Teaching (English)

The School at Pachacutec

So pretty much, the school at Pachacutec is some shacks on a pile of sand. The windows are made from plastic sheets, not actual panes, and in some places the walls are coming off and the kids use it as an escape route. They are in the middle of building a new school, but even then, this is just how it is. And the bathroom…don't get me started. Not good. Best to hold it until you get home. And there's a pack of stray dogs running around the grounds. But all in all, this is a fun place to teach. We teach the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade english. We teach the sixth grade classes on Tuesday, and the fifth grade classes on Thursday. Each class has class once a week. Our daily schedule is like this:

A mural that was painted by previous volunteers

8 am: Leave the house, catch a bus (about 45 min)
Get there when you get there, if you're not late, teach the first class.
10ish: The kids have break. About a hundred kids swarm out of their classrooms and run around doing crazy stuff for about a half hour. (they play games, eat random stuff, and come up to you for a quick conversation and then run away)
10:30: They go back to their classrooms
You teach three more classes, (sometimes less if they don't let you in), and then catch the bus, take a nap, and wait until you get home for lunch!
About 1:30: Lunch! The most important part of the day.

My role for the first couple of weeks was to follow around Maemie as she taught her classes, and be a distraction to the kids as they were trying to learn and I was hanging out in their classroom. But eventually, I ended up having to teach my own class. Maemie was leaving for the weekend, so, even though she would be back in time, I was going to take over her classes that Tuesday. Walking to that first class that Tuesday, I felt like I was walking to my own execution… but it ended up okay. Just as I feared, I had absolutely not enough spanish, and had no clue how to explain the lesson. At one point, I sat there and stared at the kids for a full five minutes, not having a clue what to say. It goes without saying, but Maemie ended up teaching most of the lesson plan the rest of that day. I did help, though! ha. The next time, on Thursday, it was the same lesson, so I attempted again, (again it was terrifying!) and I actually taught the WHOLE lesson by myself! Yes, yes, I know, you are proud. Except for the Ademi (the head of the english program there), had to stop my lesson a couple times and re-explain what I was talking about to the kids. It was pretty great, though. The lesson was on this, that, these, and those. (This is a book, those are windows). Hopefully I didn't confuse those children for life. But now, I officially can't say that I've never taught an English lesson before.
Here's some pictures from Pachacutec, most, if not all of them taken by Jade and Maemie (thanks for letting me steal them)

Picture of the string jumping game a lot of them play

Love this picture. This kid is so funny.

A lot of them play with these tops that you slide off a string and then pick up in your hand

Break time!

The kids having fun with Jade's camera. 

Us volunteers

Let's just say, I have a new found respect for teachers. I have NO clue how they do it, whether they speak the same language as their students or not.

Con mi amor,

Miranda