We're In First Grade

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

We have started our third week at the Escuela de Esperanza de Amaza. Mike mentioned that after the first three days at the pre-school, Emma and I moved over to the secondary school, into the first grade classroom. This class is a better fit for us because the teacher, Margot (not the same Margot with whom we live), provides much more structure to the day. There are 17 students in her room and they’re all indigens, meaning indigenous to this land. All of the children are very friendly; some of them shy, but others not shy in the least. Some of the girls love to hug us, so of course we hug them back. It can be really easy to communicate love and acceptance without saying a word.

 

The First Grade Class, with Emma, Nan and Señiorita Margot (and perro)

Hugging Sayana and Graciela

Señorita Margot gives us tasks that help her teach. Last week, they were working on modes of transportation. Margot had the class brainstorm different ways to travel, and they came up with seven. She asked us to draw a poster of the seven modes: autobus, carro, avión, barco (boat), bicicleta, helocóptero, y caballo (horse). So we made a big poster and drew all the things by hand. I think it turned out pretty well, actually. The next morning, some of the older kids helped us finish the coloring and labeling. Margot was very pleased with the result, thankfully.

This school relies heavily on drawing as a means to learning. They can hardly rely on computers for homework, as most residents of the community don’t have them. Indeed, the school itself hardly uses their own computer lab, for unknown reasons. I’m not sure that they have a copier, either. Emma and I discovered this last week because Margot asked us to make worksheets for the children’s homework. Yesterday, using ink stamps and a ruler, we made 85 sheets of all the vowels, 17 for each one. We actually finished them all that day, and Margot was so grateful that she gave Emma a big hug when we left that afternoon! We’ve made many other worksheets, using smaller ink stamps, to help the children with counting and letters. As you might imagine, Margot has quite a library of stamps, with all sorts of images that contribute to the lessons. Emma and I have become good at stamping.

Another popular teaching aid is to sing songs. Like at home, the younger kids really get a kick out of singing, clapping along and gesturing the lyrics. Last week Margot asked us if we could sing some children’s songs in English. We chose a few favorites, and decided to start with the Alphabet Song. Then Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star came to mind because it has the same melody, so we added that one to the list. I also thought it would be good to translate it into Spanish just for fun (we have a great translating program on the computadora!). Interestingly, the Spanish version is not exactly like the English one. It says:

“Little star, where are you?

I want to see you shine,

In the sky and in the sea,

A diamond, it is true,

Little star, where are you?

I want to see you shine.”

In class the next day, we began the lesson by reciting the alphabet, and Emma wrote the letters and words on the board. I sang it in English a few times, then Margot sang the equivalent in Spanish. The children didn’t seem to know this song very well, and neither did they seem too interested in learning it! Twinkle, Twinkle followed naturally, when I said (in Spanish) that we know another song with the same melody, about a star in the sky. This time, we sang the Spanish version first. Most of the children didn’t know this one either, so it helped to have the Spanish words written on the board. Margot created gestures for the words and the kids enjoyed that. We all performed this song many times, it being the preferred version to the alphabet one. Margot asked me to sing it in English, so I did that a few times too. It can be very difficult for some Spanish speakers to pronounce certain English sounds, like “twinkle,” or “world.” I know the feeling: do you realize how difficult it is to pronounce “restaurante”? (not "restront", but with two rolled r’s and a compound vowel sound). In the interest of time, we stuck to the Spanish version, which was much more fun for everybody. 

Erika, Azucema, Santiago, and Naomi peeking from behind

Most of the kids in our class know our names now. When we arrive in the morning, they are already assembled. They see us enter and they all yell “Buenos Dias, Nancy Emma!!” What a treat to see their happy faces welcoming us. Several of the children feel comfortable enough to come up and lean into our laps to say something, or to ask questions like “Is your house big?” One girl named Graciela is very outgoing. The other day, she came up to me and held my hand in hers, examining my rings and veins and skin. She noticed a scab where I’d scraped my knuckle on something, and asked what it was. I said “en Ingles, es un ‘boo-boo.’” I pointed to some more on my ankle and said “boo-boo.” She got it right away, looking for scrapes on her own arms and legs, repeating “boo-boo!” each time. I wonder if she told her family that evening what a boo-boo is.

Perhaps this week, we can teach the class Wheels on the Bus. The kids could relate to this one because we just studied modes of transportation, and because everyone here rides a bus. We can find out if there’s a Spanish version of this song, too. I’ll let you know next time.