After feeling absolutely drained after school yesterday, last night I called Kelly, who has experience teaching in Chicago Public Schools (since the students/curriculum/staff here seems similar) and she gave me a bit of a pep talk. On paper, it appears that I don’t have much work here – teaching only 2 classes a day, which is only 1 prep. In reality, however, it is as exhausting, if not more so, than my position in Wilmette. Also, my hours here are much less than what Mexican teachers have. Somehow the Fulbright program has worked out that American teachers in Mexico are limited to 18 hours. Many Mexican teachers have a full-load of classes from 7:30-1:40, return home for “la comida” and then teach in a school that has afternoon classes from 4ish until 9 or 10:00. So, after Kelly’s pep talk I woke up today feeling positive, energized and motivated; I was all set for my one class today . . . or, so I thought.
I am not used to an entire class reacting anytime one of them causes the slightest distraction. Students react by laughing, whistling, hooting, hollering – something. For all of the students’ traditional formalities and given respect, it’s hard to understand their lapses during class. They ask permission to enter the classroom, before I have begun teaching class and when returning from the bathroom, they rush to pick something up if I drop it, they offer to open a window or shut a door for me, to greet a teacher they shake hands and the girls also kiss the teacher on the cheek. Students are accustomed to forming two lines, separating the boys and the girls – and this is how we TRIED to walk to the library for them to receive their textbooks. They weren’t too quiet or too adept at keeping their hands to themselves. When we returned to the classroom, Richi and Luis wouldn’t stop harassing each other and disturbing the rest of the class. It did not matter what I said or what I did so I sent them into the hallway where they continued to bicker and push each other. I walked out of the class again to call out across the courtyard to the “prefectos” to say that I could use a little help. Fabulous system, a “prefecto” came right over and talked to the boys for the rest of class. Later, the principal said that I should just send a troublesome student to him as well. Here I don’t feel that anyone thinks any less of me because I need others’ help with disciplining the students. I know I have to remember that it’s only the fourth day and as it seems apparent that intrinsic motivation is limited here, I’ll be resorting to extrinsic motivation – bribery.
Before class began today I was on Cloud 9 since I learned of the technology that is available at the school – LCD projector, DVD player, speakers that connect to my iPod to begin class with music, and more, including an opaque projector. As presenting with PowerPoint captures the interest of my students in Wilmette, I’m hoping it will at least have that effect here. I can’t wait to try. I feel like I’m in a boxing match: I’ve been through a couple rounds, I keep getting knocked down, retreat to my corner to rethink my game plan and come up with some different moves to through off my opponent. Already, I am regaining my strength and am confident I can come up with better moves that will “knock them out”. I applied for the Fulbright grant for many reasons, including looking for a different experience from my teaching position in Wilmette and a new challenge. As they say, “Be careful what you ask for.”
