Now, I should tell you that having visitors in my classroom (even one as chaotic as all of them are here) doesn't phase me. This is a bit contradictory to my personality seeing how I despise speaking in front of "grown ups." However, my only real teaching experience has been highly watched. What I mean is, I student taught. That's basically 24/7 observations of your mentor teacher, principals, advisors, etc. Then I got hired at Lockeland and since it was a brand new school with a brand new Spanish program (that I was creating), we had many visitors. I had daily visitors as the teachers were required to stay in my classroom with their students during Spanish time. Classroom management tends to be one of my strengths, and I attribute that to having another adult in the room while I was teaching in my early years. It's a whole lot harder to yell and go bonkers on a kid when someone else is watching. I had to keep my "temper" and such in check. Occasionally I wish I still had teachers in my room to be a physical reminder to treat my students like they should be treated. Moreover, Lockeland was in the spotlight. I was in the Tennessean once and it seemed like every week we were having some publicity or visitors in the building. It really got to be second nature (for teachers and students) to expect someone to pop their head (or whole body) into your classroom and watch for a few minutes, hear an explanation from the principal, and move on. No big deal.
Ha!
Apparently here, visits are a huge deal. And I can see that in other schools in the States, too. My frame of reference is just different. There's that word different again. It seems to pop up all over the place!
At any rate, Prof. Roberto was a bit bent out of shape. I don't mean he was mad, but he seemed out of sorts, nervous and worried. It was explained to me that when anyone from the SEP comes, it's usually with months notice. It's very formal, they're there for 5 minutes and ya (that's it). This two hour thing is what's daunting me. Whatever in the world will we do?! I'm sure we'll figure it out. I tried to explain during recreo that the original purpose for his visit to the school, was just for him to visit. And he just wanted to meet me and see what was going on where I was. No. Big. Deal.
We discussed some options for the "presentation," and he will ring the bell when they get there and the kids will line up like they always do. We'll have a 6th grader who has been in the English program since 1st grade welcome them in English and another child "translate." Then they will all go back to their classes, and I'm guessing we'll chat and then see the classrooms. It is minutely possible that I'll need to show a lesson, but I kind of doubt it. I think he's more interested in seeing what the schools look like. What materials are lacking, etc. The lady who sells things at recreo will have to only sell healthy things. There's a three page list of things she's allowed to sell and one even longer of things she's not allowed to sell. Since the Assistant Secretary will be there, they feel obligated to follow the rules.
Also, during my first 1st grade, Prof Roberto came in and preached (kind of in a frenzy) to the kids about wearing their uniforms and the girls fixing their hair. That if they weren't in uniform and weren't clean and fixed up, not to come! He said that the trash should be picked up in the classrooms and that everything should be organized and in its place.
It was almost comical the difference (there's that word again!) in our perceptions of what would happen and how it should go down.
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