good teaching week

As you can see from my last post, it's been a pretty good week. I also should add that things have gone quite smoothly as far as teaching goes. I've feel much more relaxed in class. I used to be planning and fine tuning those plans up until the last minute before class. Add onto that that I would enter my classes super nervous and I'm sure my students could tell. After more than one observation, Marilyn noted that the pitch of my voice gets higher when I'm nervous and unsure. Thanks goodness that has subsided a bit! I think the high voice was the icing on a not so good cake that was overly decorated and detailed. I was too uptight and trying to make everything perfect and feeling like it was my huge responsibility to educate them. If they didn't get it, or weren't doing well then it was my fault. Geez! why do I take everything so darn seriously!

I think the change in 'performance' and confidence came once I realized that I most likely will not be teaching next year. I know that I'm not teaching Spanish here and that I'm going to explore other options. So I've said to myself: "Self - who knows when, or even if, you'll be teaching again, so why not make the most of it. Have fun! Make mistakes! Keep it light! Laugh a little! You are not the only way these students can learn Spanish. it's a life long process to get into and master a language and you have to face the fact that not all of them will love it as much as you do. However, that doesn't mean they can't enjoy it while they are learning it!" yeah, that was a great revelation. I've also stopped seeing my students as these odd creatures who have some power over me. They are just kids! Why do I let them get to me! If anything, I should be the one that scares them! Ha ha, but know, I'm not that mean!

Each unit (of three chapters each) is structured around a different Spanish speaking culture. All the vocab, grammar, and dialogue relate in some way back to the culture. This unit we're in Puerto Rico and the first chapter, which we just tested on yesterday, has a cultural reading on the music of Puerto Rico, specifically "Bomba y Plena"

(http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/archives_03.aspx). I've been a little frustrated because there is so much pressure to cover tons of vocab and grammar before the end of the year and focus on culture is often pushed to the side or given minimum attention. Well I truly believe that the reason you learn a language is so you can better understand and connect with the cultures in which the language is spoken. Unfortunately, I have skipped over many of the cultural sections because there just isn't time and I have to keep up with the schedules of my colleagues who are teaching other sections of the same class.

Today, however, I decided to prioritize culture. On the test there was a reading that mentioned a Bomba y Plena concert and although more knowledge of this cultural item wouldn't have really affected how they answer the question, I felt like a jerk that I didn't prep my students about this cultural aspect that was mentioned on the test. So I decided to take the beginning of the class today to do the reading in the textbook on Bomba y Plena and have them answer some questions related to the reading. Then I found two great videos on the Smithsonian website that demostrated the music and dancing. Know one has educated me yet on how to connect a mac to a projector (I've tried it myself but it's all the wires are twisted and don't fit. I feel like a dunce!) so I had all thirteen students and I huddle around my 12inch screen to watch these tiny videos. Throughout the video I could point out certain things we saw in the reading. Afterwards, I had them brainstorm a few other dances that they knew and from where in Latin America they dances came.

It was a good bonding experience. It made me realize that even if these students don't absorb and master all the grammar, they at least should be exposed to the rich cultural characteristics of Latin American and Spain. They may not remember my the precisely organized lesson plan about stem-changing verbs but they will remember me trying to demostrate dancing across the front of the room, trying to demonstrate tango (which I did today!). I'd like to find a way we can bring some Latin American dancers to Emma so that they can see the dances in action and have the culture come to life.

So moral of the story - I'm learning to chill out a little and not take everything so darn seriously. We gotta have fun in every moment, because its the only moment like it that we have.

Woo hoo for long birthdays!

I've decided that Sunday is the best day to have a birthday because there are so many days to celebrate before, on and after it. This year served as a perfect example. Here in the Emma Willard community, birthdays, and just personal interaction and care in general, are very important. So, the week before my birthday i was getting birthday wishes, hugs, and hellos. My house mates planned a Friday night birthday outing with the young faculty members (and for a boarding school there are a good number of us!) We went to El Mariachi, a popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Albany. Saturday I spent the day with preparing myself for my birthday - sleeping in until 11am, making myself a yummy scrambled eggs and toast breakfast, reading, running 3 miles, talking on the phone with friends and putting myself to bed watching the movie Garden State.

