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.
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.
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