Today was the last day I went to the school I have been visiting for the past days in Chão Bom. And coincidentally enough, today it just so happened that I was asked to give the class, as the teacher had some obligations to fulfill elsewhere.
And it was very nice to be in the teacher role again. It reminded me – not I needed to be reminded – that teaching is the thing I love to do. It is who I am. And today I also realized the huge difference that it makes to have my own group of students, or to work with someone else's kids. It is still very fulfilling, especially when they are small as these ones were, but it is also incredibly difficult to adapt to the teachers method and speak in a way they can understand you.
Of course other factors played a big role here also, like the fact that they couldn't really understand my Portuguese – although they are also taught in Portuguese by their teacher – but to have 4 hours to do the same job as their teacher normally does is very challenging. I've seen her doing it for a few days, and I've done it before also, but my way is just different. Of course. I am a different person, with a different cultural background and different training.
Mine isn't better or worse than hers. It's just different and these children are not used to me.
More than anything, it really made me miss my class, my group of students with whom I worked for two years. And I used to think that two years was not such a long time. And it actually isn't, but it made a tremendous impact in my life, and I like to believe in theirs too.
I am so so happy I started this project, and I am forever grateful to the wonderful teachers that open their classroom doors for me. I am learning so much. I truly hope I can give back as much as I am gaining...
And it was very nice to be in the teacher role again. It reminded me – not I needed to be reminded – that teaching is the thing I love to do. It is who I am. And today I also realized the huge difference that it makes to have my own group of students, or to work with someone else's kids. It is still very fulfilling, especially when they are small as these ones were, but it is also incredibly difficult to adapt to the teachers method and speak in a way they can understand you.
Of course other factors played a big role here also, like the fact that they couldn't really understand my Portuguese – although they are also taught in Portuguese by their teacher – but to have 4 hours to do the same job as their teacher normally does is very challenging. I've seen her doing it for a few days, and I've done it before also, but my way is just different. Of course. I am a different person, with a different cultural background and different training.
Mine isn't better or worse than hers. It's just different and these children are not used to me.
More than anything, it really made me miss my class, my group of students with whom I worked for two years. And I used to think that two years was not such a long time. And it actually isn't, but it made a tremendous impact in my life, and I like to believe in theirs too.
I am so so happy I started this project, and I am forever grateful to the wonderful teachers that open their classroom doors for me. I am learning so much. I truly hope I can give back as much as I am gaining...