Nearing the End of Week One

Where oh where do I begin?! Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote, but I will try to give just a brief synopsis of what's been going on the last few days.  On Monday, I met my Cooperating Teacher and some of the other teachers and staff members on campus.  It's great to see how much they work with one another, including the Literacy instructor, the Special Education teacher, and the Elementary Principal.  The students were not there on Monday, so I had plenty of time to get to know my Cooperating Teacher and ask her questions about her classroom and the students.  She's a very easygoing person and has a lot of great ideas.  Since this is only her first semester at ANS, it feels as if we are a team.  I really value the respect she has given me and am looking forward to future lessons and time spent planning!  The teachers from grades 3-5 met for a book club on Monday, and will continue to meet every Wednesday.  This is a time for professional development and to share ideas and how to use the methods described in the book in the classroom. 

Tuesday was the first official day of classes.  My Cooperating Teacher has all fifth grade classes for science, and then teaches the "homeroom" class Language Arts.  There are far more prep periods than I could have ever imagined, so there is plenty of time to eat lunch and plan lessons for the days to come.  I have never been in a school where teachers were given so much prep time!  It is mostly due to the fact that the students have Spanish every day with a Spanish teacher and a special (music, art, PE).  The majority of the students in the classroom are Nicaraguan, and none are from the U.S.  This surprised me, but I think it will be very beneficial for me to teach a class comprised of almost all Nicaraguan students. 

Some differences I have noticed between Nicaraguan students and American students include the following:

• Nicaraguan students are VERY chatty, especially during instruction
• Since this is a private school, the students are very privileged (nannies, maids, tutors, etc)
• They always speak in Spanish, unless answering questions from the teacher.  It's not that they can't speak Enlish, it's just that Spanish is their native language
• They are world travelers (US, Spain, Switzerland, France, South America, Canada, Holland)

I have not taught a full lesson yet, but I have done a lot of co-teaching.  My main focus right now is to get to know the students' names, their interests, and my Cooperating teacher's teaching style.  I've gotten to know the more outgoing students in class, but with the quieter students it has been through email.  My Cooperating teacher had the students email me about themselves and what they did over break.  It was great hearing all of their adventures, and one student sent me some links to great vacation spots in Nicaragua!  Some interesting facts about Nicaragua:  Their staple food is beans and rice with plantains; for New Years, fireworks are a huge form of celebration;  a form of greeting includes kissing on the cheek when hugging; (more Central/South American thing) people always arrive at least a half an hour to an hour later than the planned time to meet.

I am looking forward to a weekend of sleeping in, working on lesson plans and the TWS, laying by the pool, a neighborhood Greece-themed dinner, and hopefully a trip to the beach!

I have yet to adapt to Nican food, as you can see.

One of Laura and I's better meals (chicken, peppers, mashed potatoes).

Please look at our food and not our faces!