miércoles, noviembre 16, 2005
no me digas
this year has flown by. thanksgiving is almost upon us and i haven't gone crazy yet. cheers to that.
october was a pain in my ass. my perfect spanish-speakers-only bilingual class underwent complete upheaval and turned into a psuedo dual-language program. some parents were pissed that their kids were leaving me while other parents were pissed that their kids were getting me. simultaneously, i was also teaching four after-school classes three days a week. and my biggest co-worker confidante and collaborator turned into a serious bizsnatch.
november has given me time to establish routines and comfort (all over again). my new kids are adjusting and my old kids are, for the most part, comfortable with their english-only-speaking peers. we have a whole new set of behavior problems, but that's to be expected. families who have recently immigrated put the fear of god into their little ones very quickly. they respect their children's teachers. the more generations you've been here, the more you take public education for granted. but that's just my humble opinion based my humble experience.
i taught my last set of after-school classes for the rest of the semester. i've started working in conjunction with another co-worker. i have great elaborate plans for a room reorganization. i have a university mentor in my classroom who rocks the house. so things are looking up.
today i tripped over a cord in my rush to answer the phone and made a serious ass of myself. visualize papers and books flying, students wide-eyed and stunned. it was quite comedic. then i answered the phone and laughed hysterically when it turned out to be a friend. my kids' shitty morning behavior turned into blissful productivity in the afternoon. my after-school class ran itself and made for several great photo opportunities... check the flickr site once i track down my usb cord.
less than four weeks of school left in 2005. whew!
october was a pain in my ass. my perfect spanish-speakers-only bilingual class underwent complete upheaval and turned into a psuedo dual-language program. some parents were pissed that their kids were leaving me while other parents were pissed that their kids were getting me. simultaneously, i was also teaching four after-school classes three days a week. and my biggest co-worker confidante and collaborator turned into a serious bizsnatch.
november has given me time to establish routines and comfort (all over again). my new kids are adjusting and my old kids are, for the most part, comfortable with their english-only-speaking peers. we have a whole new set of behavior problems, but that's to be expected. families who have recently immigrated put the fear of god into their little ones very quickly. they respect their children's teachers. the more generations you've been here, the more you take public education for granted. but that's just my humble opinion based my humble experience.
i taught my last set of after-school classes for the rest of the semester. i've started working in conjunction with another co-worker. i have great elaborate plans for a room reorganization. i have a university mentor in my classroom who rocks the house. so things are looking up.
today i tripped over a cord in my rush to answer the phone and made a serious ass of myself. visualize papers and books flying, students wide-eyed and stunned. it was quite comedic. then i answered the phone and laughed hysterically when it turned out to be a friend. my kids' shitty morning behavior turned into blissful productivity in the afternoon. my after-school class ran itself and made for several great photo opportunities... check the flickr site once i track down my usb cord.
less than four weeks of school left in 2005. whew!
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How/Why did your class undergo drastic changes, especially since the school year had already begun? (dual language)
I, too, am looking forward to Winter Break...at the moment, though, it's Parent/Teacher Conferences (Report Cards).
Un fuerte y caluroso abrazo.
Cuidate!
I, too, am looking forward to Winter Break...at the moment, though, it's Parent/Teacher Conferences (Report Cards).
Un fuerte y caluroso abrazo.
Cuidate!
Amen...about the more recent the immigrant, the more respect for public education, the better behaved kid. My English-only parents drive me wacko. Oh, y una pregunta, how do you deal with social problem solving when the kids don't speak the same language?
# posted by 
: 11:34 p.m.
: 11:34 p.m.
coco: great question. the english classes were at capacity, and upheaving my class was the easiest solution, albeit at the cost of my bilingual kids' first opportunity for small group instruction. nevermind that now they are being cheated of a full day of native language instruction... this is what's best for our overall school population... i.e., our english-speaking population. but heaven forbid our administration recognize this and let it affect their judgment.
oops, did i just rant?
EMC: i have a small bruise on my leg and a slightly bigger one on my ego. no permanent damage, though.
sarita: as far as social problem solving, i have no choice but to do it in both languages. at this point, even my weakest english speakers (who are not recent immigrants so they can have a very basic conversation with someone, ask for what they need, etc.) are capable of *simply* resolving conflicts given a little phrasing guidance and emotional encouragement (read: apologize... or else!). it can get pretty ugly sometimes with two languages flying around in anger, but i do not tolerate disrespectful language or behavior so it's usually pretty easy for both kids to admit that, regardless of what happened, their behavior was not appropriate for my room/school and things usually fix themselves.
...end of longest comment EVER. =)
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oops, did i just rant?
EMC: i have a small bruise on my leg and a slightly bigger one on my ego. no permanent damage, though.
sarita: as far as social problem solving, i have no choice but to do it in both languages. at this point, even my weakest english speakers (who are not recent immigrants so they can have a very basic conversation with someone, ask for what they need, etc.) are capable of *simply* resolving conflicts given a little phrasing guidance and emotional encouragement (read: apologize... or else!). it can get pretty ugly sometimes with two languages flying around in anger, but i do not tolerate disrespectful language or behavior so it's usually pretty easy for both kids to admit that, regardless of what happened, their behavior was not appropriate for my room/school and things usually fix themselves.
...end of longest comment EVER. =)
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