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| Shakira, so hot right now. Shakira. |
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| Ready for our favorite song of the night, Waka Waka |
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Shakira, Shakira!
Tomorrow is the big day; the arrival of my adorable mother. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to manage to stay focused until 21:00 hours tomorrow, but hopefully the thought of having 11 days to relax with my greatest hero will be enough to get me through. Aubrey and I put the finishing touches on our plans this week and her parents (who arrived yesterday!) and my mom and I will take a variety of buses to the beach, the lake, and Antigua throughout the vacation. I'm not going to bring my computer for any of this as it seems like a waste of space so I'm fairly certain no blogging will occur, but you never know; an opportunity may arise in the middle of... the lake? Beach? In a treehouse? Don't count on it :)
I wanted to share my experience with you all at the much anticipated Tigofest that finally arrived last weekend. Really, I could tell you about the different artists that did a variety of hip thrusting and booty shaking but really the only reason to attend Tigofest was to see Shakira. She was incredible. Better than I could have ever anticipated. She was personable, inviting random audience members on stage to dance with her. She was talented, playing musical instruments and dancing in ways that seem impossible. And she was also tricky, pretending to be finished with her performance prior to singing some of the crowd favorites such as "Waka Waka" and "Loca" but then returning after a 5 minute break that led many people to leave the concert and gave us a chance to sneak up closer to the stage. You may not like her music, but her ability to write and compose her own music in two different languages as well as her humanitarian efforts, gives her a gold star in my book. Plus, I mean who can listen to "La Tortura" and not dance? Try it, I dare you.
***Alright, this was written a few days after the concert but I was never able to get consistent enough internet connection to actually post it. I'm hoping to bring my computer to school a few times this week and see if I can get some pictures up as well. Also, my mom is here. For realz. Tomorrow she comes to school to meet 22 of the coolest niños in Guatemala and I'm about to die from the excitement. I've been prepping her a bit for the questions they'll ask her including, "Whats your favorite color?" "How many years do you have?" and, of course, "Who is your favorite soccer team, Barca or Real?" It should be an adventure no matter what and though we thoroughly enjoyed traveling the likes of Guate this week (which I swear I will blog about before the end of the month), I'm looking forward to being back at school tomorrow.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Exploding Poop People
Well, as you can see with my lack of blogging, its been a long week and a half. We gave our kids their third quarter finals, turned in our report cards, dealt with some intense drama at school and are now anxiously awaiting our much needed spring break. Surprisingly, though it has been while since I last posted, I can't really think of what to say that wouldn't bore the crap out of everyone.
Last week we started learning division in 3A and just as I had expected my kids went absolutely nuts for it. They were so excited to see that since they already knew how to multiply, division was just "easy peasy cheesy weasy lemon squeezy" for them. Then, on Friday, I realized I had to teach something that terrified me to the very bone. The next step was to teach them about... variables. Dun, Dun, DUN! I have a very distinct memory from 3rd grade of my older sister, Sarah, trying to tell me that when I got older I would learn math that had letters in it, like a^2+b^2=c^2. I seriously thought she was messing with me, trying to scare me into thinking math was hard. Letters in a math equation? How absurd! Though my kids are not quite ready for the Pythagorean theorem, they were totally ready to solve problems like...
Last week we started learning division in 3A and just as I had expected my kids went absolutely nuts for it. They were so excited to see that since they already knew how to multiply, division was just "easy peasy cheesy weasy lemon squeezy" for them. Then, on Friday, I realized I had to teach something that terrified me to the very bone. The next step was to teach them about... variables. Dun, Dun, DUN! I have a very distinct memory from 3rd grade of my older sister, Sarah, trying to tell me that when I got older I would learn math that had letters in it, like a^2+b^2=c^2. I seriously thought she was messing with me, trying to scare me into thinking math was hard. Letters in a math equation? How absurd! Though my kids are not quite ready for the Pythagorean theorem, they were totally ready to solve problems like...
