made plans, however, with Moises to go to the artisanal market near the center of Quito together on Saturday so I can buy the last-minute souvenirs. I have been trying to go to the market for the past three weeks and I finally get to go! I invited Angela, but she couldn’t go, so instead, she invited me out to the historic center of town, giving me the history of each neighborhood, building, statue, and church. She’s a history teacher, so she was very clear in her explanations. It was so fun seeing night-life in Quito! I had not been out at night during my time here because I’m always alone. I wish I had more nights like this—I should have taken advantage while I had the chance (but I had no friends to go with, sadly). Angela and I had so much fun getting to know each other, as I mentioned in my previous journal entry, so she rescheduled her plans for the next day and was able to go to the artisanal market with me and Moises on Saturday.

8 June, Saturday
On Saturday, before meeting with Moises, I went to the main shopping center in Quito, called Quicentro. The mall is so big!—I got slightly lost. I wasn’t expecting to buy anything, but I did! I bought some jewelry, an alien backpack, and a $30 dress on discount for $7. I then ate lunch at the food court; I decided to eat Italian food for only $6. I also talked to my boyfriend while I ate because I had time to spare before heading to the market. Angela met me at the mall and we took public transportation to the market where we met with Moises and his roommate, as well as my friend that I go to my weekend trips with, Baya. I bargained and may have annoyed a couple vendors, but I got all of what I wanted to get for my family and friends. I got home very tired—I would have been sad, too, but I decided that I was going to return to USA Academy to say goodbye again to all the students and the teachers.

9 June, Sunday
Sunday, I went to an active volcano crater/lake, Quilotoa (below). We went with a travel agency, so the tour guide, Diego, picked us up from our homes and drove us there. I fell asleep on the ride there because I woke up at 5am to get ready to go. We got there, and the view was beautiful! We then hiked down for 40 minutes, taking pictures along the way. The weather was so nice and breezy. I was very happy trekking down… until I realized I would have to hike back up! My friends Baya and Hilary opted for the mule ride back up—which was ten dollars. I could afford the ride, but I decided that I would attempt to walk up myself, despite the lack of oxygen affecting me and my lungs. Along the way, I observed the mix of local people and foreign tourists—which was really interesting to witness. I heard Spanish, English, and even Chinese! Anyway, after an hour and ten minutes, I made it to the top again, greeted by a lovely, fluffy alpaca! The tour guide Diego stayed with me the whole way and was very encouraging, supporting me emotionally. When we reached the top, Diego told me the time it took me was a really good time because sometimes people can be delayed and can take longer; if Baya and Hilary would have walked, it would have taken us 2 hours—especially because Hilary is a smoker. Anyway, we ate lunch, which was provided in our package of $50, and then made our way back to Quito. We stopped for some traditional Ecuadorian ice cream. I was so tired when I got home, but luckily dinner was ready for me by my host mother!




08 June 2019

Week 3: 3-7 June

Week 3: Last Full Week at USA Academy 😭

This week was my last week at USA Academy. The beginning of the week was pretty normal, mainly because I tried to forget that it was my last week because I wasn’t trying to get in a distraught mood. I helped teachers in their classes by keeping students on task and answering any questions they have. I am so glad I chose a country where I speak the host language because that made my job easier.

3 June, Monday
 On Monday, I was with Teacher Angela again and I helped her grade materials and assignments and log them into this little booklet and into the school system. While doing that, I realized just how many classes Angela teaches… TEN separate classes! She teachers 9th (US 8th) grade science and social students—2—10th (9th) grade science and social studies—4—1st year (10th grade) history and business/management—6—2nd year (11th grade) history and business/management—8—and 3rd year (12th grade) history and business/management—10 in total! It’s no wonder that she is so drained and stretched so thin; she depended on me quite a bit while I was here, which I do not blame her for considering all ten classes and separate lesson plans she has to create! I did a lot of extra work for her like making lessons and activities for her classes; I did the work for her without batting an eye, but logging in the grades made me realize just how badly she needed me.

4 June, Tuesday
On Tuesday, I was supposed to be with Teacher Suany, but the director of the English department of the school, Jesus, forced me to substitute 1st graders (kindergarten) since the teacher of science, English, and “project” (all taught in English) was in labor. Since I do not have training for little kids, Suany was working with the kids while I substituted for her students. However, after the first two hours of the day, Jesus made me teach the younger kids. He said that I would be good for me and that I need the practice. I later found out that in Ecuador, when you study in the university to be a teacher, you do practicum and student teaching at all grade levels—which is different at NAU where I only did practicum—and will be doing my student teaching—at the secondary level because that is the focus of my degree and field of study. It was so tiring working with those children; this experience amplified my reasoning for preferring secondary level. First of all, the kids did not know how to read; second, they were so rude and judging every little thing I did—I couldn’t win with them; and last, they were constantly off-task and I basically had to chase them around the room to get them to sit down. I was exhausted by the end of the day while I was meeting with Teacher Moises after school to discuss the plans for tomorrow; I felt so bad because I was practically falling asleep while Moises was talking to me.

