First Week of School

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Many of our friends who are recent parents understand all too well that kids don't always listen, but they are even less inclined to listen to people speaking in a foreign language. Even when we have the vocabulary to communicate in Spanish, we're not supposed to. We've been hired specifically for immersion English language lessons. Sounds good until you have 20 pairs of confused eyes staring at you.

Monday was our first day at the Asian American School. In celebration of Valentine's Day there was a big party including a clown, face-painting, heart balloons, cake, cookies, and water guns - in other words, a sugar rush of chaos. The kids barely noticed the new teachers.

Tuesday - Okay, now they noticed us and wanted to play, play, play with the new people. The boys want to jump on Justin - the only male teacher at the school. The girls fight over who gets to hold Chris' hand. The school has a trampoline which is by far the kids favorite outdoor diversion. Even though the other teachers seem to pay no mind, we can't shake that American sense of liability and stand sentry in case one of them flies off. Meanwhile, we tried to figure out the new schedule, lesson plans, and where they were in their English books. After school, we met the other teachers at Frutilados.

Wednesday - Only two days in, Chris came down with a cold from the little buggers who seem to constantly ooze snot. Justin got on the trampoline to the great enjoyment of the kids. This was our first day teaching on our own. It can best be described as 15 minutes of kids staring dumbly at us while we spoke in a language they didn't understand, 15 minutes of chaos while the kids ran around the classroom while we continued to speak in a language they didn't understand, and finally 15 minutes of peace restored with crayons and paper. At the end of the day, we were fitted for school uniforms - gray and turquoise sweats - but sadly you will have to wait two weeks for them to arrive and pictures to be posted.

Thursday - Justin now has the cold. Chris read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and made fingerpaint butterflies (mariposas) with the kids - both a big hit. The amount of paint spread over the classroom tables was only surpassed by the amount that got all over the bathroom sinks, walls, windows, floors, and toilets as the kids washed their hands. Jorge, the janitor, now hates Chris.

Friday - The school bus - yes, we ride the school bus with the kids - was noticeably quieter as the kids were relatively worn out. If they were worn out, we were positively drained. We've realized that the littlest 2-3 year old class will just stare quietly at us. The older 4-5 and 5-6 year old classes have short attention spans but are generally interested in the activities. It's the 3-4 year olds that we now dread each morning. The boys are all really into spiderman and "sword-playing" with crayons. The girls like My Little Pony and fight over the purple crayons.

At home, Chris would often poor a glass of wine after work (some days required whiskey), and Justin liked going out after nights at the restaurant. After four hours with 60 kids, we just want a nap. That said, we did enjoy a couple of pitchers last night at Zoe.

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