The next decade....what's in store?

The Primary School Teaching Experience: Update

I've been meaning to give an update for so long. In fact, I intended to blog every week after my lessons, but somehow that hasn't happened.

And now, I find it all coming to an end. Next week is the last week. What will I do when it's all over?

Anyway, here is what has happened over the last couple of weeks.....

The week before I was to go away, NPH from work came with me, as while I was away, she would be taking the class for me. In that lesson, we were looking at what things tourists could do while here. The students gave some pretty good answers. We were able to compile a substantial list.

While I was away, we got the leader of the top steelband group to teach the children about steelpan. NPH took pictures and sent them to me by Messenger, so I was still connected. She took some notes, and when I went to class the following week when I got back, I asked them a couple of questions and they all could answer. Very rewarding that they retained information. In fact, they have done that quite well, but I think some are missing the main points, so the assessment next week will tell me.

One of the activities I gave them was that they were to write a postcard to someone considering visiting the island for the first time. I told them that I wasn't too concerned with the spelling. What I would use to judge who won, was how creative they were in their ideas. The one who won, started her postcard with the idea that the tourist was freezing up north, and that apart from the warm weather here, there were lots of other things he/she could do here. I didn't want to overdo the prize, so I gave her a pen and a map. There were two others which deserved honourable mention. One belonged to a little boy who seems a bit awkward in his behaviour....very much on the shy side too, so was very pleased with his effort.

It's interesting how at this young age, you can see their personalities. There are Teacher's Pets, the Drama Queens, the Troubled Ones and the Attention Seekers. There are those too whose names I just cannot remember, because they almost never speak up in class. So I try to call on them whenever I can.

I was in 'town' on Saturday and spotted one walking with his mother. Thankfully, I remembered his name. So I said hello. His mother turned and looked at me quizzically, so I had to tell her I teach her son Tourism. "Oh," she said, and smiled.

I've spotted another walking to school. In fact, the same one who was late and to whom I gave my apple. Next week, I must be sure to ask him why he was just heading out to school close to 9am!

During all the classes, I kept telling them that how they behaved, would determine whether I took them to the hotel for their field trip. Both Misses and I, kept threatening them with the prospect of them not coming. So each week, there were a lot of "hands up". The week I brought my laptop, they just wouldn't sit still. I was showing them pictures of the Tourist Board's website. Because there is no internet access (*sigh*), I had to use still pictures and put them in a Powerpoint Presentation. I started advancing the slides, then one student said "Miss, ah can press di button?" That set them off in a frenzy. Everybody wanted to press the button. I had to walk around with the laptop and pick who should advance the slide. Too funny. One of the teachers kept telling them that they were behaving as if they had not seen a computer before.

I take their hyperactivity in a different way from the teachers. I guess it is because I am only with them for 40 minutes once per week. It is just amazing for me to watch them being excited over simple things. So I am amused, rather than annoyed by it. I also like freedom of expression, so I like them to talk, whereas sometimes, the teachers tell them to be quiet. Don't get me wrong.....I try and control their contributions, but not to the point where they feel they shouldn't speak.

I told The Troubled One (Mr 'T') that I was going to adopt him. He is always angry. Visibly so in his facial expressions. If he's sitting on the bench with others, there is always jostling, jabbing and general melee. (Is so it spell?). He also sucks his thumb. Last week, he went and sat in the back by himself. He was as quiet as a mouse. I was letting them listen to ads about tourism which are aired on local radio, encouraging locals to treat tourists well. In one of the ads, the telephone rings. The Troubled One had a regular house phone on the table beside him, so he instinctively picked up the phone and pretended he was talking, like the actors in the ad were. I laughed with him. He wasn't angry that day.

Normally each class has 21 students. With the two groups brought together for my class, it's quite a lot. Well, as Mr Attention Seeker (Mr K) told me this week "Miss, it have 44 students in the class Miss." I had to order him to his seat quite a few times this week. Just cannot sit still. At one point, he got up and asked "Miss, can I make an announcement?" Before I could answer, he started (he was the one I told he'd be Prime Minister one day, so I guess he was practising!). I had to cut him, because time was going.

This week, I took a letter from the hotel to the Principal, confirming that they would come next week. I asked her to come up at the end of the class, and tell them they were well behaved enough and had earned the trip. She was very creative in how she told them, so they were squealing in delight, like pigs in swill. Then there was the icing on the cake. "And children, you are going to be eating with a knife and fork." More squeals. Who knew that a knife and fork would elicit that kind of response? Some of them eat with spoons you see....even the rice. So this will be quite a treat.

There were some students I had to ask to write a note of apology. Why? In one class, I gave them cards to write their name on, which they would keep on their desks, so I would learn their names. I told them they had to bring them every week. Some turned up without it some weeks. "Miss, my sister tore it up." "Miss, ah don't know where it is." "Miss, it dey at home." I also gave them an entertainment and dining guide. Same thing. Some don't turn up with them. So today, I went to collect those apologies, as well as some homework I had given them.

Now one thing they didnt lose, was the card with some key tourism words that I wanted them to learn to spell. Spelling is a big problem. This week, I took them up. Mr 'T', The Troubled One, wanted to spell EVERYTHING! I had to limit each to just one word. Mr Attention Seeker kept score. "Miss, we get 8 out of 8 right so far." It is obvious that the teachers had made them practice.

When we were meeting with the Minister, she told us that during the pilot project last term, some Tourism teachers did not get the cooperation from the Principal and class teachers. Not so with this school. The teachers have been so supportive, and help me to control the students. If I give homework, they make sure and get the students to do it.

This is not the end. It is just the beginning. In all my years at the hotel, I kept aiming to spend time at the school. In fact, the literature we give guests, says that we "read to the children." Well, we now can say that we are involved with the school and not be fibbing. Even if the programme comes to an end this term, I am going to ask the Principal if I can continue next term.

I don't have any kids of my own, so I am very thrilled to be able to call these kids my own....well sort of. Whenever I turn up and they are in the school yard, they rush up to me and surround me and hug me. I feel like a Rock Star. Who wouldn't want that feeling to continue forever?