Valentine's Day, while never being my favorite (though my crayon cards have ALWAYS been a hit, don't try to tell me that if you've ever received one you weren't immediately infatuated with me, I know how it works...), is coming right up, and I have to share such tradition, culture, and greatness with my students of course. The problem is, all I want is for them to all have to write me a Valentine's card... selfish? Maybe. But maybe not when you hear this story, it's more just going with how they feel about me, right?
One of the teachers from another department who teaches the IT class (as you know, we have a vocational part of our school, which is one of my favorite parts of my job) the business-side of their subject told me a great story today. She and the English teacher I work with have been having trouble with this class because all they want to do is work on the computers all day, not speak English or learn economics. She told me she asked them how they liked English and business, because she wondered what would make them more interested in the subject. They told her they didn't like her classes and they didn't like the English classes they have when I am not in the classroom... AKA THEY LOVE ME. I'm pretty excited, maybe I can get them excited about English now! More to come on that, but maybe I can convince them to write me love- or friendship-notes to prove to me that I am a valuable resource to the classroom. Sometimes you just feel the need to be justified, right?
Any other thoughts on VDay activities, for ages 12-40?
2.05.2012
El día de la marmota
Yes, I have done it. As the primary cultural advisor to the Lázaro Cárdenas high school in Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain, I have fully taken on the task of introducing the youth of Spain to the most important, relevant, and necessary aspects of US cultural studies. This week, I took this responsibility very seriously, especially after the shenanigans of my earlier post, where I was told I don't do enough preparation (read: they want to work less, so they want me to work more).
It was, after all, the Día de la marmota. Groundhog Day. The funny thing was, my class of juniors all knew about the holiday to some extent, and some had seen the movie! I told them what happens on the morning of the 2nd, shadow vs. no shadow and how we all rely on this for our predictions of winter's end. I mentioned the top hats and tuxedos and pronounced "Punxsutawney Phil" about 13 times for them to hear the nuances of the name of our beloved little rodent friend. Then came the good part.
At the beginning of the year, I gave many more cultural presentations, in hopes of getting these 16 year olds excited about learning English by hearing about real culture from my life stateside. In doing so, my teacher and I discovered blank stares and a generally overwhelmed sensation in the class, but we wanted them to ask questions. We formed some for them, ones that worked most of the time because we were discussing American holidays (the autumn has so many of them!). Groundhog Day is also a holiday, so inevitably the most eager students were interested in proving their question-posing ability. Here is what happened:
Natalia: [with her hand raised] Are there any typical foods that you eat for this holiday?
Me: [silence....] ummm.... no, not really. There's just a groundhog that comes out of his hole. Maybe in Pennsylvania they eat something? Yeah.
Natalia: [raises hand again and gives a cute smile] Are there typical clothes that are worn for this holiday?
Me: [more silence...] Well... the old men that live in the town in Pennsylvania wear tuxedos and top hats... That's about it.
Pablo (who never participated before he met my sister and now winks at me every day and asks when Maggie is coming back): Is it... holiday... do work?
Me (understanding what he asked only because I have been working with this class every day for 4 months): Unfortunately, most of the country has to work. In Pennsylvania they might be crazy enough about it that they don't work. It's very important to them. We just watch it on the news.
Obviously I have impressed them with my knowledge of Groundhog Day and now they are thoroughly prepared for dating and impressing an American boy or girl in the future, which is what they all dream of.
But here's something you probably all didn't know... The tradition is of German origin where they used to use a badger to predict the coming of spring. It also has pagan origins, of course, like all of the good holiday celebrations we have... THE MORE YOU KNOW.
It was, after all, the Día de la marmota. Groundhog Day. The funny thing was, my class of juniors all knew about the holiday to some extent, and some had seen the movie! I told them what happens on the morning of the 2nd, shadow vs. no shadow and how we all rely on this for our predictions of winter's end. I mentioned the top hats and tuxedos and pronounced "Punxsutawney Phil" about 13 times for them to hear the nuances of the name of our beloved little rodent friend. Then came the good part.
At the beginning of the year, I gave many more cultural presentations, in hopes of getting these 16 year olds excited about learning English by hearing about real culture from my life stateside. In doing so, my teacher and I discovered blank stares and a generally overwhelmed sensation in the class, but we wanted them to ask questions. We formed some for them, ones that worked most of the time because we were discussing American holidays (the autumn has so many of them!). Groundhog Day is also a holiday, so inevitably the most eager students were interested in proving their question-posing ability. Here is what happened:
Natalia: [with her hand raised] Are there any typical foods that you eat for this holiday?
Me: [silence....] ummm.... no, not really. There's just a groundhog that comes out of his hole. Maybe in Pennsylvania they eat something? Yeah.
Natalia: [raises hand again and gives a cute smile] Are there typical clothes that are worn for this holiday?