12 / p = 3 therefore p = 4
I had tried to tell them that the writers of our math book had made a terrible mistake and put letters in math; I mean, its impossible right? But then when we took a closer look at the "missing factor" problems we had learned to solve over a month ago, we realized a variable was just a place holder, similar to the "blanks" the missing factor problems had. What a bunch of smarty pants :)
This week I got to teach about the different systems of the body. When we got to the digestive system, I asked the kids what functions it had and one kid said, "It makes your food go away!" Of course that answer was followed by my question of, "Well where does the food go?" I got a lot of "ewww Mees Ana!" comments and pretend "bomit" sounds. Considering I think poop is one of the more hilarious things in life and is also the topic of many of my conversations, I decided it was necessary to desensitize them about the topic right off the bat. It sounded a little like this:
Miss Hannah: "What!? I don't understand why you are saying 'ew' and making puking noises!"
Class: "Well, you are talking about the POO. It is gross, Mees Ana!"
M.H: "Well, why?! I mean, it may smell funny and look a little weird, but doesn't everyone do it?"
Class: "Yeah..." as timidly as possible
M.H: "Well then I don't think it is anything to get all upset about. You know what is really gross? NOT pooping! Where would your food go if you didn't poop it out?
Class: "It would go all over your body and you would be FAT!"
M.H: "Yeah! And then you would explode! And poop would go everywhere! Now that, my friends, is gross."
Hopefully this opened the door to many a poop stories because that open door would make my classroom even more entertaining than it already is.
Today we had a half day and we (the teachers) actually got to go home at noon! But, of course, there's a catch. The school is hosting an Art and Music Festival from 4:00-8:00pm tonight so we will be heading back to school shortly for that. I am pretty pumped about it though because all of the students are going crazy for it. I'm hoping to buy some elementary school artwork as well so though this three hour break was a tease, it will be fun to see all our artsy students show off their hard work.
Last weekend I went to the beach with some awesome friends and did almost nothing. The only reason I am bringing it up is because I want to post the following picture of Tom and his surf board. It was actually a wave that broke it in half, though it looks like something only a shark would be capable of.
Alright, I'll end this boring entry by telling you that in two days we will be going to the Shakira concert! I've been excited about this since February and have loved Shakira since I was in 6th grade so I think its safe to say I am really looking forward to the weekend. Secondly, and more importantly, my mom will be here in a week from tomorrow! I really just can't wait for her to see all the things I've been explaining to her all year and have her meet my students (who already love her, of course) and watch her react to all the wonders of Guatemala. Also, she's bringing me a bunch of junk so that will be nice :)
Hopefully April won't be a complete disappointment blogging-wise, but I'm thinking that though I will have a lot to write about, I might choose to play rather than type.
This week I got to teach about the different systems of the body. When we got to the digestive system, I asked the kids what functions it had and one kid said, "It makes your food go away!" Of course that answer was followed by my question of, "Well where does the food go?" I got a lot of "ewww Mees Ana!" comments and pretend "bomit" sounds. Considering I think poop is one of the more hilarious things in life and is also the topic of many of my conversations, I decided it was necessary to desensitize them about the topic right off the bat. It sounded a little like this:
Miss Hannah: "What!? I don't understand why you are saying 'ew' and making puking noises!"
Class: "Well, you are talking about the POO. It is gross, Mees Ana!"
M.H: "Well, why?! I mean, it may smell funny and look a little weird, but doesn't everyone do it?"
Class: "Yeah..." as timidly as possible
M.H: "Well then I don't think it is anything to get all upset about. You know what is really gross? NOT pooping! Where would your food go if you didn't poop it out?
Class: "It would go all over your body and you would be FAT!"
M.H: "Yeah! And then you would explode! And poop would go everywhere! Now that, my friends, is gross."
Hopefully this opened the door to many a poop stories because that open door would make my classroom even more entertaining than it already is.
Today we had a half day and we (the teachers) actually got to go home at noon! But, of course, there's a catch. The school is hosting an Art and Music Festival from 4:00-8:00pm tonight so we will be heading back to school shortly for that. I am pretty pumped about it though because all of the students are going crazy for it. I'm hoping to buy some elementary school artwork as well so though this three hour break was a tease, it will be fun to see all our artsy students show off their hard work.
Last weekend I went to the beach with some awesome friends and did almost nothing. The only reason I am bringing it up is because I want to post the following picture of Tom and his surf board. It was actually a wave that broke it in half, though it looks like something only a shark would be capable of.
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| Surf Monsterrrrrrrrrr |
Hopefully April won't be a complete disappointment blogging-wise, but I'm thinking that though I will have a lot to write about, I might choose to play rather than type.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
i'll be watching you
Do you remember that song "I'll be watching you" by Sting? You know, the one that attempts to romantically (but instead creepily) talk about a man never giving up on a woman by continuing to "watch" her in everything she does? Yeah, I recently found out that that song was actually written by my students about me.