From an outsider's perspective my actual birthday on Sunday could have been pretty uneventful but for me it was absolutely perfect. You see, I typically am working my booty off on Sundays to get ready for the week. But by the grace of God I was already pretty well prepared and found myself enjoying another day of relaxation and quality personal time (which I adore). As the evening rolled around, Kristi (one of my house mates)and I decided to order Chinese food and watch a movie on t.v. That worked for me! I was craving a birthday cake that Kristi had promised to buy but rainy/icy/yucky weather forbid any one from tackling the slippery streets. As I'm scarfing down mu-shu vegetable (I know Ally, my Chinese expert....that's probably not how it's spelled!) down i get a call from three of my students who proceed to sing a loud and enthusiastic happy birthday over the fun. It was so great to hear from them! Later on Jessie (house mate 2) made a batch of brownies and wrote 'Happy Birthday'in frosting on it. Yum!

So then you'd think that by day after my birthday I'd be all birthdayed out but thankfully (well actually not so thankfully because of the dangerous streets) the bouquet of roses from my parents that were to be delivered on Sunday, arrived during classes Monday. And thus the celebration lives on, keeping the top left corner of my work desk brightly decorated and smelling sweet!

Alright, so that was Monday and today my friends, yes today, three days after my birthday the residential hall where I am on duty 2 nights a week gave me a surprise birthday party. I had no idea it was coming and must have been very tired because I was completely oblivious to some actions of the students that almost gave it away. In the last 10 mintues of study hall, I noticed that an unusual number of students needed to head to the bathroom or to get more water and then head back to their rooms. I found it odd, but I'm not one to do much policing on this hall because I trust them. Then Melissa (houseparent on next hall over) comes to the hall saying she is going to talk to Gemma (the houseparent of the hall. She had her night off - hence why I was on duty) about something. By the way, I had spelled something very yummy baking and so when Gemma came out of her apartment I asked her what was baking, hoping it to be something for the hall. "Oh it's my advisee's birthday tomorrow.". Then she asks me to come into her apartment because she wants to discuss the upcoming community dorm program that I didn't hear about because I wasn't at the ResFac meeting on my birthday.

Anyways, I completely fall for it, enter Gemma's apartment and hear all about the program. Then Melissa says she must head back to her hall. I stay there because Gemma says I need to select 5 questions from a list that will be used for the program. I comply but midway through completing the task Gemma says, "well don't worry about doing it now. you can just get it to me tomorrow". It being her night off, I wanted to protect her free time and so agreed and decided to leave. Gemma opens the door to the hall to let me out and I see and hear all girls on my hall scream: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGIE!!!!!!! and then they proceeded to sing to me. Streamers were everywhere and I was presented with a huge happy birthday poster. That yummy baking turned out to be for my surprise birthday party!!!!! Lucky me! It was so great, especially because I didn't see it coming. Apparently when Melissa left before me the girls thought it was I who was leaving and so they started to shout and then had to hold it in. I, of course didn't hear a thing! I'm so gullible.

So yes, this was a wonderful long drawn out birthday and I am so blessed to be living with/working with such great, generous and fun people!

Birthday pic

Vacation summary and Job ideas

I had a wonderful 2.5 weeks for break in which I visited with family, met up with some good friends and even went to Florida for a wedding! There were two firsts in that visit- first time in Florida (not too impressed! it's so flat and you have to have lots of money and want to only shop, eat, or sun bathe! nevertheless it was a great respite from the pace of northern life)It was the first wedding I have been to for one of my friends. Apparently this is going to be a common thing as I move through my 20s. I certainly won't be able to keep up. I am super excited for her and they seem wonderful together but marriage is no where near my radar (neither are any potential husbands or boyfriends to say the least! It seems they don't grow many intelligent, tall, charming, and fun men here in the Albany region!) Anyways, I am quite content in my singleness. I have so much I want to do and I am currently okay with the fact that I can plan and explore freely.

Speaking of which, I have some new ideas for the upcoming summer and year. it is becoming clear that I won't be at Emma Willard School next year. The contract is only for a year and even if I wanted to stay there really isn't room for another Spanish teacher. Marilyn will be back full time and they are also opening up a Chinese program. I wonder how many students will choose to study this up and coming world language over Spanish or French. So...this means I need to pursue other areas and I am actually quite excited about this. I think I am not destined to write on a chalkboard for the rest of my life but I could see myself returning to teaching in a few years. I am, however, still interested in the field of education, but perhaps I am looking for something more interactive and international. Are there grad schools for international education? i will have to look into that!

I've taken one step to get into this field. I turned in an application to an organization called Global Works (www.globalworksinc.com) which is based in State College, PA. Generally it's an organization that takes 2,3, or 4 week trips abroad trips for high school students in the summer. The programs I am interested travel to Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, central and coastal Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Each program is based on community service, language learning, and cultural exchange. I would like to be a co-leader for one of these programs. Two days after turning in my application I was asked to go interview in NYC on Jan.20th (next Saturday)!! I am really excited about this opportunity and hope it leads to more job opportunities in the field.