Typical Day at Colegio Menor...

Describe a typical day of teaching at your placement. Share some highlights and challenges you witnessed and/or experienced. Consider interactions with students, teachers, and faculty, experiences in and out of the classroom, schedules, cultural differences, etc.

This is my last week at Colegio Menor. I absolutely loved this experience and I truly hope to come back here next year after I graduate from BC. Every day was a new challenge and I learned so much. The amount of resources and support that was available to teachers was incredible and I can only hope that every school I teach at in the future has this.

At the beginning of every day the students are required to be sitting on the rug in the back of the classroom with a book. Gaby, my CT, allows me to conduct the read aloud and go over book reports every morning. I love this time with my students because they want to listen to me and hear what was happening in the book. They also love to share what they are reading. One girl is currently reading the 1^st Harry Potter book in English while I am reading it in Spanish. We try to compare the story to make sure nothing was left out in the translations. It’s a great activity for the two of us to share together! While on the rug the students are expected to read silently and try to focus in on their books. I feel like some of the students I have here are reading harder books than kids in their grade in the United States!

After our morning ritual, we then return to our desks and get straight to work. My favorite time of the day is when we teach Mathematics because Gaby allows me to teach the lesson every day that I am in school (Mondays and Tuesdays). I have never had this constant teaching experience while at home so I think my lesson planning is improving, which is great because I am doing my full practicum next semester! Every day in Math we have a multiplication quiz where I give the students a paper with 20 multiplication facts on it and they need to complete it in a minute. Most students are good at this while there are others that have a hard time completing it in the allotted time. I know there are some studies out there that say this is not a very good teaching method but I believe I will use this in my classroom. Multiplication is so useful in all types of Math so it would not be beneficial to ignore it.

Last week I taught a lesson on metric and standard conversions. The metric system is much easier than ours in the United States! The students could not understand why anyone would use the standard system when it was so confusing. It was a funny lesson to teach because the standard system seems like second nature to me so I never took the time to realize how confusing it might be to my students. To start off the lesson, I read a passage about a King who wanted his wife’s bed to be 8 feet long…but literally the size of his foot. The students thought it was funny and it was a great way to bring their attention to the idea that 1 foot = 12 inches, not the size of your foot since everyone’s feet are different sizes! This week I am teaching division and hope to not jumble my words and confuse them even more than they already are!

After Math we teach writing and different strategies they can use while trying to write a paper in English. It is difficult for my students because the mistakes they make are not common ones the students make in the U.S. but they are very common for Spanish speaking individuals. For instance, in Spanish if you want to say a “crazy person” the adjective comes after the noun, “persona loca.” This is difficult for the students to comprehend so they always write “The person crazy came to my house but would not leave.” This is an example of the hardships they face while learning two different languages.

The kids are actually creating a 10 page long magazine. They get to choose any topic they want but they need to include certain types of writing in it. For example, they write a biography, autobiography, advertisement, and nonfiction article. It was great to see them write in all these different genres because it showed me that they were capable of writing a great piece of work. Plus, their illustrations were wonderful. I hope in the future to create a magazine like this with my students.

After writing, it is my time to go home. My walk back to my University is about 20 minutes but the sights are beautiful! I really hope after graduation I will be given the chance to come back to Colegio Menor and work as a full-time teacher. I love this school and all it has to offer its students, teachers, and faculty!

Classroom Management

Describe how your classroom is managed (Standard C) at your placement. Consider classroom size, rules, expectations, discipline, etc.

Colegio Menor is not an inclusion school, which is very common in Ecuador. There are no Special Education students in the classroom and no one is on IEPs. This is different than in the United States but is still a valuable education to the students. My classroom has 20 kids. There is only one boy who is new to the school this year and he began in January when I arrived, too. It is great to see him making new friends and establishing a new routine with all new people.

When sitting on the rug, students are expected to be silent and reading individually. While at their desks, they are also supposed to be working individually. One of my least favorite rules here at Colegio Menor is that the students are not allowed to speak in Spanish if it is outside of their Spanish class time. My teacher actually writes “ENGLISH ONLY” on the board and erases a letter anytime she hears someone speaking Spanish. If all letters are gone the students receive extra homework. While I understand that the school is trying to better the students English, I feel that it is taking away from their home language. It is important to stay in touch with who you are and that is hard to do when you cannot even speak your own language. When I am at class in the University here in Quito all I want to do is speak in English. Sometimes I feel that it would be easier if a teacher could explain a topic to me in my language because I would learn it better. Although, I know there is no other way to learn a language other than speaking it all the time, which the teachers here are trying to say. Perhaps they could do it in a way that is not so harsh?

