I had a great day today. Woke up at 6, gave lessons from 7 to 9:30 to some strangely enthusiastic and quite curious 10th graders. I checked e-mail, did some shopping, ate some lunch and prepared for the afternoon classes. I have two action-packed lessons on parts of the human body, then went and gave a 30-minute tutoring session in English to an old guy. I stopped home for about 45 minutes, conversed in Changana with Alfredo for a while, then was back at school for extra Biology help. The kids and I got a lot done and I ended up teaching until they had to go home at 5:30.
The reason why it was so great is that the last lesson, the Bio session, went so well after a tiring day. The students were so willing to try what I wanted them to try, and my spontaneous planning led to such productive results, that I couldn't help but smile. Almost all of them are my students from last year who have come to realize that I try to make dry subjects fun, sometimes in spite of it all. It's a nice feeling when that's essentially recognized.
Also, a bunch of students did some research for their trimesterly projects due in about a month. I'm really glad they're going ahead with the work and I'm optimistic that I'll see some creative projects.
In listening to what disappointments and frustration Nanosh and I have every day, I'm beginning to realize that the life of a teacher who truly cares about their students is a tough one to maintain. It's far easier to step back from the situation and just teach; it's a lot harder to break the fourth wall and introduce yourself into the learning process. When you have a personal stake in getting the material understood, every battle is felt strongly and apathy stings like nothing else. I couldn't understand not putting myself in that situation, but I guess that's just me.
Likewise, it's nice to see local teachers who do the same.
Peace
John