5 June, Wednesday
Jesus wanted me to continue with the little kids the following day, even though I was supposed to be the substitute for Moises while he was out for Wednesday. When I met with Moises, I wrote an email to the principal of the school, asking that I please not be with the little kids again—as it was not part of what I signed up for. I was reluctant and scared, but I knew I needed to stand up for myself and be confident and assertive. I understand that it is important to do what your supervisors tell you to do, however, I do not want to continue with the little kids because 1) I do not have the training for that, and 2) I applied for his position to work with kids age 11 and older. The principal was very understanding and said he would take care of it by finding another replacement for the primary teacher. However, Jesus was a bit bitter with me the following day since, to him, I went behind his back and was immature about not wanting to do something; although, Moises and I think that I was very respectful in my email asking to not substitute for the little kids. So, on Wednesday, I substituted for Moises, which went incredibly well. The students followed directions and respected me. Although, I think they were just glad to not have their normal teacher around. I didn’t teach anything, I just guided them through workbook pages since their English exams are this week. My substituting for Moises reassured me that secondary-level classrooms are where I am meant to be—I feel more comfortable and work well with the students at this age, even if some of hem might still be immature. Thursday was a normal day as well, with not much difference; I still was guiding students through workbooks to help them prepare and review for their exams.

7 June, Friday
Friday was tough for me in the beginning because I realized it was my last day with the students. I started to get overwhelmed with feelings as I took pictures with them—and I decided that I would return the following week before I leave for my flights back home. I got pictures with a few classes, and I am so glad I did because I want to look back at the pictures and remember the impact that each individual student had on me during these three weeks. Once I decided that I was returning on Tuesday, the day went by a lot easier. Angela even invited me to go out into the center of the city with her, so I can get to know more before I leave—and that went magnificently. Although I was slightly uneasy because we were taking public transit and would be out at night, she made me feel comfortable and safe. We got to know each other more personally, showing each other photos of our families, hobbies, and travels. She was very fascinated with the pictures I showed her from my time abroad in Europe—and even asked me to send her some pictures because she really liked how I took the pictures and she wants to paint the pictures into portraits; I can’t wait to see the results!

9th Grade EBG Natural Sciences
3rd BGU Business & Management

My Lovely Host Teachers: Sunay, Moises, and Angela
(left to right)
Overall, this week was tough in more way than one: physically, professionally, personally. However, I got through it because that is a part of life, especially adulthood. One must persist and persevere to progress professionally. I think the hardest part for me this far is coming to terms that I am leaving next week—leaving Ecuador, leaving the students, and leaving my memories—but I will take every lesson I have learned here with me into my career. I look forward to the next week while simultaneously dreading it.


31 May 2019

Week 2: 1-2 June


Week 2: Weekend
My team from Family Day
1 June, Saturday
On Saturday, I attended the school’s Family Day, where I helped organize and event participated in the events. It was so much fun seeing the students outside of the academic environment (even though the event was at the school) having fun with their parents and siblings. I participated in the events and games because there was a team needing an 8th person, which I became. I was reluctant at first, but I decided to continue anyway—and I am so glad I did! The only downside of this day was that I got sunburned for the first time here; I didn’t think that I would need sunscreen because it was a cloudy day and I thought I was going to be behind the scenes rather than out in the field with the students in the sun. However, I still enjoyed myself and seeing all the students and their families from different Latin American countries sharing their foods.

My passport with the stamp
from The Middle of the Earth
Me standing on the line that
divides the Earth
2 June, Sunday
On Sunday, I went to El Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the Earth) with my two friends who are from France Baya and Hilary. The travel there was fun, and I enjoyed all the views, the history, and the science. I tried a cocoa been, even though I knew that I don't like dark chocolate it was so bitter once I reached the center and I wanted to spit it out. While touring around there with my friends taking pictures, a little girl and her father approached me, asking if they can interview my friends and me for the girl’s school project. We agreed, however, I did the interview because the project was for the girl’s English class to practice her English, and I was the only one of the three of us to speak English. The girl’s dad recorded us with the monument in the background while his daughter asked me questions and I answered. I was very happy that I could help the little girl. The project was to go to a tourist location and interview a tourist in English, which she accomplished with me! Anyway, this day was very fun and I enjoyed it. We ate lunch before leaving. I wanted to try guinea pig--which is a common food here in Ecuador--but it was $25 for only a little bit of meat; I also couldn't split the price with my friends because they're both vegetarian (religious reasons). Instead, I had chicken fillet, which was really tasty! We then went to the "real" middle of the world with the "original" latitude line. I really enjoyed this one because there was a guided tour with fun activities/experiments to do on the north/south side, and then right on the line. One of them was that I held my index and thumb together and the guide tried to pull my fingers apart and she couldn't. And when I stepped on the line that was the middle of the earth, she easily pulled my fingers apart!--I was so surprised! And there were other "experiments" like walking across he line with your eyes clothes and both forces (North/South) tried to pull you, so you had no equilibrium. Another was testing the direction that water falls down a drain of a filled sink with petals in it; on either side, the water fell down either clockwise or counter-clockwise--which you could see with the petals--but on the center, the water fell straight down! We also learned about the Native tribes that lived (and some still live) in Ecuador--like the tribe that practiced head-shrinking! There were two real artifacts: one of a 12-year-old boy--which was the age of an adult back then in that culture--and of a sloth. It was really interesting and informative. After this tour and buying some souvenirs, we went toward the bus stop and ran because the bus was about to leave. We made it to the host home of Baya because it was close to the bus stop, and then Hilary and I took Ubers back to our host homes--Ubers are really popular in Ecuador because they'e much cheaper than taxis (and way cheaper here than in the United States!) I got home just in time for dinner, and then got ready for bed. It was a good day!
The "real" latitude line