Sometimes I forget just how much responsibility goes into teaching. Besides being responsible for the knowledge and information our students are fed, we also have to make sure we are setting a positive example in their lives. Now, I'm not going to pull a Charles Barkley and say that I didn't sign up to be a role model, but I am learning just how much children watch you. They see everything I do, from picking my wedgies to doing a potty dance to spelling words incorrectly on the board. Though they are quick to pick out my mistakes, they also occasionally share the things they watch me do that they enjoy.
Last week a student came up to me holding an apple and said with the utmost excitement, "LOOK!"
Confused and trying to be sensitive to his untimely enthusiasm, I responded with, "Cool!(?)"
He must have heard that slight question mark at the end of my sentence because he provided me with the sweetest explanation, "I told my mom I want to eat like you! You always have apples and zanahorias and health foods so I say 'mom, can I have a apple in my lunch?' and you know what, she give me one!"
I feel its necessary to share with you that this kid usually eats lunches that make me want to throw up. Crappy Guatemalan potato chips, cookies dipped in chocolate, florescent pink yogurt, and strawberry milk. I really wonder how the conversation sounded when this young kid asked his own parents to stop giving him junk but instead an apple. I'm pretty excited that we are transitioning into health in science for this quarter because I'm hoping maybe more of these kids will realize its cool to eat healthy and not die at a young age :)
Another student gave me the opportunity to explain what a "habit" is as she approached me and asked why I am constantly taking off and putting on the lid of my pen. She asked why I didn't even use the pen I just with one hand took the lid off and immediately snapped it back on and then repeated this process about ten times. I found myself just as curious as she because I'm not really sure where this awkward movement stems from. After I explained what a habit is, she started nodding her head and saying the famous, "aaaaaaaaaah" sound all my students make when they start to understand things and then she added, "Its like that thing you do with your eyes! When you close them really hard and then open them again." Hmm, this kid is on to me. I've always been told I blink really hard but I honestly don't even feel it and had no idea that my little kids could tell.
I guess I'll have to make sure I don't have my finger up my nose or pop candy in my mouth while the kids are even on campus; I'll never know where they are hiding!
Sometimes I forget just how much responsibility goes into teaching. Besides being responsible for the knowledge and information our students are fed, we also have to make sure we are setting a positive example in their lives. Now, I'm not going to pull a Charles Barkley and say that I didn't sign up to be a role model, but I am learning just how much children watch you. They see everything I do, from picking my wedgies to doing a potty dance to spelling words incorrectly on the board. Though they are quick to pick out my mistakes, they also occasionally share the things they watch me do that they enjoy.
Last week a student came up to me holding an apple and said with the utmost excitement, "LOOK!"
Confused and trying to be sensitive to his untimely enthusiasm, I responded with, "Cool!(?)"
He must have heard that slight question mark at the end of my sentence because he provided me with the sweetest explanation, "I told my mom I want to eat like you! You always have apples and zanahorias and health foods so I say 'mom, can I have a apple in my lunch?' and you know what, she give me one!"
I feel its necessary to share with you that this kid usually eats lunches that make me want to throw up. Crappy Guatemalan potato chips, cookies dipped in chocolate, florescent pink yogurt, and strawberry milk. I really wonder how the conversation sounded when this young kid asked his own parents to stop giving him junk but instead an apple. I'm pretty excited that we are transitioning into health in science for this quarter because I'm hoping maybe more of these kids will realize its cool to eat healthy and not die at a young age :)
Another student gave me the opportunity to explain what a "habit" is as she approached me and asked why I am constantly taking off and putting on the lid of my pen. She asked why I didn't even use the pen I just with one hand took the lid off and immediately snapped it back on and then repeated this process about ten times. I found myself just as curious as she because I'm not really sure where this awkward movement stems from. After I explained what a habit is, she started nodding her head and saying the famous, "aaaaaaaaaah" sound all my students make when they start to understand things and then she added, "Its like that thing you do with your eyes! When you close them really hard and then open them again." Hmm, this kid is on to me. I've always been told I blink really hard but I honestly don't even feel it and had no idea that my little kids could tell.
I guess I'll have to make sure I don't have my finger up my nose or pop candy in my mouth while the kids are even on campus; I'll never know where they are hiding!
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