Notes On Class

Yesterday was my first day actually observing classes. It was a very interesting experience. For one, it's simply incredible to think about how much we take for granted in American education. The classrooms here have no computers (although there is a small computer lab). The desks and chairs are quite beat up, and there aren't enough books for all of the kids.

Still, the teachers teach and the students learn. The things that go on in an American classroom go on here. Some students talk in class, others put their heads down on their desks. The teachers manage their classrooms and teach lessons, all with varying degrees of success, just like at home.

What's also interesting is that the students have both Spanish and English classes here. They learn both Spanish and English grammar and read both Spanish and English literature. It really is amazing to be in a truly bilingual country (really trilingual if you count Creole), although it is somewhat strange when the kids start speaking Spanish or Creole in front of you. It makes you worry that they're talking about you. Still, it happens often and I've basically gotten used to it.

Basically, if you haven't figured it out, I'm having a great time, and I'm enjoying observing the kids and teachers. Like I said elsewhere, teenagers seem to be teenagers wherever you go, so hopefully I'll be able to teach these teenagers in San Pedro just as easily as the ones in Wilmington. Granted, that wasn't easy, but you get the idea.