An Ode to Teachers

Everyone who knows me knows that until I started working with kids about a year and a half ago, I had yet to discover my maternal instincts. In fact, I think I was pretty indifferent to having kids in general. I was the girl who would conveniently get up during the gift opening part of the baby shower because I was so uninterested...and because I can only handle so much pink at once.

Walking into an elementary school in itself is an exercise in patience. You almost have to imagine you've got earplugs in your ears to survive an entire day (*at my school anyway). I quickly realized that having a child literally means developing the patience of a nun and giving up your own life to become a 'mom' or a 'dad.' When you are ready, that's a wonderful, courageous thing to do. I am in awe of parents...especially good ones!

Thanks to my experience here, I can pretty much pick out the only children, the kids who've got lots of siblings, the kid whose mom just had a baby, the kid who gets stuck in front of the TV every night, etc. That brings me to another point of contention/confusion.

Now that I've actually spent more than 1 hour in a classroom, I think teachers, the really passionate, GOOD ones, should have their feet kissed every day. I'm serious. Teaching is one of the most challenging jobs I've yet to encounter. Your role as a teacher is part parent, part educator, part babysitter, disciplinarian, counselor, shoulder to cry on, mediator, role model...the list goes on.

I've been reading a lot about the thousands of teachers in the States who might lose their jobs at the end of the school year, and I'm pretty appalled by the situation. I fully appreciate that those who have been balancing the books in every State and obviously, at the Federal level have been doing so blindfolded and on some sort of hallucinogenic drug, BUT my question is, why are we 'solving the problem' by getting rid of the very people who, out of the goodness of their hearts, want to help raise our children (aka the future of our country)?

It is mind boggling to me that we can miraculously find the money to bail out the big banks, but we can't bail out the people who play quite possibly the second most important role in our children's lives (next to that of parents), help shape their morals, their minds, and inspire them to get excited about learning and what they can contribute to the world when they grow up.

The best teachers are those who truly love their jobs and have the innate ability to care for and treat other peoples' children as their own. Shouldn't we have only the best, most passionate people in our classrooms? We've got our priorities mixed up. Don't even get me started on what kind of message this sends to college kids (and people like me) who are leaning towards other careers because teaching jobs are scarce to say the least.

"TV School is Cool" - by 3rd and 4th Graders - Starring Me, Jessica and Rich

TV School, is cool! Programa 3 from tv school is cool! on Vimeo.

This video was put together by one of the 5th grade teachers at my school. I tutor Ana, the girl on the left in the first shot. The kids interviewed Rich, Jessica and I (los auxiliares) about why we decided to come to Spain and what we think of it. Enjoy : )

Oh the Things I've Learned...

First of all, let me preface this post with the following: I don't have anything substantive to complain about.

I don't work on Mondays. I have three day weekends every weekend. It is fantastic.

In order to entertain myself and avoid doing the things I should do (study Spanish, research places to work in San Francisco, etc.) I spend my free time reading (in English), cooking, and planning trips.

Today (Monday), I decided to be 'productive' because Sundays in Madrid mean waking up late and going to the park to get some sun for half the day. So....I woke up, went for a run and then proceeded to my favorite Asian grocery store. I stocked up on tofu, ramen, rice, and green tea and then took the Metro home to cook myself some lunch.

Our stove is electric - I loathe electric stoves - but I have adjusted. I have NOT adjusted to the cheap pans that make cooking rice and having it turn out edible almost impossible. I even soak it before I cook it (for at least half an hour) and it still doesn't help.

Today, I have officially given up the 'challenge' of cooking rice in a cheap pan. No more gummy rice, no more scrubbing pans for 10 minutes. I quit!! Cheap pans 1, Me 0. From now on, I'm borrowing my roommate's rice cooker...

My Portuguese Semana Santa

To the ten people who read my blog (mom, dad, etc.), sorry for the radio silence. Julie and I took off to Portugal for Semana Santa (Holy Week in Europe, spring break in the States).

Language: I've heard if you are a native Spanish speaker you should understand Portuguese pretty well. I am (unfortunately) a non-native speaker and while my Spanish helped as far as reading goes, I was pretty lost when it came to oral comprehension. Portuguese sounds like a mix of all the Romance languages with a little something extra thrown in. Confusing. I forgot what a bummer it is to have no clue what is going on around you. I am so happy to be back in the land of Castellano...

Food and Drink: Yummy and cheap. Even though Portugal is a small country (geographically), they use their land wisely and produce loads of wine. Vinho verde was my favorite and I also tried a few Port Wines (as required when in Porto), but it was a bit too sweet/strong for me. The seafood was awesome minus the bacalhau (dried and salted Cod)...definitely an acquired taste.

People: Over the course of the trip, I realized I am experiencing some travel/tourist fatigue...but I really enjoyed Portugal largely because the people were so hospitable. For example, when Julie and I arrived in Porto looking ridiculous (She had two backpacks, a poster, and a purse. I had a backpack and an Ikea bag to carry all my extra stuff.), a gentleman could tell we were lost and told us (in perfect English) where to go to catch the Metro - we didn't even have to ask him. I love it when that happens. As for the man department, I didn't find a Cristiano look alike. Darn.

Scenery: Portugal's glory days were from 1500-1700...so there's a lot of random juxtaposition, mostly new (1970s) vs. crumbling buildings. It seems to me they just let the buildings crumble and if they burn, the skeleton of the building is left alone. I found it intriguing... I also loved the azulejo tiles that cover buildings and homes (in place of stucco or paint), in buildings (on the floor, on the walls) etc. I'll put my photos up in the morning.