Today I woke up with a sore throat and the definitely feeling that I’m getting sick… ugh. I guess that’s not too surprising since I come in contact with hundreds of little germ-carrying children every day!
My first class today was at 8:30am, so I walked to school with Margot. It only takes 30 seconds to get there, but we leave at 8:20am, so that she can hang out a bit with her friends and I can make some copies. Today I was in Margot’s class (it went really well) first, and we talked about nationalities. They practiced answering the question “What’s your nationality?” and then I had them do a little worksheet where they answered questions about other people. The question was either “What’s HIS nationality?” or “What’s HER nationality?” and they responded either “SHE’S _____” or “HE’S ______.” There was a bit of confusion when they thought we were talking about cheese (“she’s”)… that was entertaining!
I headed home at 9:45am because my next class wasn’t until 1:30pm at the other school. I was feeling even sicker at this point, so I headed straight to bed. I decided to just lie in bed and watch the movie “Arthur” (online). I dragged myself out of bed at 12:15pm, so I would have time to pack some lunch (leftover mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts) and bike over to the other school. The other teachers were all in the staff room eating lunch when I arrived. I warmed mine up and then sat down, just listening to their conversations. I don’t really know anyone very well there and, although they’re all nice, I just haven’t spent enough time with them to really connect.
Today was a teacher’s birthday and he brought in two Charlottes (a fancy cake) that he had made. And—two bottles of champagne! Yes, teachers are permitted to drink alcohol at school during lunch. That’s a little bit different than the US… I had a slice of the pear Charlotte (the other option was chocolate, which looked amazing as well) and it was delicious!
My two classes at the other school went by really quickly (30 mins each is SO short!) and we didn’t get that much done. Seriously—I spent AT LEAST 10 minutes just telling them to stop talking/getting up/poking their neighbor/etc., which is a huge waste of time! Hopefully it’ll get better eventually…
I biked home (it wasn’t raining—yay!!) and had about 15 minutes to rest before I had to go teach again. Unfortunately I had the hardest class (the 9-10 yr olds) and it didn’t go well. When the teacher left (to go with the Spanish students), she said that if any of them were misbehaving, I was to send them to her. Well, it started out ok…I had them all stand up and I asked each of them a question (“Where do you live?” “Where do you come from” etc.) and they could sit down when they’d responded. However, after about 20 minutes, it was getting loud and a bunch of people weren’t paying any attention to what I was saying. I tried the “I’m waaaaiting” and then staying absolutely silent with the death look on my face. After about 1 minute (while different students take turns shouting “shhhh!!”), it finally gets quiet and I continue. And almost immediately they return to talking and moving…aaargh! Finally I had to send the most disruptive boy out of the room. But, he totally refused to go. Hmm, what now? After telling him about 5 times (in different threatening ways), I had another student escort him from the room (which, apparently is normal procedure). Ridiculous. I had to send another boy from the class as well, and they both will be held in from recess and have a note sent home to their parents. Perhaps they will behave better next time?
I feel bad for the students in that class who are quiet and pay attention. We’d get so much more done if I wasn’t constantly dealing with the troublemakers. It doesn’t help that it’s a class of 23 students and the teacher doesn’t stay. This definitely isn’t “assisting.”
I was so very tired when I finished (at 4:30pm), I came home and had made some tea. Margot and I chatted while I drank my tea and she drank her iced tea. Then I headed upstairs where I went back to bed until dinnertime.
We had a delicious broccoli, potato, & cheese casserole for dinner. I had no energy, so I just lied down on the couch (after I’d helped clear up) and watched the news on TV. Even though I don’t really want to watch TV, I feel bad always disappearing up into my room. So, some nights I’m “sociable” and I watch TV… Tonight we watched a documentary about a children’s hospital in France.
When I finally went upstairs, I ended up skyping with Maria! I’ve discovered that I don’t have anyone here to really laugh with. Yes, I laugh here—but not giggle fits that last for several solid minutes. And, despite me being sick, tonight Maria and I caught up a bit in our laughing quota…
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