Well it's about time I start this back up again. I've been so busy lately that tonight, I almost forgot how to relax. How sad is that?
To give a little back drop: until December 16, I am doing my student teaching at a middle school in the mornings with ESL students who are high in their English skills. Then I go to an International Center where all the students from the county, both middle and high school who are very low proficient in English, are bused and taught English at this center. Most of the students are of Latino descent from Mexico or other South American countries and speak Spanish. There is one girl from Japan and one girl from Micronesia.
So i'm not very used to this Latino culture. It's very different from what I've known of the Japanese culture. They are loud and they are kind of mean. Nothing against them, but just they are a little more aggressive then anything I've known.
Today, I was standing near a table of students after they arrived and I was looking directly at two students who didn't know I was watching them. One of them flicked the other one off with their middle finger and the other one did the same back. I let off of them telling them that I am always watching them. The one got really red and apologized. It was shocking to see but at the same time, I feel like this is good experience in dealing with high school and middle school students. It's toughening my skin.
These students all have crazy stories. Most have only been in the US for less then a year. One girl is 16 and married, two girls have babies, one 14 year old is engaged. It's just an eye opening culture.
Some of the students don't want to be there, some don't even want to learn English. No respect. But there are the few who work hard, who are daily striving to learn, and make what you do as a teacher worth it.
There's one student in particular who would just sit and not do any of his work. He's the student who has a rough home life, no one who loves him, who people have given up on. But I knew today that I couldn't give up. Yesterday, I wanted to give up and let the students be but today, I didn't give up. I sat by this guy, I smiled at him, I prayed for him, I loved him. Hopefully, that will rub off on him and soften his hard casted heart.
