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My first week was tough, but Friday was the high note of the week.

Beginning with Friday, as I was teaching, we had an extra kid enter the classroom, not an unusual occurance, however this kid was of the baby goat variety. The children were highly amused (I was laughing hysterically myself) as I chased the goat around the classroom and out the door. Then, he came back and tried to eat the teacher´s lunch, before making his way onto a desk chair and then standing on a desk. I eventually chased him across the playground . . . hmmm goat herding, I wonder if that counts as a new skill on my resume. So far in one week I´ve had some unusual appearances in the classroom: a couple of dogs, a chicken or two and a goat. I figure if a bull makes an appearance, I´ll let somebody else take care of it.

My First Week In Ecuador

Peter Wyant
2007-02-05 19:06:08

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My first week was tough, but Friday was the high note of the week.

Beginning with Friday, as I was teaching, we had an extra kid enter the classroom, not an unusual occurance, however this kid was of the baby goat variety. The children were highly amused (I was laughing hysterically myself) as I chased the goat around the classroom and out the door. Then, he came back and tried to eat the teacher´s lunch, before making his way onto a desk chair and then standing on a desk. I eventually chased him across the playground . . . hmmm goat herding, I wonder if that counts as a new skill on my resume. So far in one week I´ve had some unusual appearances in the classroom: a couple of dogs, a chicken or two and a goat. I figure if a bull makes an appearance, I´ll let somebody else take care of it.

In all seriousness, things went about as well as I could have expected. The kids and teachers are friendly, and the children pay attention and pick things up quickly. I also found out that there is another volunteer teaching, she is an Ecuadorean studying English at a nearby University and she teaches three days a week. So, I was able to observe for a bit, and taught two classes solo. Initially, I was nervous that she would be upset that I was horning in on her turf, but this is not the case. We take turns teaching and work together well. I think if we teach properly, with the two of us, we will be able to much more effectively teach.

Tuesday and Thursday I was on my own, and it was a bit interesting as I had no idea what to expect, so the first day found my pointing at my pants saying ¨what´s this,¨then repeating the operation with my arm, a pen, etc. My second go was better, and I now have a reasonable idea of what they have studied, and can plan appropriately for next week. However, I am sure I will continue to hear ÿo no entendo Inglas¨called out on a regular basis (I don´t understand English).

My host family turned out better ...