Week 2: 27-31 May

Week 2 Update

27 May, Monday

I ended my fun weekend by going into work the following day on Monday, even though it was Memorial Day in the states. The school was hosting two events in English this week: a spelling bee and an open book contest (a contest where the contestants summarize a book, give a brief author’s biography, and provide their opinion of the text and its themes). On Monday, I was with Teacher Moises. I essentially took over his classes while he prepared the students who were competing in the Open Book contest since their native language is not English. I think it went well because Moises teaches the more advanced English speakers, so there are fewer of them that are all respectful of my authority. They did the work I told them to do and followed along while spoke and gave directions. There were a couple students who kept taking their phones out, so that was difficult because I felt like a fool getting played by the students; I felt like I didn’t have the authority to take the phone(s) away, so instead, I said in Spanish, in a very firm voice—without stuttering—“If I see that phone out one more time, I will not hesitate to tell Teacher Moises and he will give you a zero for today.” That intimidated the student to the point where the others did not dare to take their phones out. After telling Moises, he decided to establish a new phone rule for the class starting next week.

28 May, TuesdayTuesday was the Spelling Bee, where students from 2nd to 6th grade (US 1st through 5th). I was supposed to be the pronouncer of the words to the children since I have perfect English pronunciation. However, the director of the school’s English department was being quite strange, asking me to pronounce the words to “check my pronunciation and see who has the best.” I later deduced from my observations that his old pal from Cuba was a judge, so he had that man do it instead of me. In all honesty, his pronunciation was not the best—it was probably why some contestants misspelled their words. Even though he provided a sentence for each word, some words were difficult to comprehend. Regardless, the contest was a success with many supportive teachers, parents, and classmates of the participants. From this experience, I learned that things will not go according to plan and that sometimes bosses can be a pain, but you have to persevere through it, not letting it weight you down (emotionally, professionally, etc.). This day I was also asked if I would be willing to let the school take pictures of me for their social media pages. I’m the first student teacher to work with this school and they really enjoy having me; they hope to have more volunteer teachers just like me. The principal of the school even wanted all the information about how I got here so they can make direct contact with NAU to host students like me.

29 May, Wednesday
The pictures were taken the following day on Wednesday (included). This day, I also substituted for another teacher, Teacher Suany, who was also preparing her students for the Open Book contest for Thursday. There were a lot more students in her classes because they are the less advanced English speakers. It was extremely difficult to get the students to settle down when there were so many conversations happening at once; on top of that, I only knew a few of their names (from the classes Teacher Angela taught that I helped with last week) to be able to keep them in order. I was definitely challenged this day with this set of students, but I know I did well because we were able to get through the material Suany wanted to cover—I even had students rushing to get my signature on the assignment to prove they did it to get extra points for being first; I did not establish this, so I don’t know why they did that, but it was funny and amusing. Although their ruckus expresses that they don’t totally respect my authority, I know that at least some of the students do; aside from the volume of rude noise, the students still like having me around. One student from 9th (8th) grade asked me why I am not teaching Science and Social Studies to her class anymore—she missed me—I had to explain that every week I am with a new teacher, so my time with Teacher Angela was finished. In another class, with 2nd and 3rd bachillerato (the juniors and seniors), one student gave me a thumbs up after the class was over express his appreciation of me—I guess he could clearly see that I was discouraged by how the class went (same ruckus and feeling of lacking authority). Students like these two are what keep me going and make me want to continue in my pursuit to be an educator. It doesn’t matter that I’m not even on my home continent—the students are the reason why I am in their field of study and this career path.


30 May, Thursday
Thursday was the Open Book contest, and I am so incredibly proud of all the students who participated; they tried their best and succeeded—even if they didn’t place 1st-3rd. I helped the kids from Moises’ classes prepare an hour before the competition—I could tell they were nervous. Of course they were! They have to compete in a language that is not their own. I told them to look for me in the crowd and make eye contact with me to calm their nerves—I’ll be smiling and cheering you on. And those students actually did just that; warmth filled my heart knowing that the students found comfort and confidence in me as a teacher and mentor to ease their nerves while competing. I am so immensely proud of them.

31 May, Friday
Friday, the 31st, was pretty normal. I helped out with classes as usual and interacting with the students and teachers. The academic environment from the side of the educators is intimidating yet satisfying. I feel comfortable in this setting, like I belong—it is where I am supposed to be in life. I love all these students even though I have only known them for a week and a half. These students are just like any other students, and they inspire me just as much as I hope to inspire them and others.