I was nervous my first day. I had to prepare for 3 two hour lessons and 1 hour and a half private. I had been really overwhelmed from my training and wasn't overly confident about teaching that many classes, especially ones that were two hours as I had been trained in 45 minute lessons.
I was up at the crack of dawn - as my schedule begins at the beautiful hour of 7am - got ready and arrived early to get set up for class.
When I was training I was so nervous every class that I would shake. My trainers would always tell me to take a breath and relax. The last thing I wanted on my first day was the nervous shakes,I didn't want to seem "fresh" to my students, I wanted them to feel confident in me as a teacher.
Well confidence I got...confidence in myself. It felt so natural, like I had been at the front of a classroom my whole life! I wasn't nervous at all, I flowed naturally and never felt uncomfortable! It was like I was made for it!!! It was so strange how natural it felt.
There are really tough days where it's like pulling teeth to he anything out of my students. Sometimes they just sit and stare like I have leprosy or something. It is so frustrating that I feel like throwing myself out the window (even though I'm on the ground floor), but just like in teaching practice I am determined to push and get what I can. I sometimes wonder why I don't go home and drink a bottle of wine to myself lol I don't even drink now unless it's Saturday...I know right, but with early mornings an the altitude drinking is only possible when I don't have to be up in the morning.
Not all my classes are frustrating...most times I have a lot of fun. Some of my students make me laugh all the time. I have one student that is really cheeky. See I have a rule in my class...absolutely no Spanish! But in one of my classes I have two Michelle's so I have named them Michelle Uno and Michelle Dos (1 and two). Erik (my cheeky student) says "mees" (thats how they say miss, though others just say teacher) "mees. No Spanish mees. Only English." Or "mees can we hand in the assignment tomorrow" "sin manyana, oí!" (Not tomorrow today). " mees! You speaka Spanish?!?" Lol they think I lie about being able to speak Spanish. I don't at all but I have picked up a few things in my last month here. It's funny when they are like "mees how do you say..." And they give me a Spanish word. I just look at them and then they smack themselves in the head and they are like "oh ya." My kids class they always look at me and speak Spanish and I always have to so "no hablo e Spaniol" it can get very tiresome at times especially with the students who barely speak English.
My other two rules are no cellphones and be on time as here they have no concept on time, being a half hour late is completely normal and acceptable. Even with the rules in red market on the board don't help. "Is that Spanish I hear? What are the rules on the board." "No cellphones mees" "I mean the other one" "be on time mees." " I'm serious guys." " no English mees" "that's right no English. No I mean no Spanish." "It's not Spanish mees it's Portuguese." "I may not understand it but I know it's Spanish guys now behave." "Mees?" "Si" "ahh mees, no Spanish English only." Cheeky buggers." How can that make me not smile.
I give them a quiz for every unit. In one of my classes they had a question asking for three sentences in the past simple tense. My one 14 year old male student writes - about his friend in class - Alexandro was caught watching adult sites on the internet. Lmfao. It was the right tense I couldn't mark it wrong. In my other class I was talking about my nut allergy. When my one student finally understood the translation she said "penis?!? Your allergic to penis?!?" I didn't know what to say...I just stares at her and the other students were like peanuts not penus." I had to explain there was an N in the word so she could understand the difference. "Well," he replied "Now you have learned two new words. Lol I never know what to expect in my classes.
They teach me so much. They are always telling me about customs and dishes and celebrations and yet they are always asking me about me and my life and what Canada is like. Sometimes they want to spend the whole class just asking me questions and I have to stop them. My Saturday kids class was something else on my first day. One of the girls walked right up to me said hi and just stood there staring at me, but she was standing pretty much agains me (personal space doesnt exist here. The sidewalks are so narrow two people can't walk side by side. They might be short here but that shouldn't affect the width of the sidewalks). Anyways back my kids. She was standing so close I stepped back, pointed to a chair and was like "you can sit there." Then in class her and her friend were staring At me. "I love tour hair" she pretty much whispered. "My hair?" "It's so pretty." Then her friend "your eyes are so pretty." Being blonde haired and green eyed here I kind of stick out like a sore thumb. It can be annoying at times but cabs always stop for me and ars stop when I want to cross the street so it does work to my advantage.
One of my students in my intermediate classes (I believe has a crush on me). "If you miss one more class I have to sen you to tutoring." "With you mees?" " no I don't tutor." "Then I don't want to go." "Then don't miss anymore classes." "Mees where we go on The weekend for your birthday." We are not going anywhere but I'm going out for dinner with friends." "Ok mees I follow you." "Jimmy you can't follow me." "I follow you mees." It can definitely be an ego booster at times. But other times is so frustrating and mentally exhausting but it really is worth it.
I am exhausted. My days are long and I am up so early; plus, I have gained two private students outside of school one has already started and the other (one of the local guys who works at the hostel) is starting at the whining of July). It's great but it just adds more time to my already long day. I can't complain though. I work from 7-11 every morning and then I am off till 5. I have so much time in between (when not teaching my privates) that I can get so much done. I can go grocery shopping, go for lunch to my favourite menu - Emily and I (another teacher) go to this vegeterian menu for lunch. Three courses plus a fresh juice for 7 soles which is equivalent to $2.80 Canadian. Then a healthy quinoa cookie for 1 sole...so amazingly yummy. Everything is naturally flavored there and so filling. Other days I go up to the roof, put on some music and bask in the hot sun and relax and do lesson plans - my bedroom has a walk out to the roof which is amazing. I have a view of all three volcanos.
So... Life is pretty great. I can not complain about anything. I am so truly happy. I have no regrets or second thoughts about making the move out here, and becoming a TEFL teacher was such a great life and career choice. I can't believe how much has happened since graduation. To think I was the student who thought she wasn't going to pass the course and now here I am teaching in Peru. I remember when I called home an told my parents I was applying for a teaching position out here...it seemed unreachable, like an empty dream...and now look at me, happier than a pig in shit!!! I smile while I'm teaching. I think "look at me, how is this possible? I am an English teacher in another country and it feels great." My mum thinks I found my calling. Maybe she is right. It only took 33 years...well actually 34, my birthday is in 2.5 hours
:) happy birthday to me.
I was so meant for this!
-My Beautiful Life-
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