In the Classroom

Hola, que onda? (that means hey, what's up?...which frankly I don't always know how to answer in English, haha)

So, this week marked my first official week as a teacher.  Friday we got something important in the mail that I still don’t quite understand.  It was a translation of my diploma along with the signatures of some important peoples from across the border.  I couldn’t tell you why I needed that or to whom it was specifically sent or where…but I know it was important because it allowed me to go to the school on Monday!  I sat in on the class that day while the assistant (Ms. Cindy) did her thing.  I introduced myself to the kids and felt good about that because the assistant (genius that she is) has been telling the kids daily that soon they would have a wonderful new teacher and that she was only filling in.  (Eventually she will be handling her own Special English class).  So the kiddos happily anticipated my arrival and happily greeted me that day.

Tuesday and today I led the class with Ms. Cindy as my right hand.  I was nervous and feeling totally unprepared for the day as I haven’t ever really been the one in charge, nor have I worked so closely with preschoolers.  I wasn’t very familiar with the class layout or how I would explain/demonstrate various procedures.  And then there was the language thing, ha!  All in all, I had a thousand reasons in my head about why things would probably go horribly wrong.  I barely slept Monday night.  But, having Cindy there REALLY helped and God reminded me of the truth.  And the truth is this: no matter how much I prepared or what I think my abilities are, I am bound to make mistakes.  I won’t get it all right, right away (even though I really, really wanted to).  I have to keep in mind something I recently picked up in one of the teaching books I’ve been reading: Everyday, ask yourself “What is one thing I can do differently tomorrow?”  With that mindset you will be the kind of teacher you want to be before you know it.  I mean, at times I may adjust that to “What one thing can I implement/change next week?”  Nonetheless, the point is the same.  As someone who likes to work, check off lists and see definitive progress (in myself and what I’m doing) I am pretty regularly being reminded of the fact that some things just can’t be measured, nor should they be.  Some areas of life won’t have clear signs that say “Hey, you did it!  You are awesome!” or “Wow, that was horrible.  You really messed that up.”  Sometimes you just go and do and try as sincerely as possible to meet what needs you can.

Remind me of that in a month.  And then in another month after that, please!

So, I will be putting up pictures and soon enough giving a detailed account of how this first week has gone.  But for now, remember me as a beginning teacher who is really only a girl trying to serve and hoping to fall in line with the purpose(s) that God has for me here.  Please pray for my relationships with the staff.  We’re a team and to be honest it seems as though my view of team differs from theirs so far.  Then again, it has only been a week so we will see!

Three sad tigers

Rápido corren las ruedas del ferrocarril. (The wheels of the train go fast.)
Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal.  En un trigal tragaban trigo, tres tristes tigres. (Three sad tigers swallow wheat in a wheat field.)

Say those 5 times fast!  I noticed that ‘r’ and ‘tr’ are difficult for me (and most learners of Spanish) to pronounce so Lore told me these tongue twisters she learned in school to help her with pronunciation back in elementary.

Juuuust some thoughts

I met a lady yesterday, her name is Grisela.  I was very impressed by her industriousness (that’s right).  We were checking out/moving into the family’s other house in McAllen, TX and she was putting some finishing touches on it.  She owns the house and rents it out.  Anyway, she was there painting, putting some white junk in holes, scrubbing walls, and exterminating bees.   With heels on, no less!  Reminded me of my friend Amanda…minus the heels, haha.  She was very nice, and since I was so impressed with her abilities I wanted to tell her – and I wanted to use the word industrious.  Alas, I was thwarted again by the language barrier.  I ended up talking to her about the house and where I’m from.  But man did I ever want to help her paint!  I don’t get to do real hands-on things like that much and I would love the chance to try that for awhile – build, paint, put things together, fix, garden, etc.  I decided that with my first paycheck I am going to buy either seeds, little plantlings or both and start caring for them.  I am in the process of researching what likes to grow here and when it likes to grow but if anyone has any advice (Lizzie?) please, do tell.  Back in Houston, I ended up with a pretty fantastic batch of composted soil and had a lot of fun doing it – I would even dig my hand down in there, pick it up and smell it, knowing that there were bugs in there!  (And bugs freak me out.)

I would like to learn to cook some tradition Mexican cuisine.  I would like the Senoras that I have met (and will meet) to be the ones to teach me.

Any advice on ingestion of water in other countries?  How worried should I be about this?  How much is too much?  I don’t drink water from the faucet here but the doctors told me not even to brush my teeth with it or eat raw food (fruits and vegetables) washed with it.  But then I think to myself, it was the same deal in Houston and in most places in Chicago and yet, I brushed my teeth with that and ate raw food too.  My conclusion: keep eating what I like and brushing my teeth with “contaminated” faucet water but also, make more time to floss and gargle.  I still welcome advice on this or any other abroad living experience concerning food/beverages. 

Last, but not least, I have been thinking I should be more responsible with my Presidential vote next year (ironic considering I am in another country and it would be easy not to care) so I have been reading Time a bit more closely and doing a little research on the interwebs.  However, what I am finding turns me off more than anything.  It makes me think "Is it wrong that I am not feeling any of these people?"  It's like I have 5 sticks that represent my main interests as far as voting goes and I throw them out there among all the other issues in world/country the candidates are sincerely trying to answer.  Not one of them would pick those same 5, Obama included.  At the same time...it seems the higher up you go in politics, the harder it is to hold onto sincerity.  At least we've got another year, right?