Junior High: I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here.

I've completed my first two days of the school year. I can't say that I'm sad it's the weekend, but I am pretty happy to be back in a classroom- MY classroom, in fact, for the first time ever.
This is me in front of my custom-ordered-and-made-whiteboard, courtesy of Juan, the super-nice maintanence guy. I really have no idea where AAI found so many wonderful people. I think there must be a shortage of nice people in the rest of the city because the population inside the school gates is so high.

Anyway, the board, and the room, on my first day. It went surprisingly well. I wasn't even that nervous! That's odd, because I'm always a WRECK on the first day of class. Maybe it's because my biggest class is 8. Or maybe it's because I asked about a million people to pray me peaceful that day. :) Thanks if you're one of the million.



(notice my globe...I swiped it off a dispose-of pile. Score! I actually have things on the wall, by the way. You just can't see them in the picture.)

So, let the funny stories commence. I'm pretty jazzed about the excessive funny-story fodder which will be at my disposal as a result of being a junior high ESL teacher. I mean, junior high OR esl; either one makes for frequent hilarity. I can't wait to see what comes of the both together.

This next picture has a story. I'm sure you're relieved to hear that... This is a reproduction of a white-board drawing that one of my 7th grades drew me today. They were working on an assignment for me- a 2-3 paragraph story about something that happened this summer.

Because I don't yet have any Spanish/English dictionaries, I was forced to translate various words for the kids as they wrote their stories. This particular word was "aguamala". Literally that means bad water, but it translates as jellyfish (and debatably something else). Here's how the conversation went:

Cami: Miss Foster? (pronounced "Meese Foe-stare?")
Me: Yes, Cami?
Cami: How do you say in English "aguamala"?
Me: Uh, I don't know that word. Can you explain it?
Cami: It's a.... (motioning waves with hands) in the ocean...
Me: A fish? Pescado?
C: No, no. Not a fish (continuing "swimming" hand motions)
Me: A dolphin?
(at this point the whole class has stopped working and is laughing and trying to help with the explaination)
C: No!
Me: Is it an animal?
Class: YES!
Me: Does it hurt you?
Cami: Yes. It's bad.
Me: OH, a jellyfish? (now I"m making hand motions like a jellyfish)
C: no, not a jellyfish... (sigh) It's a...like a...hard and if you brush against it it hurts you
Me: Uh....I don't know.... Can you draw it for me on the whiteboard?
(Cami gets all shy and giggles. Her classmates urge her to draw. She comes and draws this....)

Hmm, I think to myself. That was distinctly unhelpful.

In the end I asked her if she had an English/Spanish dictionary at home. When she said she did, I told her to leave a blank and look up the word tonight. You gotta know when it's time to quit. :)

My classes are really unique, because in this school all the kids that need extra help are put in the same pullout classes, so I have ESL students and students with learning disabilities and some with both. Mind you, I've never had training or experience with LD kids. But I think I'm going to like it. Maybe even love it. So that's exciting.

One more funny story before I close.

Today, one of my eighth grades says to me at the end of her guided study hall, "Oh, Miss Foster, one of my friends said that you are cute."

Hmm.

I said, "Really? Is your friend a boy or a girl?" (critical information)

"She's a girl."

Hmmm again. What does it mean when a junior high girls thinks I'm "cute"? I said, "Well, that's nice. Thanks for telling me!"

Girl two (who has some developmental issues) in my class chimes in, "You know, you ARE cute, Miss Foster!" (obviously a new thought for Girl 2) "You should get a husband." she decides for me.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. What a great idea! I'll get right on that...

The other night we had a beautiful sunset. The only downside to the mountains in all directions is that the sun gets blocked out pretty quickly in the evening. But at least it makes for sights like this.

Ah, Quito. Beautiful indeed.