Four Weeks Does Not a Seasoned Teacher Make

Tomorrow marks the completion of my first month in Puerto Rico! How has that happened already?? We're already four weeks into the school year, but it feels like we just started a few days ago. Here's what's been going on in my classroom.

The Ups:
--Routine is sinking in. For example, I have my students in each of my classes read silently (anything they want) for the first 10 minutes of class. At first I had to remind them what to do, but now they are starting to sit down and begin reading-- before the bell even!
--I survived (and I think I made a good impression) on Parent Night. Essentially, I "taught" the parents of my 7th grade students about what we're doing in class this year for about 15 minutes.
--Students are coming into my classroom before school, during recess, during lunch (except now they know they're not supposed to), in between classes, and after school. It can be a bit frustrating at times because there are constantly kids around, but I'm glad they're not afraid to ask me questions.
--I brought quite a few popular adolescent books (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, A Series of Unfortunate Events, etc-- thanks to my mother for purchasing most of them at Saver's!) and I allow students to borrow these books either for the day, or they can check them out and take them home. Most of my students have been taking advantage of this mini library and a few students appear in my room throughout the day to read me passages they really liked or to ask if they can borrow the next book in the series because they're hooked. This makes for one very happy English teacher!
--The first big writing project is now underway in each class. 7th graders are writing Flash Fiction stories, 8th graders are writing autobiographical narratives, and 9th graders are writing a comparison-contrast essay after selecting two of the three stories we've read and discussed in class.

The Downs:
--The school is "paperless" which means no printing or copies or handouts. This is taking some adjustment, especially for differentiated instruction and keeping students focused. Without something tangible in front of them, I have noticed students tend to get more distracted. (In case you're wondering, I do have a projector and students copy activities into their notebooks)
--A student in my 9th grade English class does not speak or understand much English. Getting around the language barrier and finding ways for her to get something out of the class is proving to be a challenge, but I'm working on some accommodations that won't over-step what my principal told me I'm allowed to do.
--My 9th grade class is troublesome. Until today, I assumed it was because of something I was doing wrong as a first year teacher. The students do not stop talking; some of them blatantly ignoring instruction. It turns out this particular group is like this for each of their other teachers. (Whew!) And so, a few detentions, and the realization that they won't respond to yelling but WILL respond to my silence, later, I think we are finally getting somewhere.

The new teacher gig is definitely challenging, but thus far I'm enjoying it. In the four short weeks we've been in school I feel like I've learned a lot about teaching--and noted that I need to re-learn some things too. I think the most helpful thing is just to keep trying new things until something works, because, even with the best of intentions, four weeks does not a seasoned teacher make.

Re: Driver's Ed

      Let me preface this by admitting I am unbelievably good at getting lost while driving. If there was an award for the number of times one could get lost following simple and clear directions, or an award for being impeccable at driving past the turn one was supposed to take, or an award for realizing one is going the wrong way but that turning around is not an option for quite a ways, I would be a shoe-in.  This summer, after living 15 minutes North of Eau Claire, WI for 24 years, I managed to get lost on the way to a pizza place I'd been to a hundred times. However, the benefits of being a slightly unfortunate road voyager are that I get the chance to see some places and things I wouldn't otherwise have passed, and I have extra time to make some observations, be they traffic or otherwise.
      Driving around a new place takes a while to become comfortable. The roads are unfamiliar and the landmarks are meaningless until you get some practice. But you still have your basics, right? Stop at the stop sign and red lights, watch for one-way signs, yield signs, and merge lanes. Driver's Ed has your back no matter what the roads are like....right? Not in Puerto Rico!
      One of the first things that I noticed about driving in Puerto Rico (other than that the traffic signs are all in Spanish) is the sheer amount of traffic coming from every direction imaginable, all at once, with no rhyme or reason, but at a very slow pace. There are no horns blaring (usually); it appears that road rage is minimal. Very different from driving on the mainland where as soon as the guy in the red truck has to wait an extra eight seconds for the driver ahead of him to put on her sunglasses, he's leaning all his body weight on his horn and shouting obscenities out the window. How can cars be coming from every which way if people are adhering to the Right of Way principle? It's simple: the idea of Right of Way is essentially null and void in Puerto Rico. From what I've observed in the two weeks that I've been here is that this is because of how much traffic there is. If people had to wait at stop signs until the cross traffic stopped, they'd be waiting literally for hours sometimes. Puerto Rico is a small island with a LOT of cars and adhering to Right of Way quite a bit of the time would be impractical.
      This is not to say that cars go whenever they feel like it. When you're waiting at a stop sign here, you stop initially and then keep inching forward until the cross traffic has no choice but to wait for you (because you are now completely blocking their lane) and the line of cars in your destination lane have to let you in because you're angled in front of them. Surprisingly, this is common practice. That being said, people are expecting it to some degree, which decreases the likelihood of an accident which would have been imminent on the mainland. Once in a while, when you can't merge, if you look to the people in the cars around you, you can reach a sort of nonverbal agreement that they will let you in. I'm still rather amused that this is how driving works, but when in Rome... or Guayama!
      It also common here for cars to make one-lane roads into two-lane roads. Even mid-turn. I've taken to assuming that if I'm turning there is a 70% chance that another car just slipped into my blind spot because it felt like turning at the last minute too.

