Today we had more Spanish lessons. They are going well. I find it more and more interesting to observe my teachers from the point of view of myself as a teacher and not just as a student. I believe each teacher follows a similar “plan” that the school gives them. I have seen English students carrying workbooks – but we do not have workbooks. We started out with some basic phrases “Cuales to nombre?” “Me nombrees Alison;” “Queedad tines?” “Yotengovientesieteanos” We covered topics like name, age and job. We also had phrases based on favorite food, drink, color and type of music.
We do a lot of call and response. We repeat and repeat and repeat… and even then I do not feel I have learned near as much as they have tried to teach me – but I’ve tried! The teachers always play music while they are setting something up or writing a lot of stuff on the board. It is nice, it keeps an upbeat atmosphere in the classroom. We also play games and use visuals whenever possible. Sometimes it seems cheezy but it keeps us interested, it keeps us moving and we don’t dwell too long on any one thing and so that helps the time pass quickly. It makes me wonder how Spanish is taught in the states, or even in my own school. I believe that the teacher teach English to Spanish speakers the same way that they teach Spanish to the English speakers. One important thing is that the teachers obviously love their jobs. They are always energetic and excited. Although they know some of it is silly they don’t apologize. I think they know we are having fun.
It is interesting to see the differences in culture here compared to the Midwest. Some of the differences I think are based on socio economic status, but others I am sure are based on traditions. Walking down the street there are street vendors who mostly sell food. They have some hot/fried items but also a lot of fruits, like pineapples and bananas. There is a lot of trash in the streets. I am unsure if there is an underground water system but the sides of the streets have ditches that don’t seem to go underground but they are used to keep the water out of the streets and off of the sidewalks. Most sidewalks are not concrete, but tile. They can be slippery when wet—walking down the sidewalk takes a lot of paying attention. There are tons of taxis and motorcycles/bikes. The cars here are all non-American. I don’t think I’ve seen a Chevy or a Ford since I’ve been here. Some cars are old and others are new – there is a large variety. When driving everyone honks. You honk when you are in someone’s blind spot or are about to pass them, as if to say “ Hey, I’m here!!” The taxis are not commercial cars, they are just any old car with a special sticker on the side to signify that they are a taxi. When you get to a gas station everyone must get out of the car while you get gas. I don’t know if all cars are this way but my host family’s car, which is probably a 92 or so, has a visible tank in the trunk that is used for gas rather than a hidden gas tank.
We do a lot of call and response. We repeat and repeat and repeat… and even then I do not feel I have learned near as much as they have tried to teach me – but I’ve tried! The teachers always play music while they are setting something up or writing a lot of stuff on the board. It is nice, it keeps an upbeat atmosphere in the classroom. We also play games and use visuals whenever possible. Sometimes it seems cheezy but it keeps us interested, it keeps us moving and we don’t dwell too long on any one thing and so that helps the time pass quickly. It makes me wonder how Spanish is taught in the states, or even in my own school. I believe that the teacher teach English to Spanish speakers the same way that they teach Spanish to the English speakers. One important thing is that the teachers obviously love their jobs. They are always energetic and excited. Although they know some of it is silly they don’t apologize. I think they know we are having fun.
It is interesting to see the differences in culture here compared to the Midwest. Some of the differences I think are based on socio economic status, but others I am sure are based on traditions. Walking down the street there are street vendors who mostly sell food. They have some hot/fried items but also a lot of fruits, like pineapples and bananas. There is a lot of trash in the streets. I am unsure if there is an underground water system but the sides of the streets have ditches that don’t seem to go underground but they are used to keep the water out of the streets and off of the sidewalks. Most sidewalks are not concrete, but tile. They can be slippery when wet—walking down the sidewalk takes a lot of paying attention. There are tons of taxis and motorcycles/bikes. The cars here are all non-American. I don’t think I’ve seen a Chevy or a Ford since I’ve been here. Some cars are old and others are new – there is a large variety. When driving everyone honks. You honk when you are in someone’s blind spot or are about to pass them, as if to say “ Hey, I’m here!!” The taxis are not commercial cars, they are just any old car with a special sticker on the side to signify that they are a taxi. When you get to a gas station everyone must get out of the car while you get gas. I don’t know if all cars are this way but my host family’s car, which is probably a 92 or so, has a visible tank in the trunk that is used for gas rather than a hidden gas tank.
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