20 questions

The game I had played with 5th grade for the tv show was more or less a version of 20 questions.  On Friday, they had a version of their own for me.

As I was walking toward their room, I heard, "Teacher!  Teacher is on her way!"

This just irks me because while they're announcing that I'm coming, it seems only to be a warning that they should get out of their seats, cause trouble, and waste time.  To me, if they're going to announce my entrance, it should be so that everyone is getting ready and in their seats.

Ha.

Oh, well.

I was bothered because I enter the class this way every day!  I decided to walk in with my hands over my ears to make my point.  I try not to yell.  That's my theory.  However, Mexican reality is that I yell.  A lot.  So much so that my throat hurts daily and I am currently on a one-hot-tea-a-day plan to fix the pain.

When  I walked in, students surrounded me as usual.  Stefany, a star student who happens to love English so much that she has outside classes, approached me as well.  I just looked at her while she was talking, of course without answering because I had my hands over my ears!

She asked again.  I kept looking at her.  Another student shouted to her, "Say it louder; she can't hear you!"

Wow.  Clearly not getting my message.

I yelled for them to get to their seats (note that yell means volume, not temperament).  I explained my frustration with their apparent knowledge of my entrance into class yet inability to be prepared or quiet for said entrance.  Just once, I said, I'd like to walk into a quiet classroom.

At this point, Arcelia (their teacher) had arrived at the door.  I was prepared to begin class, thought I knew Stefany had something on her mind because she was not raising her hand.  About that time, I hear the teacher whisper to her to raise her hand.  She does.  She asks if they can ask me a few questions.  Well of course!  I love that kind of thing anyway, but especially on days where I accidentally ran late with 4th grade (the class before), having only 20 minutes instead of the typical 35 (alleged 50- HA!).  They wanted to know lots of things about the US: what did kids their age do?  Where did US families go on vacation?  Where all had I traveled?  Why was there more money in the US?  What was the most popular job?  How many people lived there?  Why did I come to Culiacán?  It was fun, interesting, and often difficult (We have the word gringo to refer to a US citizen.  Do you have a word for a Mexican?  Try answering that one!)

I enjoyed it because it was a personal level instead of an instructional class. Building that relationship always makes for better learning.