Today I taught the second grade of secondary school about pronunciation and abbreviations (texting language). I think that it was very beneficial because they told me that some of their American friends use them and they never know what it means. I also got a very special surprise this morning when a little girl from the fifth grade class that I taught made me a little note and gave me an alfajor. This really made me happy because before I started teaching I was informed that she has a learning disability. Throughout the lesson I was trying to make things clear and help her but I wasn’t sure if she enjoyed it. I am so happy with what she gave me and it made me feel good about the classes that I am teaching here!
Today I sat in on three different classes, one of which was in Spanish, in order to learn more about the way that these classes are run! after taking a lot of notes, I started my journal of academic differences between North Hills and Argentina. I also went to the 5th grade class (10 year olds) and did an activity with them. Before going to Argentina I wrote a book about going to the zoo I made the first pages very easy and the last page about an animal that many people do not know about, an aardvark. When I went to the fifth grade class I made them draw what was happening in the book. This was a fun way to see how much they knew and to learn some new things as well. It was a lot of fun as they were all very excited to participate. When they finished drawing what was happening in the book we read it together! After words I did a little presentation about tongue twisters which they had a lot of fun with. We tried four or five in English and then I gave them the opportunity to teach me some. They were very hard!
After what feels like forever I have finally arrived in Argentina! It was a very long trip filled with lots of delays but I am very happy to be here. Since we arrived very late I did not get to attend school, but I spent today preparing for the long day of school tomorrow. A day at North Hills high school is much longer than what we are used to. Instead of a 8-3:15 schedule they have a 8-5 schedule. I also spoke with Carlos in order to solidify what I will be doing tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be attending a presentation from the international exam coordinator. I am very excited!!
Today I worked on a presentation about slang and pronunciation. Through these presentations, I will be incorporating the usual auditory style of teaching. I have carefully chosen words and sentences that I have heard Argentinians struggle with in the past. I think it is important to teach some of this pronunciation and slang to children around the age of 10 because by learning how to say some letters/words they will be able to expand their vocabulary and speak without troubles. After this, I continued doing some research about the school system in Argentina. I learned that they do not use the letter scale but 0-10. This would mean that a 10 would equal an A+.
I will now be arriving in Argentina on Monday. It is crazy how a one day strike postponed my trip by 5 days! Although I am upset that my time in class with the Argentinians is shortened I feel even more motivated to fit a lot of things into a short amount of time. Even though I am not in Argentina, I am contacting many of my Argentinian friends and asking questions that would have previously been observed by sitting in class. I couldn’t get all that I was hoping for from the students, but I did get a solid understanding of what some of the classes are like for the Juniors at North Hills. According to what I was told most of their classes are very lecture based. This means that these teachers are catering to auditory learners. This will help me with a project-based lesson that I have planning to do as it will incorporate a different learning style. I am still hopeful that I will have time to interview a teacher from the school so that I can have both perspectives (student and teacher) of how class time is spent.
Today would have been my first day working at North Hills Colegio. Unfortunately, we are still scrambling to find a ticket to fly me out. If my flight had gone as planned, I would have been meeting with my host family and preparing to sit in a class with 3 different grades in order to see the different teaching styles tomorrow. By observing and taking notes on how these three different grades are being taught it would be easier for me to identify which kind of learners North Hills caters towards (Visual, Auditory, and/or Kinesthetic). Sadly the one day strike that is happening today in Argentina has pushed those plans back. I took the free time that I have now to learn about these strikes that happen in Argentina. As I mentioned in my last blog, I have experienced a strike like this before and I will probably encounter another one while traveling to Argentina. This strike is actually the sixth strike that has happened while Mauricio Macri, the President of Argentina, has been in office. These strikes happen so that the Argentinian people can protest not only the economic policies but the social policies that Macri has made. Although it seems like the current decline of the Argentinian economy is all because of Macri, the past President was not helping the economy either. The past President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, is actually accused of accepting bribes from different construction firms in exchange for profitable government contracts (while she was president). All in all the government in Argentina is just as complicated as the government here. Thanks to Mrs. Jones and my ADV government class it is a little bit easier to understand, but nonetheless complicated.
Today I was supposed to board a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, but due to a transportation strike (in Argentina) my flight was canceled. I am very upset, but I guess that gives me more time to figure out how to make my suitcase weigh 50 pounds instead of 60. These strikes are not abnormal and it is not my first time experiencing it either. When I was on my way home from my trip to Argentina, last year, my flight was canceled for 3 days because of a strike! I was okay with the cancellation the first time as that meant more time with my friends and family in Argentina, but now I am upset as I am having too much time with my friends and family in the United States. These strikes not only affect the airport but many of the streets in Argentina as well. Prior to knowing about my canceled flight, my host family sent me a text saying that they would not be able to pick me up at the airport because the roads are all closed for the protests. According to some news articles, these strikes happen so that the people of Argentina can protest the economic policies of the current President, Mauricio Macri.
