1. Teacher Training
We got to come back two weeks before the students did... and full schedule - 730 - 330. What were we doing for all that time, you ask? If you guessed planning, you're...WRONG.
1. Every day... EVERY DAY! we had handwriting classes. That's right, people still in handwriting in K-12 schools in Peru. Weird, I know. But to make it even weirder, everyone at the school has to write the same. At least I got to sit with the other foreign teachers - made it kind of fun. Especially sitting with the young male teachers... LOL their handwriting was AWESOME.
2. We got the rules for teachers read to us EVERY DAY as well... for about 40 minutes a stab. Lots of rules, hey? The second day of rule reading was pretty sweet because the director decided to do a PowerPoint in English. LOL... here is an example of what it said "No boots leafs paper" say WHAT?!?! Well, after translating it back into Spanish ("No botas las hojas de papel") I realized that it should have said "Don't throw out sheets of paper." Close, but no cigar. Another foreign teacher fav was the "deathline." JAJAJAJAJA. Needless to say, after that day, no more PPs in English. Nice try, though!
3. We got to make "programs" for the whole year, even though we didn't have our class schedule or know what we would be teaching. That was ingenious.
4. We got to sit around a lot and laugh at how ridiculous it was.
5. We got to decorate our classrooms for a few hours one day. That was nice. 'Cept for the fact that they don't have normal bulletin boards and we need to use push pins. Try getting push pins out of whatever that material is... I broke numerous finger nails... and bruised one as well!
6. Eat lunch... but at school. We were not allowed to leave school grounds between the hours of 730am and 330pm. Now that's trust, folks! ;)
7. Random meetings... this included a meeting with the elderly lady that runs the school. Let me tell you, next to the handwriting lessons, this may have been the highlight of the two weeks of "training." I laugh in my head just thinking about it. It was seriously like something you would see on some reality TV show... like "Disaster Date" but instead "Super Awkward Meeting with your Big Boss." It went a little like this:
Mrs. R: (looks around at us): Some of you shouldn't be at this meeting
Us: (look at each other...) (super uncomfortable silence)
Mrs. R: This meeting is for returning teachers. If you were not here last year, you should be at the next meeting.
Us: (look at each other... another super uncomfortable silence)
Nicholas: We were all here last year.
Mrs. R: Oh. Well.
Awkward Silence
Mrs. R: Okay let's get started. The single most important thing at this school...
(I'm thinking something like academic integrity, preparing students for the future, etc)
Mrs. R: Is neat copybooks. They must have titles and dates and be underlined correctly. How many of you have started your handwriting classes?"
Awkward Silence
Nicholas: We all have.
Mrs. R: Good.
BLAH BLAH BLAH lots of super awkward silences and random information... crickets chirping.
Then came our FAVORITE line of the whole meeting:
Mrs. R: "You must make friends with the Peruvians. If you are only friends with the expats, you will never be happy. Expats are like dogs at a fair." LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! WHAT?!?!?!
This was then followed by a lecture about the difference between TU and UD. Please mind that the majority of the foreign staff at my school either speaks NO spanish, or is a FLUENT spanish speaker. That lecture, I think, really will benefit all in the long run.
Anyhow, after that incredibly exciting meeting, we had to wait another week til we got our classes we would be teaching. We had a few tech training sessions where we learned how to use email and PowerPoint (very new and unknown, I know), a bunch of laughing sessions... some silent reading time to read the like 20 books I had never read before but would have to be teaching... Now... along came Friday... we had a brunch... I was hoping for class rosters... which never came.
So that was the exciting 2 weeks of teacher training here. I feel like I have grown so much as a professional.
Well, Monday came... we got our homeroom rosters 5 minutes before class started. Why was I surprised? Anyhow... never got a roster for any of my other classes until this past week, actually. Who needs rosters? We only take attendance in homeroom, so that's all that matters, I suppose. Since school has started (3 weeks) we have had, on average, at least 2 earthquake drills per week. A bit overkill if you ask me, but better to be prepared than have issues, I suppose. Each day is a surprise. Today, for example, they took away my only free period to make me sub in a PRIMARY MATH CLASS. WTF?!?! They have student teachers in primary that are supposed to be doing that. Why is a secondary teacher subbing in primary? Grrr... to make matters even more special, I didn't even know what class it was going to be, and I never got any lesson plans. Thanks 6th grade math teacher! I appreciate it! On top of that, those children were little devils. I had to write in their journals for throwing paper airplanes and playing soccer with a styrofoam ball they got from somewhere. It was very exciting.
My classes are fine... 'cept for the problem that my IB students don't know how to write an essay. Eek. My 7th graders are the cutest little things. My IB 2 kids are pleasant. My 8th graders make me want to pull out my hair, but at least they are silly. My IB 1 kids... well, they are hit and miss, but I don't mind them too much. CAS is lovely, just like last year... and having a homeroom is a pain. I am the debate advisor again this year, and I am excited to announce that we are actually having a team, and I have about 15 kids signed up! Yay! This Saturday, we have a workshop.
Well, besides school... Paolo and I celebrated 9 months on Sunday. Yay! I've made some new neat friends... Kate and Christine. They are great. Kate gave me WI string cheese! Yum! I had missed that! Paolo and I saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Good times... we also went to 2 international soccer games and the Beyonce concert (where we saw the world cup!!! cool!!!). We also went to Ancon one day - to the private Navy beach. Woo!
All in all... I am alive and well... laughing my way through the silliness that I encounter. Paolo and I are going to Cuzco May 8 - 12, and we'll be going to Tarapoto (aka Harry Potter!!) July 2-4. I'm planning to be in the US from July 24 - Aug. 7, and again over Christmas break. I know this is a long entry, but it is brief in the sense that I haven't really written since December. Oops. I'm an awesome blogger.
Dinner time! ;)
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