Time has flown. Literally. The last time I wrote was the beginning of the school year and in less than two weeks, it is the end of the school year.
Writing has been the last thing on my mind, considering that my job is pretty much demanding and when I arrive home, I either: a) continue working/grading, b) take a nap, c) watch tv with Javier and try to relax, or d) make dinner. Thankfully the end of the school year has created a lot of free time for me when I arrive home, but next week I will certainly be grading until my eyes fall from my head because of final exams.
I've been very, very happy with my job this year and I've enjoyed most of the moments there. There are many of my (150) students who I love and cherish deeply, who have impacted my life in numerous, wonderful ways and who I will miss desperately when we return to the USA. I have met people who I would consider my new lifelong friends, who I have spent good and bad moments with, who have shared in my moments of joy (my engagement, my birthday, discussing wedding planning) and in my moments of sadness (Javier's denial of a visitor visa, feelings of desperation about being far from home). Those are the people that I wish, pray and hope that I never lose touch with. Thank goodness for things like Facebook and email, otherwise I'd fear that I'd never see their lovely faces again.
The wait for Javier's fiance visa has been pretty long, and the US immigration hasn't even approved our petition yet. I'm hoping that he will have his visa in August but we don't know yet. I'm crossing my fingers.
I'm ready go back to the USA, but I know 100% sure that I will miss, dearly, the people that I have met here and the people who I'm close with here. Friends are friends regardless of places, cultures, countries, etc. And I want it to remain like that.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
New School Year!
To be honest, the only excuse that I have for not writing sooner is "I've been busy." It's mostly true but some nights I literally do nothing but talk to people over Facebook and drown my brain in reality TV.
School started on August 8 and the two weeks before that, I spent all day at school doing training sessions, decorating my classroom, working on syllabi and a plethora of other things to start the school year. When we started classes on the 8th, I felt extremely overwhelmed. I had to learn the names of almost 130 students and some of the names I have a really hard time pronouncing. I was hoping that the students would like me, but honestly, after the first day, I was wishing that they would just listen. The thing is that I went into the school year with some preconceived notion that 5th and 6th graders were just little adults but then I was hit with the brick wall that they would much rather talk to their friends than listen to anything a teacher has to say. That was a shock to my system that I certainly wasn't ready for. I don't know where I came up with the idea that everything would run perfectly smooth, that I would never have to yell or raise my voice, and that my students would be angels but after Day 1, that thought went out the window.
Now, I think my students are bright individuals and they all have a lot of potential but I sometimes struggle with the discipline. I hate yelling at kids and I try not to but I can also not be so strict because I don't want them to hate me (lol, so lame!!). I guess it's a work in progress.
I think my classes are going well. I teach English and Writer's Workshop. My kids can come up with some funny, awesome ideas. But they need to focus on their grammar and spelling. I have to somehow include that in the English syllabus but I'm not sure how. We have to follow the curriculum too so we will see.
I am tired when I get home from work but not exhausted. I feel the energy to do normal things and I love having weekends free. I usually do work every night but tonight I think I'm going to relax :)
School started on August 8 and the two weeks before that, I spent all day at school doing training sessions, decorating my classroom, working on syllabi and a plethora of other things to start the school year. When we started classes on the 8th, I felt extremely overwhelmed. I had to learn the names of almost 130 students and some of the names I have a really hard time pronouncing. I was hoping that the students would like me, but honestly, after the first day, I was wishing that they would just listen. The thing is that I went into the school year with some preconceived notion that 5th and 6th graders were just little adults but then I was hit with the brick wall that they would much rather talk to their friends than listen to anything a teacher has to say. That was a shock to my system that I certainly wasn't ready for. I don't know where I came up with the idea that everything would run perfectly smooth, that I would never have to yell or raise my voice, and that my students would be angels but after Day 1, that thought went out the window.
Now, I think my students are bright individuals and they all have a lot of potential but I sometimes struggle with the discipline. I hate yelling at kids and I try not to but I can also not be so strict because I don't want them to hate me (lol, so lame!!). I guess it's a work in progress.
I think my classes are going well. I teach English and Writer's Workshop. My kids can come up with some funny, awesome ideas. But they need to focus on their grammar and spelling. I have to somehow include that in the English syllabus but I'm not sure how. We have to follow the curriculum too so we will see.
I am tired when I get home from work but not exhausted. I feel the energy to do normal things and I love having weekends free. I usually do work every night but tonight I think I'm going to relax :)
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