Post #3

Last week, I was moved from 2nd grade to 1st grade because the 2nd grade Spanish teacher already had a student teacher, and the school director in charge of the lower school wanted to make sure I was with a teacher that could really help me.  There seems to e a lot of difference between the 1st and 2nd grades. In 1st grade Spanish, the students are just beginning to learn how to read and write in Spanish. The school is an immersion school, so in preschool and kindergarten, all in instruction was strictly in English. From 1st grade on up, all of the instruction will be in English with at least 1 class in Spanish. The subject that is taught in Spanish changes with the grade level, but in 1st through 3rd or 4th grade, it seems that Spanish class is especially important in terms of their developing reading and writing skills simultaneously in both languages. However, Language Arts is a major focus at the school, especially in the upper school, which consists of the middle and high school grades. We were even told by the director that if the school were to cut a program from the school, they would likely cut Spanish before cutting any of the music programs, for example. The school's focus is to have a high rate of academic ability in both English and Spanish. In terms of success, they director told us that generally students are a little behind they're grade's reading level until after about 6th grade, when they begin to surpass it. So, even though it may take a little longer, in the end, the school is very successful at turning out well-educated bilingual students that can literally go anywhere.

In terms of my involvement, I have been able to help my cooperating teacher and her assistant a lot with the more remedial tasks, such as organizing papers or preparing notebooks, as well as helping with the classes, keeping students on task, answering questions they have as I am able, and helping them prepare for their PBL presentation. The way they are taught is so much different from how I was trained, however, that I have not had opportunities to do any teaching directly. My teacher training consisted of teaching Spanish as a second language. The way these students are taught is more closely related to the training teachers would have had for teaching elementary English. The biggest focus is on learning how to express themselves through writing, and improving their handwriting, as well as learning how to read. When it comes to helping them, I can correct their spelling mistakes as long as I am familiar with the word (which I am most of the time), but their grammar is probably better than mine (in Spanish). Other than spelling, It is difficult for me to know what the teacher is looking for in order to guide and correct them. Occasionally, I do correct their handwriting if it is illegible. I have also noticed that they do a lot of drawing and coloring in this class. With almost everything they write, they are supposed to do a drawing. I know that this may be common practice in elementary school subjects, but I have also noticed that the teacher is adamant that they color a certain way, that they color going back and forth, that it should be neither too light or too hard, and that, and their projects, they should fill in the whole page with color, and even go back and outline the drawing if necessary. Having no good comparison to fall back on, I feel like the emphasis on their artistic achievements in this class are a bit extreme at their age, though I am sure there must be a good reason, other than just to impress the parents.

In terms of pictures, below is one of me at Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world) monument. Somewhere floating around, I have one of me with a large group of first graders who got to see Maria Fernanda Heredia, a famous Ecuadorian children's author who came to visit on Tuesday. As soon as I can, I will try to get a hold of that photo to share, especially because I think I enjoyed the author's visit as much as they did.

Here you have it, showin' WKU colors in the middle of the earth ( Mitad del mundo, Quito, Ecuador)

Not super clear, but this is two groups of 1st graders at Colegio Menor, pictured with their favorite Ecuadorian author, Maria Fernanda Heredia (lost somewhere in the middle). There are some teachers mixed in there too.

Post #2

Colegio Menor is very impressive. It is a huge campus with many buildings that serve children from pre-school to high school. The buildings are beautiful and clean. There are lots of open passageways and courtyards, as well as several playgrounds for various ages. The school wants for nothing in terms of resources. There are two infirmaries with a full-time doctor at one of them, and there is a huge cafeteria that serves students at several different kiosk-type service areas, each consisting of a different variety of options. There are also several spaces throughout the school to put on student performances, including the Rotunda, and my favorite, the Oven, named for it's remarkable ability to retain heat. My cooperating teacher and her class were putting on student performances there everyday this week, so I became well acquainted with the Oven at the beginning of the week. Another important note about the school in general is that it is a private school attended by the students of the wealthiest families in Quito and Cumbayá where it is located. It is an immersion school, and all classes are taught in English except Spanish class. Students don't begin taking Spanish class until 1st grade.

As to my classes, I was placed in a 2nd grade Spanish class. In this class, they learn reading and writing skills, and they study the history and culture of Ecuador. The second graders are divided into 5 classes, each named after a famous artist. My cooperating teacher, Alex, and her assistant, Che, see each group three times a week. The scheduling is very odd. each class stays with their group, but goes to different teachers throughout the day. Two of the three times that they have Spanish class, they are there for two hours. the third time, they are only there for an hour. On some days, the teachers have huge blocks of free time for planning, and on other days, they may get an hour outside of scheduled breaks, and are run ragged.

The 2nd grade classes have been work on a PBL project that has taken them 8 weeks to complete, and culminates this week with a presentation for their parents. each class presents on a different day so that there are 5 presentations throughout the week. Due to the on-going project, and also the overall school culture, which is rather laid-back, the students seem a little out of control. There is a sense that organization and classroom management procedures do exist, but have been worn through with time. I have to wonder if changing teachers throughout out the day affects student's behavior at this age. However, it does somewhat depend on the teacher as well. On my first day, I was able to observe a math teacher, and she seemed to maintain classroom order pretty well, even with a very energetic group of students who had just finished presenting their projects to their parents.

On Wednesday, I was placed with the 1st grade Spanish teacher because the 2nd grade teacher already had a student teacher that she was working with. 1st grade seems so much different from 2nd grade! the students seem to be a bit better behave (though it depends on the class), and there seems to be more structure in the learning. In this class, they are also doing a PBL, but it is much simpler than the one in 2nd grade, which included models, posters, and a video presenting the research done by each teach on their chosen subject. In the 1st grade, the students are basing their PBL projects on the study of pets. for the presentation to their parents, each student writes a synopsis of their project, either giving information, giving tips, or telling about their pets, and then draw or bring in a photograph to show the parents.

In terms of the community, everyone is very nice and helpful, and eager to make sure all of your needs are met. I have had a cold since the beginning of the week, and when I told my cooperating teachers this, they insisted that I go to the infirmary, even though I felt as if it would take care of itself. The teachers are very helpful and kind, they never seems to get too upset, even when I can tell that they are tired or at their whit's end, they still maintain their calm, call their students by endearing names, and and maintain this calm even after the students have gone. I have not seen them discipline the students too much, even when they might have need some firmness to address their behavior, but what they lack in discipline they make up in tenderness. Students call the teachers by their first name, and often greet them with a hug, even in the hallways if they see them.

In sum, the school and the environment is a lot different than I expected, but I am gradually adjusting.

Post #1

Hola,

I am super excited to be going to Quito, Ecuador in a few short days! The teacher I will be working with teaches Spanish to second grade students. I feel like this is a very unique opportunity to learn how the language is taught to native speakers of Spanish. I am hoping to learn techniques for teaching grammar in an understandable way. From what little I know of Latin American culture in general, I feel like the school environment will be fairly laid back, that the students will none-the-less be enthusiastic and well behaved, and will soak up learning. At least, this is what I have experienced in schools I visited in Argentina. Reasonably, the culture in Quito will be very different. From talking with my cooperating teacher, it seems that I will have a good experience. She seems to be really caring and invested in her students, with an emphasis on their learning, and learning well. She also seems, from the little we have communicated, that she will be a very good mentor. I am excited to see what I will learn fro her, and what I will learn from her students as I help with the class.