God Bless Elementary School Teachers

Yesterday, after having taught the Class 7 English grammar class, the school accountant (because he has the best English in the school, which is not saying a lot) pulled me up to the primary grades building and asked me to teach English grammar classes for 4th and 6th grades. I was totally pumped because I was hoping to get a little elementary experience in while I was at the school.

Essentially the accountant took me up to the room because the class had already "started" and said "Kids, this is your new teacher. Learn English!" and left me with no book, no idea of what was going on. I was encouraged initially that the students were so adorable and their first few sentences of English seemed to be right on. Since I wasn't prepared with any of my first day of school in Nepal devices (constuction paper, gum, photos of my family, and a camera---I take pictures of them on my digital camera and then go home and memorize their names, which, I might add, has been no small feat!) I asked them where they were in the book and we just started there, reading a story.

The students read pretty well for 9 and 10-year olds with English being their second languge. They had NO CLUE what they were reading about though. That was fairly obvious from the get go. So after every paragraph, just try to imagine me reinacting the story through charades and my quickly degenerating English (I am going to be so thankful to speak English normally and for real when I come home. Talking slowly and without using slang is exhausting!). I think after my little shows the students began to understand even less. And of course it then started to pour; being in the second level of the building with nothing but a sheet of corrugated metal about 6-1/2 feet above the floor (this room is tiny---I must look like some kind of monster to these poor children, the sound was distracting to say the least. And the kids are totally entranced by the rain even though it rains everyday because they don't understand me and they don't understand the book and they're just getting so squirrelly. Man, elementary teachers are awesome. At the end I gave up trying to teach them anything and just tried to learn a few names. I am still totally excited about teaching them, but it is going to be so much work considering the language barrier. Those little demons are dang cute though.

Immediately after that class, I was to go to the Class 6 room to teach English. They were still with their teacher for math so the Class 5 class pulled me into their room and I talked to them for a few minutes. It was unbelievable to me the developmental jump from 4th to 5th grade. So much bigger and so much more mature. It sounded like they had the same teacher as the 4th, 6th and 7th grades that I'm filling in for (the teacher is at a training for the next month), so I might end up teaching them as well.

Then I went into Class 6, and can I just say, move over all other students. . . these are my golden children. I always loved teaching 6th grade in Las Vegas and I tell people all the time that I miss it, and now I know why. I just love how they are at this age. There's always a few know it alls (funny, because the middle child in my host family, Anisha, is in the 6th Grade and is a total know it all too), but they just are excited to be there and are practically fighting with each other, falling all over themselves to participate in class. And they're discipline is really good too. 7th graders can be like this too, and Class 7 here was initially as well, but then they crossed the line when some wouldn't stop talking in class the other day. They thought I was all fun and games and that we were just going to play and be best friends all day because I was the pushover American. Little did they know that I'm not scared to be mean. Yep, like 75% of the students in that class are still totally awesome and amazing, but the honeymoon is definitely over in that class, ha ha ha.

I am glad that I am getting to teach more and more, even though it is becoming less like a vacation and more like work. But that's good, because that's what I really came for. And besides, if they keep cancelling school they way they've been doing, I'll still have plenty of chillaxing time. I still don't have any preparation materials for any of my classes and so I am constantly wracking my brain for any shred of creativity that may still remain in the summer. If you have any fabulous ideas send them on my way!