Now, this is a real teacher!

Again, everyone in, the class has begun, Carolina says "Brian, i have to get back these keys to the office, you entertain them"; oh god! that was it, i'm a teacher!.

I remembered I had check the notebooks from last class, i told students, well, do you have any doubt about simple present?--- everybody quiet--- no doubts?? really??, well i'll make a quizz then!! I believe the whole school heard the very loud answer "NOOOO", I laughed and the started explaining some thing about the mistakes they made in the notebook, after 10 minutes and making exercises with all the class, I said, "ready for the quizz??" then they answered the same way, no matter what happened the teacher took very serious my quizz and said, "everybody please take out a sheet of paper". I was happy, she authorized me to make a quizz!.

A half an hour later, i was correcting them, and again about 8 kids made it!! out of 42!! this is awkward!... Carolina was aware of that too, she throws some exercises sometimes but she has to follow the program. Sad thing!

First experience as a real teacher!

I was a bit tired of seating there and doing nothing. The teacher put an exercise about simple present to be developed in the notebook; I know Carolina read my mind when she said, "could you please check everybody's work", I was as happy as a fat kid with a cake. I began solving doubts, explaining one thing and translating others; time to pick the notebooks and grade them with a seal.

42 students! well , lets do this!. It  took an eternity to grade and correct them, only 10 minutes left for the class to finish, and I wasn't even in the half of the job. I saw many many mistakes, just six or seven students out of the 42 could make it!

I finished my job at the teacher's room, Carolina was very thankful for that! ... you know just earning some points, she's a good teacher, and I'd like to be with her when I do my assistance.

And then get back to reality!

After Carolina's class, I went again to this tough class, 7th grade; that day was special, they had "Dirección de grupo", the home teacher as any other formal meeting, she wrote on the board the program of the meeting, there were some issues not very important, but other that I consider very serious, like they're stealing each other's cell phones, or less serious but not less important that they're leaving the classrooms very dirty. 

Well, they didn't get to any part, jokes, screaming, laughing, yelling everywhere. Sometimes the teacher feels stressed and do not know what to do, but as the rest of the classes on a high school, threats work very well!

Now the HELL is turning into HEAVEN

Another day, a Wendsday prepared to go on with my observations; that day I had to be with a new teacher that was assigned to me, her name Carolina, a teacher that changed the way I thought classes should be given. 

The first impression was not good, when I entered, she just said "hi" and "take a seat", I was expecting the worse, not to like her and not to get on well with her. She didn't even introduce me to the class, none of the kids knew who in world I was, but well, i was just observing.

On the other hand, leaving behind all the protocol, I was just surprised with Carolina, she has a total control of the class, she rises her hand with her hand closed, and everybody magically stops talking!, really? with sixth graders!?? Well this is real, and I liked that class, I congratulated her after the class for such a nice job, I haven't seen that in my whole life, not even when I was at school. 

Again, i wasn't doing anything, just taking notes, resisting and holding myself to not to push the teacher to jump and give the class or just do anything!

The class was over, totally in order, nothing similar to what it is with Liliana, it is not Liliana's fault, I do know the kind of people that are in her classroom, but this is, Carolina has a system that makes people be controlled, she decides the performance in class at the end, and gives the class a face, could be happy, a long face or a sad face, it's a kind of threat, but it do works, and depending on the number of happy faces, their grades may increase or decrease. Totally worth it!!! 

 

2nd Day, The Hell!!!

The second day I went to observe, the same mood as the first day, but standing to not leave a bad reputation to my University, I must do my best, so walk into that office and pick your schedule. Once again, Edwin wasn't nor my schedule, no idea what I was doing there, and Marisela was already at Haidy's classroom, so I took a sit for more than 2 hours in the second floor, Edwin didn't even looked for me knowing that I was looking for him several times that day. Well, something, a feeling, and went to the office, and there he was, happy and busy as ever. 

Finally I could talk to him, fix my schedule and I began that day, the last unit of class. Other lunch as long as those nights when one cannot sleep. 1:30, arrived to class and as the first day, kids never stopped getting in, different from the one I observed first, there were kids older and taller, people who repeated the course and as they were getting into the room, the noisy was increasing, like one of those nightmare classes in The Simpsons where everybody is yelling, fighting, eating, crying, etc. 

I entered with the home-teacher, Liliana, and as she was walking into the middle of the class, she yelled that hard that everybody stopped, and looked at me as E.T would have arrived to Earth. Liliana presented me in front of the class, she told the class I was a "teacher" not an observant, a "teacher" from Universidad Javeriana. I couldn't hide that smile from my face, but then I introduced myself, "I'm here to help, any question, any doubt, just come at me".

I took a seat again, and watched the class, I saw that is divided into rebels, the ones who do want to study, and some who do not care about it at all. When the teacher was checking homework, the half of the class was sleeping, in 7th grade I thought there were more level than 6th graders, but there's not! Simple present in 7th grade?, 6th grade is also in that topic!!. The hell was still going on, yelling, screaming, laughing, and the teacher again yelling back. I had one of the worst headaches of all times that day, again at 3 pm I run to get my rope and got out of hell, I was convinced that this will be short, but painful, will be the last time I step on a school until I go to get my children's grades.

1st day standing on my feet on school

By this post's tittle one may assume "he is gonna tell everything he does, even when on Sundays he passes in front of the school"; noup, but that's part of the experience... and that was officially on February 1st, I got to the school all alone, the coordinator was busy at the moment, the I went to the office.. nobody helped me, I was all alone waiting Edwin to come out and solve my life.

Finally, he came out of the meeting room, he always is in a hurry, just took a few words to solve my problem: "go look for teacher Heidy, go straight, make a left and take the stairs", that was all, he turned into smoke and disappeared. 

Every minute that passed, the fear grew more and more, until I met teacher Heidy, a very kind woman, in the teacher's room my partner Marisela was already there, she and Heidy took a tour to the whole high school part, I took the tour, very nice... Heidy explained everything about the courses, their behavior, the way she teaches, if one may speak English in class and everything. "see you at 10:50 in my the classroom."

 In the Teacher's room, I put my work coat just to warm up the feelings, and then go to the classroom; I stood at the door and kids didn't stop to get in the room, finally, all in there, I closed the door, the teacher presented me, and then my first word to the students, I was kind of nervous, so I talked really fast, I think not even the teacher understood me, but then I said the same in Spanish, i was a bit happy, my English was ok... or sounded better than the teacher's or foreing I do not know! Some kids yelled "Profe, como le pregunto que si el habla español", "Teacher, you are Colombian?"; made me feel happy!

Then, back to reality, a class needed to be given. I swear those were the 100 minutes most boring of my whole life, why?, because I did not do anything, just watch, and I wanted to help or something... But nothing could be done, the class was all about correcting homework and do this, and do this guide and then read this, not the way I like classes. 

The lunch time, nothing to do, I wasn't even hungry at the moment, I was waiting to the next class to run home and take away my dress! it was killing me little by little. The next class, nothing different than the first one, didn't pay any attention because I knew it was not an official class; that first day I was completely determined over my future, "I will never be a teacher", and the interest was poor, because that class wasn't gonna be mine, I was waiting to have a meeting someday with Edwin and know which were going to be my courses. 

I got out of school defeated, my mind defeated me, a tough day, and there will be more, so you just prepare yourself to be sad...