The Guatemalans Who I Teach

So, my friend Paul and I had our first day of volunteering last night at Groupo Cajola. This is an organization run by Karyn Maxim and it helps Guatemalan immigrants start to learn how to speak English and use computers and other very basic skills which will really help them get along in America.

Last night when I realized that every person there but ME spoke Spanish, I was very overwhelmed. Paul has been taking Spanish for years and can communicate well enough with other Spanish speaking people, but I was really in over my head. The class was so welcoming and eager to learn though, that I couldn't help but gain confidence as everything proceeded. Our sessions are only one hour long, but because of the intensity of which I was trying to understand the surrounding conversation, I really did start to pick out and begin to understand certain Spanish words.

I've started a Spanish notebook that I will bring with me to class each week. I want to start being able to communicate more easily with these people. Some of them know less English than I know Spanish, so it really is very difficult. I've already picked up a lot of key things which will help me next Wednesday and I honestly can't wait to get back !!!! What I want most right now (other than to be fluent right this instant) is for the Guatemalans to know that I really am trying, and will continue to try to speak Spanish, just as much as they are trying to learn English. I think I'll be okay because I have so much enthusiasm for it, and I'll be there every week which will force me to pick up SOME things, even if I don't want to.


So that was my first official teaching experience. Tonight is my second, and tomorrow is my third. Tonight being my first night of Mad Science where I will be completely alone with my ownnnn class:)))) I really can't wait. I think that being a Mad Science teacher and a Guatemalan language teacher at the same time is really really so awesome because the experiences are so different. In both instances, I have a challenging group that needs to be taught so many things and they are depending on me to know my stuff so that they learn correctly. It's so WEIRD to be trusted completely by someone. I wonder how many teachers I have now know the gift they were given in pretty much always having someone who just believes every word that comes out of their mouths? Because really, that's true in most cases.

I am very nervous about Mad Science, but I am SO happy that I'm putting so much teaching experience under my belt already. When we were at Groupo Cajola I could really feel my teacher's instinct kicking in, which Paul said really helped him a lot because he would try to overexplain things often (an easy trap to fall into).


In other news, I hit the 100 mile mark on my Brooks (finally, I know) on September 30...I am now at 116.13. Sweet.

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