Friday, September 15, 2023
I went back to work today. I wasn’t planning to start until October, but there was an interesting job that stayed open all day yesterday and I finally decided to take it. The Spanish Immersion elementary school has a new third grade teacher who is from Mexico. She is awaiting her MN license, so they have to hire a sub every day until it is processed because legally they have to have a licensed teacher in the room. I figured going to Spanish immersion as a helper would be a good way to find out if I should go there as a real sub.
It was a very interesting day. There is a lot of motion in third grade, so I didn’t have to feel like I was disturbing anything as I went around the room. The teacher spoke almost exclusively in Spanish, so I had absolutely no idea what she was saying. I enjoyed picking out words that I knew, or could figure out from context, but those were few and far between. Sometimes the kids didn’t seem to be paying any attention at all and I seriously wondered if that was because they were bored, they were just wiggly, or they, too, had no idea what she was saying. There was some confusion about each assignment – making me wonder how much Spanish they understood – but there is always confusion when you are with third graders. She read to them about ancient Egypt and several kids answered questions about jeroglíficos, so they were getting it.
The culture of the building seemed very relaxed. Classes moving around in the hall were mostly clumps of chatting students instead of the quiet lines I am used to at other buildings. When I was left alone with the class for indoor recess none of them were the least bit interested in listening to me telling them to get ready for lunch. We eventually got ready to leave, but on their terms, not mine. No other adults in the building interacted with me, even the ones that came into our room. Everyone (reasonably) spoke Spanish to each other.
I don’t think I am in a big hurry to go back as a regular sub. Obviously, they would leave everything I would have to do in English and the kids all speak English, so it would be fine, but feeling like an outsider is feeling like an outsider, and not one of my favorite things. Also, it is a late start school, so instead of being home at 2:45 (when I sub in middle school) or 3:15 at early elementaries, I didn’t get home today until 4:20. There really isn’t enough time to nap before cooking dinner. That doesn’t fit my schedule very well.
Tonight, we went to the Phipps in Hudson to see 9 to 5 the Musical. It was good! The three lead actresses and the despicable boss were all very good (although two of the leads outshone the third. Sorry one lady). The sets were fun, and the music was pleasant, if forgettable. There was a video of Dolly Parton. I am not a particular fan of Dolly’s, but she certainly makes me smile and I was happy to see her.
After the show, I got a text from one sister that she had made a birthday cake for my other sister, who is finally recovered from COVID. She missed her birthday and two brothers and two sisters were together for birthday song and cake. Yay!
Nice lesson there, feeling like an outsider – being uncomfortable. How many people live that life.
Very true. I enjoyed it for a day – good to understand a little
Just briefly, I thought you had gone to a production of 9 to 5 that was in Spanish. I wondered why you would have done that, and then enjoyed a good laugh at my own expense. I should learn how to say “silly me” in Spanish.
I think that was a reasonable assumption. After a day at SI, I think I should learn a lot of phrases in Spanish.