Let me start by talking about the interesting traditions that we have observed at our school. We attended the "Opening Ceremonies" on the evening of the 31st of August. This is a big deal! Lots of parents, grandparents, were there. For all formal ceremonies the kids wear black skirt or pants with a white shirt and scarf or tie with a logo on it. I have not been able to determine if the logo is related to the town that we live in, or if each school has a different one. The incoming kindergardeners were seated in the front row of the festivities which consisted of lots of speeches and the singing of the national anthem (which I have been told is full of breast beating related to their history ). Then at the end of the ceremony some upper grade students stepped up to the rows of kinders with baskets in their hands and started showering the little ones with confetti. It is a rite of passage and quite sweet.
For the first week, Jack and I shadowed the native teachers who are responsible for teaching the grammar related to english while we are to teach about conversational english and American culture. About the 2nd day, I said to Jack, "Boy these kids talk out so much I am really going to have to teach them what I expect". The native teachers tend to be quite strict and stern, so the talking really did not fit with those expectations. I assumed that it was just a matter of the kids not having been taught to take turns speaking and not to have side conversations during the lesson. Well, it turns out that this is a cultural issue. In the Hungarian language the emphasis is always on the first syllable of a word, the first word of a sentence, and everyone rushes in to make their point all at once. This makes giving a lesson quite difficult because the kids talk all the time. Sometimes I can tell that they are explaining something that I have said to each other, but other times it is obvious that their conversation really has nothing to do with my immediate lesson. I have had to have many conversations with them about one voice at a time and how speaking is like a chess match where only one person can move a piece at a time. Jack has the same issue with his 7th and 8th graders although some maturity kicks in by then and they can control themselves a little better. Some days we come home to our humble flat and commizerate for 20-30 minutes about how many times we had to stop teaching because our voices were being drowned out.
When the principal observed me in a 5th grade class, they were perfect, so I know that they have the ability to listen to each other. However, she said to me that she was sure that my lesson was not going to keep them engaged for the full 45 minutes and how she was surprised when it did!
On the plus side, there are students that I can tell are really gaining confidence in their english and I have been able to connect with some of the more reticient ones. And of course they do really sweet things sometimes that makes me think that I am making a difference. One day a group of 6th grade girls asked me if they could write on the whiteboard during the break. When I got back to the room they had turned it into a huge love note with "We love you Mrs. Holmes" written on it and hearts, flowers and kisses covering it.
So every day I go into school feeling challenged sometimes positively challenged and other times frustrated, but there is never a day when I am bored!
We love you, too Mrs. Holmes! What a sweet little surprise from those chatty little buggers!
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