Yay for kids!

I have survived the first week of school! My teacher and I have 6 first graders and 6 second graders. We definitely have our hands full! Although we only have 12 students in the room, it feels like we have a full class of 25. I have learned that parenting is not very important in Brazil. This is definitely seen in the classroom!

While they are "fluent" in English, the students still struggle with certain words every once in a while. This can be frustrating for both them and for me. There are some words that they cannot say in English, but only know in Portuguese. I know no Portuguese, so I try to have them explain the word to me using different words. They usually do not like this method very much... We are working on it! I am definitely getting opportunities to practice patience. After the challenges in this class, I will be ready for any class!! :)

We use American textbooks, which can make things more challenging. The stories that they read may contain experiences or topics that are familiar to any child in the US, but are not familiar to a Brazilian student. They are still building their vocabulary, so many things have to be explained in greater detail than if I was teaching the same lesson in the States. For example, today they read a story about going to a Bugs Bunny cartoon at the movie theatre. They do have movie theatres, but they did not know what the word "cartoon" meant, nor had they heard of "Bugs Bunny". Therefore, they had difficulty reading the story, making meaning of it, and answering comprehenison questions. Sometimes I wonder if they should use a different curriculum for reading, but I guess the parents want them to have an "American education". So.... I'll teach it!

This experience is helping me learn how to communicate better as I tell the students things in multiple ways. I am constantly thinking of better ways to explain myself or a new term that they are learning. I am being challenged, learning right along with them, and having fun in the process! The majority of the parents do not speak English either. This makes communicating with the parents about what is going on in the classroom more of a challenge. I also cannot expect parents to support English learning while at home, for they do not know enough themselves to practice with their children. Therefore, homework policies must be altered if not eliminated (which I am totally fine with).

Today I helped my teacher begin a rewards/motivation/incentive program in order to encourage the students to behave better. There are three main rules that they must obey in order to receive a sticker at the end of the day. After receiving 5 stickers, they can get some candy. It was a rough start, but I think that they understand it a little more (some did not get stickers today) and are ready to try again tomorrow!

On Saturday, I was able to go out with some people who live on the school property. A young couple (who have been here just a year and teach at the school), a guy who teaches ESL classes, and I went out to eat and to a bowling ally. It was a lot of fun! It was a change of pace from spending time with the older single teachers that I have spent most of my time with up until then. I was able to ride a bus as well, which was a good experience! I feel like I am settling in more and more each day, which is a wonderful feeling!

On Sunday, I went to church with some of the teachers. It was all in Portuguese, which made it a little difficult. One of the teachers is fluent and would summarize from time to time. The pastor used lots of scripture, which was put on the PowerPoint. This was very helpful! I was able to determine the reference and find it in my Bible. This helped me to understand the basic point he was talking about. I was also able to compare the English with the Portuguese on the screen. Hopefully next week I will be able to recognize some of the words! It is so neat to think of how believers can worship no matter what the language! What a cool experienc it is to worship with others who speak another language!

There is an English church service on the school property every Sunday afternoon. It is promoted with "come and learn English" rather than "come to a church service". However, the Bible is then used in order to help them practice their English. What a sweet ministry! Many poeple have gotten saved as a result of coming. There are numerous people who have been attending the service for years! How cool! We sing praise songs (slowly :) then hear a short message. The people then split up into different discussion groups determined by their English speaking ability. Before the service, someone came up to me and asked, "May I talk to you?" They just wanted to practice their English on a native speaker! We compared life in Brazil to life in America, and I got some tips on what to eat. (except I don't know if I remember the names... ) I wish my students were as anxious to learn addition and long vowels as these people are anxious to learn English! :)

I will end with a story that I think is both precious and hilarious (hopefully you will too!):

I was helping Stacy, a first grader, tie her shoe. She is probably the most adorable little girl I have ever seen. She is one who pushes the limits, though, which can drive me crazy (ex. she is one who touches their eraser after you say "Please don't touch your pencil."). Yet she is so precious you can't help but love her! So, I was tying her shoe and she informed me that Andres, one of the first grade boys, burps all the time.

"It's soooo disgusting," she said.

I told her, "Yes, it is not very nice to burp. He needs to say 'Excuse me.'"

"'Excuse me'?"

"Yes, he needs to say 'Excuse me'."

"No, not 'Excuse me.' That's what you say like when people do something you don't like. You say, "Excuuuuse me?!'" (with attitude in her voice)

Haha! And she said it just like me! Ha! I was crouched down tying her shoe and almost fell over because I was laughing. She is a trip and a half.... I love kids!! :)