After kicking off the year with a mysterious 24-hour fever, I’ve got four days of first grade under my belt. Two were good, two not so much. A pretty average week. Teaching is a literal roller coaster ride. Here I was thinking that going into my second year, things would be a million times easier. Granted, the fact that I already knew 24 out of my 25 students definitely gave me a head start, and knowing what to expect made facing so many little Spanish speakers much less intimidating. However, I’ve still been running through every little detail of my day ten times in my head before starting class, not wanting to forget to teach them an important procedure. I’ve asked myself over and over again, Why can’t they just keep their hands to themselves? I’ve kicked myself for not reminding them to refrain from the things I find perfectly obvious, like folding books in half, ripping name tags off the wall, and making pig piles in P.E. Yesterday, we spent the better part of the day trying to make a line without talking and knocking each other over like dominoes. My patience has already been pushed to the limit. But, mixed in with those infuriating incidents, have been moments of huge success. Two of my most difficult students from last year had a phenomenal week (now I’ll jinx it), one of whom was the first to sit perfectly in his spot in the hallway while the others pushed and tripped each other into line after recess. The whole class gets a big kick out of the new attention signal I introduced where I say, “Classsss?” and they respond with “Yessss?” We moved our bumblebee one step toward a class reward today when the first graders earned more points than Miss Alyssa.
In my few weeks since being back in Honduras, I have found that being a second year teacher and a returner to BECA has given me an interesting and enjoyable perspective on teaching. Serving in mentor and classroom lead positions has pushed me to reflect further on my own methods as I discuss ideas and provide suggestions for others. It has forced me to think, Am I really following my own advice? One thing my fellow returners and I have said many times to newer teachers is that teaching is all about trial and error. Even those of us who entered the year with abundant ideas about behavior management, classroom organization, and daily routines still come home every day and decide to take something out and add something else in. You just never know what will work for certain students and what won’t. Sometimes it feels like you have to try a hundred things before you find the one that captivates the crazy, energetic six-year-olds. To me, it’s the determination to accept a multitude of errors before reaching success that defines a good teacher. I told myself yesterday that I will have my students continue practicing lines for as long as it takes for them to do it in a civilized manner. (Seriously, you should see the boys… it’s like Whack-A-Mole.) Even when maintaining a positive attitude seems impossible and your first stop after school is the Sarita ice cream shop, it’s the challenging days that push you to become better.
Enough about school. My first few weeks back in Honduras after the summer have been full of happy reunions and new bonding. Seeing all the familiar faces of the students, families, and friends around town almost made it seem like I never left. Although I still haven’t caught up with everyone, I’ve enjoyed a few home visits with promises of more to come. The new group of teachers is determined, passionate, and fun, and I’m looking forward to a great year working with them. For our group bonding trip, we went to Lago de Yojoa, where I successfully went under the Pulhapanzak waterfall for the second time, jumped off a 25-foot cliff, and made the excellent decision to get up at 4:15 a.m. for a sunrise hike. We’ve spent some fun nights in Cofradia singing, playing guitar, and learning how to dance bachata. My apartment gets a refreshing breeze through the window and a view of the sunrise over the mountains every morning (accompanied by the constant call of a rooster). And of course there have already been multiple Honduran events in the park, including marching bands, inflatables, and fireworks all day. It’s good to be back.
