The first day at a new school is always a bit scary, especially when you don’t speak the language. I certainly do not think I was the only one who was nervous to start teaching today. But I was surprised and excited to see how quickly it became comfortable. The big take-away from today was that kids are kids, anywhere you go! Since I am a foreign language teacher, I am used to children not always understanding what I am saying in the classroom, so I don’t think the adjustment was quite as large for me as some other teachers, but it was certainly new to not being able to translate for the students when there is something particularly confusing. Still it was so obvious that the students wanted to understand and communicate that it was impossible to give up – somehow everything got across!
I think the kids were as excited to have us there as we were to be there! There was so much enthusiasm from everyone around us, and I loved being in that environment. My first group was a class of 6th year students. I know that my partner teacher was worried that they were not behaving themselves, but the silliness and the chatting were so familiar that I really welcomed it. Since this was the only time I would see this group, I planned an English lesson on animals and habitats that could be done in one period. Although all but one of the words were familiar already to the students, they embraced the activities and games, and really enjoyed practicing the vocabulary. I’ll admit, the nerves got me a little in this group, and I forgot to do several of the activities I planned. But, that’s teaching, isn’t it? Changing things up on the spot? So, I did. And I loved it!
My second class was a big leap from the first – the 13th year! I was told that these students did not officially have to be there, so I was flattered that several decided to show up! Because they are older, these students have a great grasp of English. I was ready to try some higher-level instruction with this group. I’m particularly excited about the activity I did to introduce myself to them: I put several numbers up on the board that were related to me in some way (my age, how many siblings I have, how many languages I speak, etc.), and then the students had to ask questions to find out what all of those numbers meant. It was so much fun to see what they thought of and it really encouraged them to speak up in the class. Also, I find that asking questions in a foreign language is tricky, so it was a great way to see where they were with the language. We spent some time talking about the English language (i.e. which letter of the alphabet is the most common and which letter is silent in the word comb), and we worked on prefixes, which was a way to expand their vocabulary. We finished off the class with a game, because you’re never too old to play!
My last group of the day was the youngest: 5th year. It’s been a long time since I’ve taught this age group, but they are every bit as sweet as I remember. English is still very much a challenge for them at this level, but I was so excited by how much they wanted to participate. Many of them were nervous to speak up, but I could see that they really pushed themselves, and each one of them contributed at least 2-3 times. Brave kids! I focused on the basics with them today – colors and opposites. Once again, I was surprised by how well they already knew the vocabulary. But just like the 6th year, they were still thrilled to participate in all of our games and activities. My favorite part, however, was the last five minutes when I gave them time to ask me questions. Just seeing what kinds of questions they had allowed me to get to know them better. Is that my real hair color? What do I do in my spare time? Where is Maryland? And since they had been told that I am a Spanish teacher, they requested a Spanish lesson! So, I’m planning a new lesson for them, just to introduce them to Spanish – what fun to teach something brand new to them! And what fun to have students asking to learn something new.
As I said, my take-away from today is that kids are kids, and teaching is teaching. Despite the language differences, these classes felt familiar. A wonderful first day!
