One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (Written May 19, 2012)

According to Peace Corps, the first three months of our service as designated as observation, a time for us to become accustomed to the school system, determine what needs to be accomplished and how best to carry out those plans. At least, that’s what they imagine it should be like. However, going three months without doing any substantial work in the classroom is pretty agonizing. So we (or at least I) try to get in there slowly, bit by bit. I have managed to slip into a few lessons. What’s better, the elementary school teacher assigned as my counterpart has picked up on some of the techniques I’m using, i.e. speaking English in class aside from just the vocab, asking questions, using gestures, and getting the kids involved.

Examples: (teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th graders school locations)
Do we go to the bathroom in the principal’s office? (while bending down as if to go)
No, we don’t.
Do we play baseball (while swatting an imaginary baseball with an imaginary bat) on the playground?
Yes, we do.

It may not seem like it, but compared to how they were learning the material before, this is really groundbreaking stuff. My counterpart has been incorporating that into his routine little by little with marginal success. It’s a start. I guess that’s why we’re here for two whole years. Other teachers are coming around and asking me for input in their lessons, probing me for creative ideas. I, however, wanted more. So I tried to set up my own classes for middle and high school students in the afternoon, after their normal school day was over.

First, I gauged interest by having students sign up, writing names on a list. That list got upwards of 150 students. Then I determined a schedule: I split the kids into groups based on their grade, and had two groups for a few grades. It ended up being seven groups, quite a load. Then, when I came to the principal for her approval, we had to do some rearranging. It turned out that I couldn’t hold class after 3pm. I could have only two one-hour classes starting at 1pm. I wanted to meet each group twice a week, but with the changes, some groups suffered. She and I worked all that out, but then she dropped another bomb: I had to get permission slips from all the students´ parents before their kids could participate. Another setback. The students´ homeroom teachers were willing to help distribute the permission slips, but I could only hope the kids would turn them in.

So on May 1 I started class. The groups were around 12-17 kids each, very manageable. Some turned in their permission slips on the first day. They seemed excited to be there. We even sat down and decided on class rules on the first day. Things seemed to be going well. Then life happened. Class sizes dwindled as the appeal of spending time with the American morphed into the obligation of actually having to do some work in class. The kids started getting restless, all touchy-feely with each other and unwilling to speak, seeing as how it’s something they pretty much never do in their other English class.

(Sometimes, you work really hard on this activity with the verb "to be" and then your kids don’t even get excited about it. So you feel the need to take a picture of it to feel accomplished.)

Also, with crazy school schedules, the classes weren’t consistent. One week there was no class Monday because of Panamanian Labor Day or a free day because of the death of a former President. Another week no one would show up Friday because of a school anniversary in the next town over, which only a handful of students attended. But the rest figured, If they’re not going, why should I? On a few occasions I had to cancel class because out of, say, 13 students, only six showed up. After planning activities for full classes, having class with so few students was a waste of my time and theirs.

Finally, I got fed up and went to the principal again. Calmly, with her deadpan stare, she said, "This is the way it is. If the kids don’t show up, throw them out. (I like the sound of that.) But for now, things are getting hectic with school anniversaries and trimester exams. You should probably just cancel class until the new trimester starts (June 11).” So I did.

Strategize, attack, endure, retreat, regroup, plan for the next attack. It’s like I’m going to war. I guess the first time around, I tried to pursue without really knowing my opponent. So I’ll try again next time. If that doesn’t work out, no one can claim that I didn’t put forth an honest effort.