Field Practicum

This week was “field practicum,” which meant we observed and taught at a local school in Barranquilla. Along with seven other trainees, I went to Instituto Tecnico Maria Cano, which is an all-girls public school here in Barranquilla. It has the highest IGFA scores in the city—that’s the equivalent of the ACT in Colombia. The school teaches all ages, from 1^st-11^th grade. We won’t have a volunteer in their school this year, but next year someone from the second group will probably get to teach there.

For the first two days, all I did was observe, including two eighth grade classes, one first grade class, and one eleventh grade class. On Thursday Itaught the 11^thgrade class on my own, and co taught the 1^st grade class with another volunteer from Peace Corps.

We were supposed to “grade” the teachers we were observing (and then tell them their scores) but since that was probably the most awkward of propositions regarding interactions with local teachers yet, I decided to forgo this part of the day.

In terms of observing, the first grade class was amazing to watch. My favorite activity was whenthe teacher said things like “Give me three pencils!” (in English) and the little kids would scramble from their chairs to get her their pencils…which escalated eventually to “Give me one chair!” at which point chairs literally went flying. But no one was hurt, and in a minute she had them sitting down and quiet again! I want to grow up to be like her. Except, I don’t want to teach primary at all, but that’s another story…

The sixth grade class, however, was a whole different sort of experience. In two hours, the teacher not only was less than effective, but she had me wanting to run away as fast as possible because I was so bored; after endless, futile permutations of one single reading activity (I was so bored I don’t even remember what the point of it was), the class was finally over. And the teacher disappeared. Meanwhile, in class I refused to speak anything but English to the kids (for instance, I answered their Spanish questions in English) and apparently this English teacher complained to the coordinator afterwards because she was sent someone who “didn’t speak Spanish!” (So I was useless in her English class, clearly)

In terms of teaching, I co-taught the first grade class with another volunteer. It was sort of awful. The class was two hours long and we were stuck in a tiny classroom with thirty little chairs and no real wall between us and another really loud class next to us, so I almost lost my voice just trying to make myself heard. And, then, well, it’s first graders. They are certainly not my cup of tea, nor were they my co-teachers’, so we spent a lot of the time smiling and helping the children while saying to each other softly, “Man I hope I don’t have to do this for the next two years!”

Then, I taught 11^th grade alone. I was nervous about this class since when I observed, I learned about 10 times more English grammar than I’d ever been exposed to…ever. This was the more “basic” 11^th grade class; most girls didn’t speak or understand much if any English and the teacher didn’t teach conversation—she just focused on grammar because that’s what they need for the IGFA. So what do I do? I go in with listening and speaking activities!

The theme was “tag questions”—things like, “She has a nice car, doesn’t she?”Or, “You for sure can’t speak Spanish, can you?” Using everything from tongue twisters to jazz chants to Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” we traipsed our way through two hours of class. And you know what?Not gonna lie, I would have liked to be in my class! And since I had so much fun writing the jazz chant, here it is for your enjoyment : )

(and just FYI, a jazz chant is meant to teach pronunciation or grammar or words or really anything oral, and you practice saying it as a class and add snaps and say it in a rhythm out loud together)

“The Bored Fish”

Once upon a time a fish in the sea,

Said to his friend, “Are you bored like me?”

“Yes,” said his friend, “I’m bored in the sea.

But we can have more fun, can’t we?”

“Yes!” said the fish, so they jumped into a tree!

“Now we’re having fun,” he said, “Aren’t we?”

I even drew a picture of fish in a tree. Yeah, that’s right.

After everything class was cut a little short because the 11^th graders were off to the university to learn more about what they could study there.

Sadly the Peace Corps folks weren’t there to watch me teach this class (they observed the first grade class instead, ugh) since I feel like (especially as opposed to 1^st grade) that’s somewhere I can actually bring something to the table. Also, if I get to teach secondary I wouldn’t have to spend the next two years singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” either. Always a plus!