The mountains that catch my attention.

      On my accidental drive, naturally past the turn I was supposed to take, toward the mountains today, I realized I was getting a little perilously low on gas. I was headed to the office of my Internet company to switch routers (for the second time-- however they were very helpful both times) and looked at the mountains a little too complacently. When I remembered to pay attention to where I was going instead of the pretty scenery, I saw a toll booth immediately ahead of me. Whoops. Luckily, the car ahead of me clearly made the same mistake and we both sneaked through a space in the median and did some U-turns. After getting the router sorted out, I figured I'd better stop at a gas station, which was conveniently located next door.
      This was my first time putting gas in my car in Puerto Rico. Like what I assumed was normal, I opened my gas cap, took the lever of the gas I wanted, and proceeded to fuel my  car. Except that nothing happened. I put the lever down, and put it back up. It beeped reassuringly at me. Yet pulling the trigger did nothing. Finally I decided to go into the gas station. In some terribly pronounced Spanish I asked if Pump # 8 was working. He said yes and looked at me expectantly. Finally it dawned on me to ask if I had to pay for gas before I put it in my car. And, for any of you who travel to Puerto Rico (though this might have been central to this particular gas station... I'll get back to you on that), you do have to pay for gas before you put it in your car.
      It's kind of like being in Driver's Ed all over again; ignore Right of Way, creep forward instead of waiting, feel free to make an extra lane, and pay for gas before you pump it. Definitely some unfamiliar territory. But at least  you can always get the satisfaction of stopping the pump at an even dollar amount!
 

First Week of School

      Thursday was the kickoff for the first day of school--and my first day as a real teacher! The week leading up to that was spent working in my classroom; I put up some semblance of decorations, tried to organize, started rewriting the syllabus for each of my three classes, and began lesson planning. When Wednesday night rolled around my classroom was essentially ready. Not so much the teacher.  I had a plan for the next day, with the exception of Homeroom which I would have for an entire hour and didn't want to bore by spending that 60 minutes reading school rules. After creating a few more things for my classroom and making some notes of things to discuss with each class I attempted sleep. 

My first attempt at a bulletin board, located in the hallway outside my classroom.

   

       The next morning I arrived at school half an hour early to try and collect my thoughts. I was still in a state of nervousness when my first batch of students, 7th graders, filtered in. Their eyes were huge, taking in everything around them, looking extra relieved that they had made it to the right classroom. It was their first day on the High School side of the building; their class schedule was completely different, their classrooms were completely different, procedures such as homework being posted online were completely different. They looked like rabbits frozen in the backyard when someone opens the door quickly. Already we had so much in common!

    

     To my surprise, the day went very smoothly. My 7th and 8th graders were exceptionally well-behaved, though my 9th graders absolutely love to talk. Constantly. I integrated a classroom management procedure called Teacher vs. Class that one of my new co-workers introduced me to. Each of my classes now has a chart that says "Ms. Kramer vs. [Class Period]". If the class does well following directions and being quiet when asked, they receive a tally in their column on the white board; if the opposite happens, or if the majority of the class is unprepared, I receive a tally. At the end of the day, whoever wins receives a tally on their official chart on the wall and if they beat me at the end of the quarter, they'll get some type of prize. The 7th graders and 8th graders thus far are getting really into this, but 9th grade doesn't seem to care as much. I think I just need to win them over first.

      Friday also went smoothly. Our school has a block schedule with 90 minute class periods and a two-day rotation. This means I see each class every other day for 90 minutes. Friday was Cycle B, so I saw one group of 7th grade, 8th grade, and 9th grade. Again, the day went quite smoothly. 9th grade proved to be a challenge yet again, so I doled out two "see me after class" instructions and, without knowing beforehand what was coming out of my mouth, explained that the behavior of the two students was not acceptable and was disrespectful and disruptive. And yes, what followed was the age-old teacher comment "and you can do better than that." I suppose only Tuesday will tell if it was effective.

      Overall, even with a few challenges, I think the first week went well. I found that I felt more comfortable being the sole teacher in charge than I had expected and that getting to know the students, interacting with them, and trying to correct their behavior came pretty naturally.  ¡Gracias a díos!

Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico

**Due to lack of internet I'm a little behind in blogging. But I got internet today! This post was technically written on July 31st, which was my first full day in Puerto Rico.**

Despite being briefly incommunicado, I am alive and safe and sound in Guayama, Puerto Rico.  Upon arrival in San Juan, I realized my phone would not make or receive calls or texts (local or otherwise) and as soon as I left the capital city, I apparently also left the shred of internet access my phone had been providing me.  But more on that later.

