Ch-Ch-Changes

Hello Readers!
So, I received some words of concern from a few of you. I see that my last post was not very positive, nor were many of them. I can also see why many of you would be a little worried, I complain too much!

Starting today there will be less complaining. I am not stupid, I recognize that there are going to be times when stuff happens that I will just have to complain about, but for the most part I am going to try and keep it positive. You will notice a change in the blog design. Not only has the content turned a corner, but I thought a design make-over was in order.

While I was too busy complaining about being kind of bored and homesick, I forgot to tell you about my favorite children. As anyone who has worked with kids will tell you, it is impossible not to have favorites. I have a couple of them, mostly in the 3rd grade.

In no particular order they are:

Alejandro from the 3rd grade. Alex does everything ridiculously slow, but he gets it done, eventually. I absolutely love him. Elena tends to call him out for being slow to finish, but he just needs some help. Last week the kids had to finish a list of things before going to computers. First they had to complete a worksheet, then the had to make the science cover page in their notebooks, and finally write the homework in the planners. Clearly this was going to be too much for Alex. As the other kids finished their tasks they went across the hall to the computer lab. Eventually it was just me and Alex. I tried to help him finish faster, but there is just no rushing Alex. Finally we made it to the computer lab, where the kids were listening to a song about the solar system and filling in the missing words on their work sheets. Alex loved the song. As per usual he was the last one to finish. Once all of the other kids had crossed back over to their regular classroom, I shut down the other computers I turned to tell Alex it was time to go. This is when I saw the cutest thing possible. He was bopping along in his chair, quietly singing the song. Adorable. Alex really is a sweet kid, he just needs some help and a little more attention. Luckily I am there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to help him out!

In keeping with my love of troubled youth, the next on my list is Joe (pronounced Joey, though in neither English nor Spanish does that make sense...). He is also a 3rd grader, and Elena told me he is "special ed", which I think just means he has some problems with social stuff, perhaps Aspergers. He catches on very quickly to English and has some of the best grammar in the class. He does tend to talk to his neighbors, especially one kid named Guillermo. Unlike Alex, Joe gets his work done quickly, and usually with very few mistakes. I think I like him for the simple fact that he is always excited to see me. When I am walking through the playground on my way to or from the bus stop, and he spots me he yells out "Hello, Liz!!"

In the 4th grade I am having a harder time picking favorites. Even though I spend all of Mondays with them I don't feel like I know them very well. There is one kid, Jorge who made my week last week. On Monday I worked with the kids on descriptions by showing them pictures of my family. They all got a big kick out of seeing my parents, and sister and my cousins Jenna and Matthew... They also thought it was hilarious that I am the shortest member of my family. After we talked about my family for a little while, I had them tell me sentences about their families, like who is the tallest or youngest. On Tuesday I was back in 4th grade for Science class when Jorge came up and said "I really like your class." Though he has pretty awful behavior most of the time, and not in a cute way, this moment carved Jorge out a little place in my heart.

Several of the girls are super sweet, like Ines, Berta, Julia, Sara and both of the Martas. But I wouldn't say I have favorites among them. They are all different, Ines and Julia are very quick, and have a decent level of English. Berta is just a little busy-body. I felt awful for her last week when she was acting up and Eduardo took her out of the class and made her work on her assignments in the 3rd grade class. It is typical that the teachers will tell kids they are acting like babies, and ask if they want to go to the infants' classroom, but usually that is an empty threat. This time, Eduardo was for real. The Martas are both sweet girls, and do very well with their assignments, but one of them looks like she is on the verge of tears all the time. I've talked to the other Auxiliares about it, and we just think it is her face, not that she is actually about to start crying. Finally, Sara. She is just the cutest little thing. I say little because she is the shortest girl in the 4th grade, possibly the 3rd too, and we all know how i feel about the vertically challenged. Along with being super short, she is also super quiet and very hesitant to speak in English. I see alot of myself in little Sara, so it is my goal to help her.

Even if the teachers frustrate me, I know the kids are consistently going to be awesome. Sure, they bring toys to class and I have to take them away, or they have really bad moments, but all in all they do make this experience fun. No two days are the same, and I wouldn't have it any other way.