Back in January there was a study abroad orientation
meeting. The woman leading this meeting told us our journey would be a roller
coaster; we’d experience ups and downs. The third week was definitely my slump
week. It started off with one of my students being diagnosed with scarlet
fever. Because it is uncommon in the United States, I wasn’t aware of the
symptoms, contagion, or recovery process. Needless to say, my week started off
in a funk.
By the third week, my students had warmed up to me. As much
as I loved this, it also meant some had gotten too comfortable with me and chose
not to listen to me. During the third week, I was forced to be sterner with
them than I had in the past. Raising my voice and getting angry with the
children is not how I handle situations. I believe it escalates the situation
rather than controls it. This week gave me the opportunity to balance the
different aspects of a teacher.
Specials was always a hit or miss with the kids. PE is
supposed to be a fun, energy releasing time for the students. Unfortunately,
the PE teacher sets up obstacle courses and has the students complete it one by
one, creating more pent up energy in the students. The students sit on the
bench more than they are participating. In addition to this, the PE teacher
made the two boys who need exercise the most sit out for not listening. Gianandrea started crying and telling me something in
Italian. I take the kids to PE by myself and the PE teacher speaks very little
English. I kept asking for the two boys to join back in, but the teacher didn’t
understand. I sat there thinking about the more productive ways I would have
handled the situation. I took more control during music this week, and it
resulted in a much better time than the previous week. The kids listened to me
during music and I was not afraid to manage their behavior in front of another
teacher.
My proud teacher moment of the week occurred with the one
little boy who speaks little to no English. I
was leading an activity and the first group understood very well and completed
it quickly. The second group, which had both students who cannot speak English,
was a little more difficult. The little boy, Gianandrea, got extremely
frustrated, crumbled up his paper, threw markers on the floor, and when I went
over to him he had the meanest facial expression on. He shouted something at me
in Italian, and I had to go ask Melinda to translate. He said, “I’m mad at you
because you didn’t look at my work when I finished.” I had to have Melinda tell
him in Italian that when he speaks out in Italian I do not understand. We eventually
worked it out and he gave me a big hug. The next day, Gianandrea was ten times
better. He finished his math so quickly, which never happens, and did it
perfectly. And, my favorite part, he spoke one full sentence to me in English! It
put the biggest smile on my face.
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