i work at the middle school on the TLC staff-- TLC (tornado learning club) is the after-school program that's held from 3-5:30 every monday, tuesday, and thursday.
in short, this job rocks my face off just as much as a job possibly could.
for one, over 70% (i'd say more like 80%) of the kids are hispanic-- the majority of those, mexican. (orale!) some have been in the states a long time, some for only a couple of years. the few that have moved here more recently, i've been placed to work with 1:1 during the 40 mins of study/homework session that's held every day after the snack and before the educational fun activity, basically as language support for them-- if they don't understand anything on their homework (whether it's due to language or even otherwise), i explain it to them however it be necessary (typically in spanish, although it's often in english-- the goal is for them to get better at english, after all, but it just comes to show that an ESL-type teacher isn't necessarily better off knowing the native language of the people he/she's teaching-- b/c once the students know he or she knows, that's almost all they ever speak! at least that's my experience with 5th graders. michelle's a great example of this-- she seems to understand my english perfectly but doesn't want to speak in anything except spanish. fun for me, and apparently for her, too, but not so much when the goal is for her to improve her spoken english. so, it's a challenge, but one i love. ruben, on the other hand, speaks mostly in english with me (WHEN he speaks). this kid is quiet and an amazing futbol player, and smart, to boot (although he probably wouldn't want his friends to know this). jeff (the third i typically work with) doesn't have a problem w/ language-- he speaks english perfectly-- but he's got i'm-a-punk-5th-grader issues and loves to give hell to the other staffers. so, they've pawned him off on me, barely expecting that i'd absolutely love working with him. serious, he couldn't be any more troublesome or disruptive if he tried, but i'm in love with the adorable little guy anyway (and probably even more-so because everyone else thinks he's impossible).
the kids love to ask me questions, like "are you latina?" i guess the general shock of a guerita speaking such good spanish (so i'm always told) gives off a vibe that maybe i'm not really from around here. nope, not latina, i say. although sometimes i feel more latina than estadounidense. i typically wear a cultural shirt to work, like a chivas jersey (which, might i add, at least 3 kids will be wearing to TLC per day-- i haven't seen a single mexican jersey that WASNT chivas!, so needless to say i haven't busted out the club america jersey yet-- maybe on the last day!), my "hecho en mexico" tshirt, my spanish toro shirt, other mexico shirts (univ de guanajuato, or yo amo guadalajara), or my nicaragua tshirt (like i wore today). they love to ask me where i got my shirt, like maybe i got them on ebay. they always tease me and tell me "i saw that exact same jersey on ebay!" and i joke with them, "well maybe i could have saved money by buying it there instead of traveling to mexico to get it!" and with the nica shirt, it made for great side-tracking conversation after getting onto the chicos for being loud and telling them to calm down. "have you been there or something?" yes, in fact, me fui el julio pasado. "gosh, you've been everywhere." i didn't bother to tell him i was going to india in less than a month. they'll just have to find out when i wear an india shirt next semester to TLC. :) anyway.
serious, this job both exhausts me and energizes the heck out of me, at the same time. i even get to spend 1/2 hr periods playing futbol with the kids (they bring their own each day to use) and they totally don't act like i suck near as much as what i do (gracias, chicos!). i take to them, and they take to me-- definitely not something i see with the other staff members.
so, advice to the teachers out there who have hispanic kids in their classrooms and seem to think that the only thing these students are doing are bringing test scores down and being disruptive: learn a few words of spanish, and use it with them. then, ask them to teach you more. show an interest in their language, in their culture, where they came from. don't think for a second that it's easy for them to be away from their family and home culture-- they need to talk about these sorts of things, and it needs to be with adults whom they trust. when the kids are speaking spanish with each other and you've had enough because you just don't understand, DON'T make any reference to english being the better language, or the dominant language. understand that the language is a part of who they are. allow them to speak it when they need to, and don't ignore it-- listen to it, even, and take an interest in the conversations they share-- that'll tell them you really care. i've seen teachers do otherwise, and needless to say, it makes me sad, it lets the students down, and it makes the students less likely to confide in, trust, approach the teacher for whatever reason. i know this b/c i'm now the person they do all these things to/with, when we're in this particular teacher's classroom. think the kid who won't let go of the futbol is being disruptive? ask him to show you some of what he knows-- he'd love to share. better yet, ask him where he learned to play, and listen to the beautiful pride in his voice as he says, "my dad."
speak with firmness to the kids, but speak with love... always with love. it's only by showing love that these kids are going to open up to us and see that we really do care for them and really do want them to succeed. so, all in all. i really, really love my job, and can't wait to return next semester to see how much the students have grown. and for more short-term excitement, i can't wait to return to them, day after day, to their hugs, their invitations to their choral/orchestral concerts, their endless crap they love to give me which includes their many "por que?"s (that means "why?"-- yes, it happens even in spanish like that!), y mas. love it. can't wait to work with amazing children like these some day, and possibly make a difference in their lives the way they make a difference in mine, day after day!