I do not view my teacher as strict but the students know that she means business when she walks into the room. She has an affectionate side to her that all can see but she likes to keep them on task. This is the kind of teacher I hope to be because I feel that this type of attitude accomplishes the most inside a classroom.

One other thing I love about my teacher is she is VERY organized. I have never met any teacher that is so on top of everything that they have to do. She is great about staying up to date with her website, writing her lesson plans for the upcoming weeks, and she is great at helping me. She allows me to work on my classroom management and is very hesitant to step in when I am in charge of the whole class. This week I was teaching a Math lesson when a group of boys would not stop talking. Instead of taking over and asking them to stop, she waited and allowed me to try to get them to stop. I used the wait time method and it was successful! During most of my past pre-practicums the teacher would always step in and never give me the chance to try out a new method I was taught at BC in a methods course.

One management idea that I saw on a school level was getting kids to think about being more environmentally friendly. In Ecuador the people are not allowed to drink from the tap so many students come in with disposable water bottles every day. My teacher took the time to teach a lesson to the entire “escuela primaria” (primary school grades 1-6) about recycling and how it will better the earth. One thing I wish I saw with this lesson was a bigger initiative to make this a rule on campus. The students would have done great with this if we told them that if they studied they would get extra recess time!

As a whole, the classroom management I have experienced in Ecuador is about the same that I have seen in the United States. I feel that my students here take me more seriously since I am a foreigner and they really want to hear what I have to say. I also think the fact that I am with them 2 days a week instead of 1 helps because they are able to see me as a more authoritative figure in the classroom.

Ecuadorian Culture

How is the culture of the country you are teaching in reflected in the school?

Consider class subjects, discussions, classroom design, schedules, assessment, etc.

Today I walked into my classroom and was taken aback by the topics we were going to cover during our “Health Talk.” Once a month, one teacher in the school travels to every classroom and teaches each grade level about a different health aspect. My students were being taught about the dangers of smoking, drugs, and alcohol. While this seems like a normal lesson from the topics I just mentioned, it was not!

First off, the lesson was in Spanish. By now I am used to everything in Spanish since I speak it in my dreams. But, this day was different because I have never spoken Spanish with my students. They were all amazed that I was able to get anything out of the lesson and did not believe me when I told them I understood everything the visiting teacher had said. Some of them tested me to see if I was really paying attention, while others began to see me as an equal. I think it was nice for them to see that I was a struggling Spanish learner just as they were struggling English learners.

But back to the lesson, the smoking culture here in Ecuador is extremely different than in the United States. Here you are considered “chevere” (or cool in Spanish) if you smoke. If you are out at night and do not smoke you are considered an annoyance. Because of this many of my students parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and relatives all smoke. This is a terrible influence on the students at Colegio Menor because they are unable to see the implications of this action.

During the lesson the children began to get worried because they were being taught that smoking causes lung cancer, a very serious illness. The students asked questions such as, “Will my mom and dad die because they smoke?” It was sad to see because in the United States a lesson like this is innate and we do not even have to be taught this. The visiting teacher told them that their parents will be okay if the students go home and try to be advocates to get them to stop smoking. This solution made the most sense to me because a child is able to convince their parents to do almost anything if it has to do with their health. One girl in my class soon told everyone that she actually had made her mother stop smoking because she told her second hand smoke kills. An interesting thing I learned today was second hand smoke in Spanish is said “fumador passivo,” which a direct translation to English is a passive smoker. I believe this terminology teaches the youth of Ecuador that they are actually already smoking when their parents do it so they might as well take up the habit, too.

Drugs in Ecuador are everywhere and on most street corners. There are people trying to sell you drugs just to buy food for their family. Most of the students in Colegio Menor live a sheltered life in the country because they are wealthy. In this regard they are very lucky. The students were taught about cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and more. Most of the children have never heard of these drugs so they were not very interested in this topic.

When the teacher began to talk about alcohol there was a sudden burst of laughter in the classroom. Each student said that they have seen their parents after some drinks and they thought it was really funny. The lesson was mainly about teaching them the effects of drunk driving. In Ecuador, it is very easy to pay off a police man instead of getting a ticket. Because of this many of the wealthy believe that it is okay to drink and drive because they will not get into serious trouble because of it.

One student told a story of the time that they were at a family party and their father had drank a lot. Her grandmother told him that he was not allowed to drive his family home and they would have to stay the night. She viewed it as a fun sleepover at her grandparents, while the teachers and I viewed it as a teaching moment when we could share with the students how lucky the girl was to have such a thoughtful grandmother.

While this lesson taught me a lot about the Ecuadorian culture, I thought it was interesting how different this is than in the United States. At this age our students already know the negative effects of smoking, drugs, and drinking. My students in Ecuador were surprised by all of this, which was truly shocking to me.

