Whether I was excited to get back or had forgotten how long it actually took, I arrived over 20 minutes early for school. Of course the gate was locked (as mentioned in the hug/kiss entry), but I conquered that quickly and luckily.
When I got to the computer room, Sandra had half of Anabel's 1st graders in there doing phonics exercises on the computer. I asked her what was going on and she said something about testing and half of the students showing up (I told you two weeks of English was BAD for me!). She also mentioned that Anabel was out getting her blood tested. This was my first group, but Sandra said it wouldn't be worth the trouble for me to teach only half of them. Fine by me! I don't mind putting off my most difficult group!
I stayed in the computer lab with half of the little beasts. I actually like them a lot in a non-English class setting. Lucano came and sat with me for awhile and watched me grade some tests. He was really sweet. I think he'll end the year loving English. Maybe I'm a bit too optimistic.
Some others came over to watch for awhile as well. All of them were excited to see me when I got there. They can be sweet. I sometimes forget that when I'm battling discipline problems.
I organized my crazy file drawers and got my lesson ready for the other (precious) first grade class. As I was headed out the door to teach them, Sandra told me not to bother, that we were going to cut the cake (more on that in the next entry). No teacher was around, and Martha (the teacher of the class I was about to teach) had just asked me if I would be with her group. While I am so very behind in every other grade, first grade gives me no worries. We are on or ahead of schedule. And Martha's group is the faster group that seems to enjoy English. We get a lot accomplished (including some unintentional cultural stuff just to fill the time). I was excited, though about seeing these kids. As soon as I walked in, I remembered why. Their eyes lit up upon seeing me, and they all rushed to get their English books out on their desks. It's amazing how you can actually see genuineness in students' eyes. Probably half of this class absolutely love English class or me or both. I wish I could teleport this to you all. Even in pictures, I'm not sure it can be completely portrayed.
I spent most of the class reviewing all of the vocabulary from the first three units we'd completed. They blew me away. Even Jorge, my one troublemaker in this group, was able to shout out the answers. It's such a good feeling to see them remember AND be excited about sharing.
We had a little more time, so I went ahead and started the new unit. This time we're studying modes of transportation, which is new to me. I don't teach that at home. It should be interesting. I started with flashcards and "What is it?" Of course they couldn't answer, but I was able to ask them color and size questions and they could answer correctly!
I just love this group!
Before I knew it, it was recess time.
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