My parents and I left our house at 2:30am Tuesday morning to drive to the Minneapolis airport after I had packed everything that very night and slept for about 3.5 hours. Therefore I dubbed my first flight, from Minneapolis to Miami, “nap time”, and, despite my fellow passengers consisting of a group of 51 high school students on their way to Nicaragua, I slept the entire way.  On the flight from Miami to San Juan, I caught my first travel-channel glimpse of a tropical island with blue water bright enough to make you squint. This island, however, was not Puerto Rico.

I didn’t see Puerto Rico until 20 minutes before we landed. When the pilot announced we’d be landing in 30 minutes, I shoved my face into the window and waited. And glanced over at my seat buddy who did not appear to be excited at all. And touched my hand to the glass. And there it was. It wasn’t bright like the other tropical island. In fact, what struck me first was actually how many buildings there were. Then how many trees. Then how many green patches. Then the accentuated shape of the coastline which was curvy and jagged at the same time, winding in a way that had no rhyme or reason. Each time I looked out the window, I’d catch a glimpse of one of these things and then a series of clouds would cover the entire window. When the clouds parted, I’d catch another piece of the island. The clouds disjointed my view four times, each time pulling back the veil for only a few seconds and then saying, “Ah, but I have something else up my sleeve!”  This was my first impression of Puerto Rico and, thus far, it seems to be pretty accurate.

I made it to baggage claim and both of my suitcases came through. Yes! My next instructions, according to a pamphlet from the school, were to find the street exit, walk across the street, find a covered awning where cars could wait, and look for someone with a sign that says “Guamani School.” No problem, right? I walked out the ground transportation exit, saw only taxis, no awning, no signs, and after a few minutes, assumed I was in the wrong place. So I corralled both suitcases and followed a few people up a cement ramp, which also led to a street. No awning. No parked cars. No signs. I figured I’d try my luck back at the first exit, except I had to take a bizarre route down a ramp and a staircase (I’m sure anyone watching this moment had a good laugh watching a 5’ 3” girl with two suitcases and two carry-ons half stomp half catapult down the stairs).

Regular cars were now waiting to pick people up, but still no sign. After 20 minutes I tried to call Mr. Delgado, who was coming to pick me up. Instead of the phone ringing, however, a very uppity male recording told me, “Your account is not authorized to call this number.” Um, what? I waited another 10 minutes and then typed an e-mail from my phone, stating I was at the airport and was I in the correct spot. At this point, it had been over 30 minutes since I’d left the plane and my only company was a little old lady who also appeared to be waiting for a ride that had mysteriously not shown up.  I was formulating a plan to get to Guayama without the use of a phone, even though I didn’t know where in Guayama, when a car drove up and asked, “Miss Kramer?” Phew.

Mr. Delgado and I figured out that my phone did, in fact, not work because he had been sending me text messages asking where I was but they were never delivered.  He’d waited at a sports bar until he figured he should come look for me anyway. Mr. Delgado announced we’d be picking up a returning teacher in about two hours, so he gave me a tour of Old San Juan. It was quite interesting to see all of the old pink, orange, yellow, and green houses squatting amongst ritzy department stores. Several of the roads were still cobblestone, and none of the roads appeared to make any sense. They were very narrow and windy and I suspect they secretly formed a labyrinth of unmarked one-ways or that Puerto Rican cars are like the bus in Harry Potter that magically squishes into a several-inch span in order to pass. At one point, there were cars parked on both sides and a police officer had stopped next to one of them and waved us through anyway.  (We made it! Somehow!)

We passed several cruise ships and eventually made our way to a restaurant to kill some time. Mr. Delgado asked me not to get seafood because Guayama has better seafood than San Juan and he didn’t want my first impression of Puerto Rican food to be terrible. I went the traditional route and picked mofongo which is made from plantains which are mashed in a mortar bowl, the indent is then filled with meat, seafood, etc. , it’s flipped over, and then fried with olive oil. Not spicy at all, so fear not, Dad.

After picking up the returning teacher from the airport, we meandered back to Guayama, which was about an hour and a half long drive. On the drive, Mr. Delgado said he had a bad feeling about a hurricane this year because there’s a Puerto Rican saying that if an avocado falls from the tree before it’s ripe, there will likely be a hurricane. He said one of his non-ripe avocados fell off of his tree today and since there hasn’t been a hurricane here in about ten years, he’s getting suspicious.

Back in Guayama I got the keys to my apartment and then it was time to unpack. I am living in the Green House (it is labeled thusly out front and, I learned today, members of the community know the address if you just say “the Green House”). It consists of three apartments. Mine, which is painted the same “sunrise green” as the house, has three bedrooms  (ahem, visitors….). The floors are all tiled, there are sun decorations everywhere, and vibrant red, green, yellow, and blue furniture in the living room.  Overall, a very cute (and big!) apartment. The other two apartments are inhabited by  returning teachers who are going into their third year at the school.