Differences and Similarities

Describe two differences and two similarities between teaching abroad and teaching in America. Consider teaching styles, classroom layout, schedules, collaboration between teachers, student requirements, etc.

Before arriving in Ecuador, I never took the time to research the school where I would be teaching. I was so worried about connecting with my host family and learning Spanish that I never searched the school on the Internet. While this is unlike me, I am so glad I approached the situation as I did. Upon arriving at Colegio Menor San Franciso de Quito, I was awe struck by the beauty of this school. It is set outside of Quito in a suburban neighborhood, Cumbayá. The school ranges from early childhood to high school and is upper class. The entire school is taught in English except for time dedicated to Spanish.

On our first day we were able to meet with the principle of the primary school and were assigned our cooperating teachers. I was going to work in a 4^th grade classroom with a teacher named, Gaby Cocios. We also took a tour of the school and were able to meet different teachers, assistants, and staff around the campus. One of the biggest differences I noticed between teaching in the United States and in a private school in Ecuador is the availability of support. Last semester I taught in the Thomas Edison School in Brighton and their lack of resources was very evident. I always expected the same or worse to happen in the school I was going to teach at in Ecuador but I was wrong. The amount of resources that are available to the teachers at Colegio Menor is outstanding. I suppose a reason is because the students need to pay a hefty tuition to attend the school. During our tour we were brought to the Teacher Resource Room, which is lined with maps, posters, books, colored pencils, movies, and anything else you can think of. Each grade has a section in the Teacher Resource Room and teachers are able to come in at any time to check out any resources they need. From my experience last semester, I learned the importance of having an endless supply of materials because the Thomas Edison did not even have crayons to give the Kindergarteners during Science class. On top of this, Colegio Menor also has a room dedicated to the sciences that is crowded with different experiments. I really believe students are able to learn more when there is more space, supplies, and support from the school.

My classroom in Colegio Menor with Gaby also shows the importance of space and availability of materials. Gaby has a separate location in the room that is completely dedicated to reading. Depending on what she is teaching each week she changes the books that are on display in the classroom. Each teacher is also given a website that they are required to keep up-to-date. Because of this the students are never able to say they did not receive assignments because they were not in school. It is the job of the teacher to upload every worksheet, workbook page, and homework assignment to the web. I know some teachers choose to do this in the United States but I have never heard of it being a requirement. I feel that it is beneficial for the students because they are able to go online if they have any doubts. It is helpful because it becomes the responsibility of the student instead of the teacher.

Another major difference between Colegio Menor and the schools I have taught at in the United States is they do not use a letter grade system. After a certain time period the teachers have individual meetings with the student’s parents and let them know about their son or daughter’s progress. Each teacher keeps a number grade in his or her grade book but never lets the student see this. The student is either doing good, normal, or poor work. This type of grading seems fair at first glance but it is important that students who are doing extremely well are rewarded for their efforts and I think this goes unnoticed with a grading system like this. On top of this a student who is doing poorly may feel that they are doing normal work. While a letter and number grade encourage competitiveness, it is valuable for the students to see how they are truly doing in school.

My first day at Colegio Menor was better than I imagined. The faculty and staff are so welcoming and the availability of resources makes me truly excited for my semester here! I cannot wait to get up and teach my first lesson with my students but I do hope they do not ask me to speak in Spanish because it is still terrible!

Aboriginal Performance at St.Ignatius Riverview

National Reconciliation Day is on May 26 in Australia and it is a day for healing for the Indigenous peoples of Australia who were moved out of their communities when the Europeans settled in Australia. This day fell on a school day for me and I was fortunate enough to watch a very interesting assembly. The school has a number of Aboriginal boys because they give out scholarships every year to provide these boys with an education. The Aboriginal boys from the high school worked together with the younger Aboriginal boys to choreograph a performance that told a story of the indigenous animals to Australia. The whole upper and lower school gathered in the auditorium to watch this performance. A guest speaker was brought in to talk about the Day of Reconciliation and a small prayer service was conducted. The boys ended the ceremony by playing Aboriginal instruments.

I though this assembly was such a great thing for the school to do. I learned so much about the "Stolen Generation" of the indigenous people of Australia just from this assembly and I think it was great for the whole school to experience. One of the most interesting things about it was that the Aboriginal boys were responsible for coming up with their own performance and practicing it. They also took turns saying little speeches about how their families were affected and it was very personal and moving to hear. It was very reflective of the culture of Australia and the racism that still is present in Australia. The country is definitely making progress in removing this racism by raising awareness and information but they still have a lot of progress to make.