Me: [more silence...] Well... the old men that live in the town in Pennsylvania wear tuxedos and top hats... That's about it.
Pablo (who never participated before he met my sister and now winks at me every day and asks when Maggie is coming back): Is it... holiday... do work?
Me (understanding what he asked only because I have been working with this class every day for 4 months): Unfortunately, most of the country has to work. In Pennsylvania they might be crazy enough about it that they don't work. It's very important to them. We just watch it on the news.
Obviously I have impressed them with my knowledge of Groundhog Day and now they are thoroughly prepared for dating and impressing an American boy or girl in the future, which is what they all dream of.
But here's something you probably all didn't know... The tradition is of German origin where they used to use a badger to predict the coming of spring. It also has pagan origins, of course, like all of the good holiday celebrations we have... THE MORE YOU KNOW.
Cómo se dice "ups and downs"?
This past week in school I had some serious ups and downs, but all for the better because I am feeling slightly more sure of what I need to do for the next year. Not sure enough to write that here yet, but that message will come when it is good and ready...
The end of last week wasn't great, with the teachers telling me that they had to discuss keeping us or not in their weekly Friday morning department meeting, shortly after one of them gave me an incredulous face when I said I wanted to stay. Monday wasn't much better; I was told by a teacher friend and confidante that they had discussed it in the meeting and that they decided they wanted me to prepare more for classes. This is not something ever expressed to me and after preparing several cultural activities in the fall and having none of them used, I had stepped back a bit this winter to see what kind of guidance I would get from them. OH, wait, this is Spain, they aren't going to give me any guidance. As a department full of all women and one man, they are naturally going to discuss my performance behind my back and then somehow break it to me later. So, after crying in the department and not being sure what to do, the department head finally approached me and told me some tips for one of my classes. It's difficult for someone who doesn't have incredible dreams of being a teacher and who has no support from her teachers to know what to do. I have teaching experience in a university where my boss was the greatest, most supportive and helpful person ever, so I am not prepared for the Spanish drama and cattiness.
That being said, my week did get a lot betterjust kept getting better, both in the classroom and out. Outside the classroom just because it ended in some good lessons with my private classes and a night of dancing alone with Rachel in a fairly empty club to great music while Spaniards just looked on in amazement. In the classroom, though, I received the best compliment to my teaching I could ever hope for: as we were on our way out of the classroom, Arturo (who bought his teachers shotglasses in Greece and who is very talkative and willing to speak, despite a lower level of English) stopped me and said, "Kelsey. You should be a teacher, we think." I wasn't sure I caught it so I asked, "What? Who? You do?" And he said, "Yes, we have been talking and we think you are a good teacher. You should be a teacher!" and he said that some of the people he sits with had been discussing it and they all agree! It made my week, especially with the teacher drama and struggling to find ways for a 7 year old in private classes to speak more and to correct his sentence construction. I just hope they continue to think that and the teachers don't hate me for being better-liked than they are... I have been told that before, too, but I'm keeping that on the Down Low...
The end of last week wasn't great, with the teachers telling me that they had to discuss keeping us or not in their weekly Friday morning department meeting, shortly after one of them gave me an incredulous face when I said I wanted to stay. Monday wasn't much better; I was told by a teacher friend and confidante that they had discussed it in the meeting and that they decided they wanted me to prepare more for classes. This is not something ever expressed to me and after preparing several cultural activities in the fall and having none of them used, I had stepped back a bit this winter to see what kind of guidance I would get from them. OH, wait, this is Spain, they aren't going to give me any guidance. As a department full of all women and one man, they are naturally going to discuss my performance behind my back and then somehow break it to me later. So, after crying in the department and not being sure what to do, the department head finally approached me and told me some tips for one of my classes. It's difficult for someone who doesn't have incredible dreams of being a teacher and who has no support from her teachers to know what to do. I have teaching experience in a university where my boss was the greatest, most supportive and helpful person ever, so I am not prepared for the Spanish drama and cattiness.
That being said, my week did get a lot betterjust kept getting better, both in the classroom and out. Outside the classroom just because it ended in some good lessons with my private classes and a night of dancing alone with Rachel in a fairly empty club to great music while Spaniards just looked on in amazement. In the classroom, though, I received the best compliment to my teaching I could ever hope for: as we were on our way out of the classroom, Arturo (who bought his teachers shotglasses in Greece and who is very talkative and willing to speak, despite a lower level of English) stopped me and said, "Kelsey. You should be a teacher, we think." I wasn't sure I caught it so I asked, "What? Who? You do?" And he said, "Yes, we have been talking and we think you are a good teacher. You should be a teacher!" and he said that some of the people he sits with had been discussing it and they all agree! It made my week, especially with the teacher drama and struggling to find ways for a 7 year old in private classes to speak more and to correct his sentence construction. I just hope they continue to think that and the teachers don't hate me for being better-liked than they are... I have been told that before, too, but I'm keeping that on the Down Low...
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