I have just finished my first full week of teaching. I arrived in Gori last Monday, but since Tuesday was a holiday (International Women's Day) I did not go to school until Wednesday.
It must be said that while the idea of picking up and moving to another country, with no information on where or with whom I would be living, was a bit nerve-racking. However, the aspect of this adventure that made me the most nervous was the prospect of teaching very young children. Those who know me are well aware about my limited interactions with children and the great discomfort they tend to cause me. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that I absolutely adore my 3rd and 5th graders. I was so nervous when my first co-teacher asked me to attend her 5th grade class. No - actually, I was terrified. What on earth would I say to them? Low and behold they are some of the smartest, most enthusiastic students I have ever encountered. It is clear that some have additional private English lessons, because their ability to speak with no prompts is amazing. Others may not be as well equipped, but they are all willing to try. Same goes for my 3rd graders. The mere act of asking them a question or giving them some additional attention seems to energize even the children who tend not to participate in class.
In the 3rd grade they are learning animals, so I decided to draw pictures of the jungle, forest, ocean, desert and a farm and give the students each a card with a picture of an animal and its name in English. I then asked them to tell me where their animal lives. They had not yet learned the word "ocean," but upon looking at pictures of fish and whales and sharks, they quickly expanded their vocabulary (with great volume I should say). When I arrived at my next lesson with them there were two chocolates waiting for me on my desk.
Similarly, my 5th graders are always excited to see me and my co-teacher. Earlier this week my co-teacher took a piece a paper from one of the students and it said "I love Manuela very much." For a girl that has had very few love letters in her life, this was a highlight of my week. The 5th graders learned about jobs and professions this week. We played games around the question of "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and "what is your job?" As I wrote out the words on the blackboard, I heard one student shout out: "my job is learning!"
This isn't to say that there aren't moments when the familiar panic returns or when I desperately want them to sit quietly in their chairs and stop talking. There are plenty of those moments. But the unabashed enthusiasm for learning English and willingness to speak in class tends to even things out.
I am also co-teaching 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th graders. Unfortunately, it has not been the same with the older kids as it has been with the young ones. At 27 I have never really felt "old." If anything I always feel too young. However, being immersed once again in a junior high and high school environment has not only made me feel old and out of touch, it has also reawakened all of those horrible memories of being a teenager. There is nothing in the world that would make me want to relive those years. When I walk into classes, or even just around the hallway, there is plenty of staring, whispering and pointing. Fortunately, I no longer find it as traumatizing as I did when I was 15. Several of the students have started to say "hello" and "how are you" instead of just staring, so that eases the stress quite a bit.
I have had question and answer sessions in each class. The students can ask me anything they want, as long as it is in English. The questions, without exception, are as follow:
How old are you?
Do you have a husband or boyfriend?
Do you like Georgia?
Do you like Georgian food?
What kind of music do you like?
In every class there is a core group of students who can speak very well, always do their homework and generally get the most attention from the teacher. They are delightful to work with, especially when I give them a project and they are so excited about it that they do extra work. However, remembering the general awfulness of teenagedom, I really do want to find a way to get the other students involved. In some ways I do not blame them at all for not wanting to do their homework. Memorizing a page of very dry text on the history of the California gold rush is not something I find appealing either. Even the teachers have commented that the books are sometimes too boring. When I mentioned the idea of bringing more games or other topics into the classroom, my co-teachers were very supportive and enthusiastic.
So now that the students have asked me questions, I have started asking them questions. They do not yet know that this is for the purpose of figuring out what I want to plans my lessons on (i.e. Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber). This is especially important research when it comes to those surly silent types. The questions, without exception, are as follow:
What kind of music do you like? (Pop music and rock music)
Who is your favorite musician? (Runs the gamut, from Bieber to the Beatles)
What movies do you like? (action, comedy, horror)
What is you favorite movie and/or actor? (they love Johnny Depp)
Do you watch TV? (No, I study too much to have time to watch TV)
Do you want to learn about American culture? (yes!)
This process has actually gotten some great responses. I discovered that one the 10th grade boys could in fact speak very well. He likes horror movies and his favorite movie is Interview with a Vampire. Another girl in that class told me she likes New Moon. So now I am planning a mini-lesson on vampires and zombies and their popularity in America. We'll see if this gets me in with the cool kids.
Speaking of the cool kids. The other aspect of teaching is working with the teachers. In between classes and when they have no lessons, all of the teachers gather in their lounge. I have gotten used to them speaking loudly about me even though I am only sitting 2 feet away. In fact it is helping me learn more Georgian words, I now know good girl, girl, English, Russian, and American. Whenever I bust out my markers and paper or my flashcards, they all gather around and watch intently.
I am supposed to have 3 co-teachers, but instead I have 4. I think this is because there are so many English teachers in my school (approx. 13 I think). Generally the teachers do not have a huge amount of lessons in the week. My co-teacher for the 5th class only teaches three 45 minute classes a week. So really, my workload is not that much different with the additional teacher.
The first week with my co-teachers was stressful, it was clear they had a hard time understanding me and my American accent and they weren't quite sure how to work with me. However, they were all excited to meet me and have me in their school. The first 3 days or so I spent shadowing them and jotting down notes during their lessons. I have taken the approach of trying to build on the ideas of their lessons, for example the 8th grade learned about landmarks in London and Washington, D.C. So I asked them to research a new city and write me a postcard. (One girl loved the assignment so much she wrote me two.) For the most part, me and my co-teachers are easing into our working relationships. In the span of just a week and half, most have become really excited about the prospects of better utilizing me in the classroom.
As with every new experience there are complications and surprises and frustrations, but I finished my first full week of school feeling generally optimistic about how the rest of the semester will go.
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