matamoscas

for the last 45 minutes of my last class today, i was forced to teach all 40 students of 6th A, and i made the poor decision to play a game with them. let´s just say that my throat hurts from yelling at the same boys over and over. then stupidly enough, i made it a boys vs. girls competition. i forgot how preteens get so into these kinds of things. i´m sure the surrounding classes heard each group´s team chant. oh goodness. these kids were already going crazy, and they were even more locos during the game. but what was i to do? i wasn´t prepared to teach all 40 kids. my coteacher thrusted the responsibility at me when the director of the school once again made her film something with her tape recorder.

my most important lesson thus far since i´ve been here is the need to be flexible and ready for anything they might throw at you. already, i´ve either had my classes cancelled or i´ve had to teach all 40 students of a class by myself (instead of half the class for 45 minutes, and then switch groups for the last 45 minutes). on thursday and friday, i´m most likely going to have to teach the entire class by myself once again for the 5th, 6th, and 8th grade classes i have those days. my coteacher has to go to a 3-day conference in Conce, and the school doesn´t like to call for substitutes if it´s not absolutely necessary. me aprovechan, as they would say. ugh, well, however annoyed i may be, i´m just going to flow with it and let it be. i´m not one to stress out and raise a ruckus. i know i can manage an entire class of 40, though it may be a little messy.

all in all, after 1.5 weeks of teaching my own class, i´ve been having a great time. i´ve been doing a lot of interactive activities with my students, and i have the feeling they´re just not used to performing skits or throwing a ball around to designate taking turns. i can tell they´re enjoying themselves, and that´s my primary goal for now...for them to be excited to come to english class with me because then will i effectively capture their attention.