First Impressions @ School

About a year ago, I partook in the short-sighted trend of posting and boasting my "last first day of school"... oh madre mia, how the tables have literally turned. Now I find myself behind the teacher's desk, assuming the role of a "frustratingly slow teacher who can't get the computer to the projector to screen share quick enough before the entire class takes advantage of the millisecond of presumed 'freedom' and primal behavior breaks out." Arriving on the first day of school as an English Teaching Assistant felt nothing short of exhilarating. From meeting my new co-teachers to breaking into the teacher's lounge convos, everything makes me buzz with excitement. Leaving school on the first day, I couldn't ignore the headache triggered by my flailing attempt to balance my English and Spanish brains which are much like my students: constantly at odds and causing chaos. Note: I was further spun by giving my About Me presentation half a dozen times and meeting every student in the school within a few hours. I may be staring up at the steep teaching-learning curve but with the support of my teachers, fellow Fulbrighters, and Dream English's "Good Morning" song, I am climbing.

This year I am placed at a small public primary elementary school in Logrono where I work with 3, 4, and 5-year-olds (separately) in addition to each class of primero, segundo, tercero, cuarto, quinto, y sexto grades. My school has one class per grade, which means the school is a close and supportive community. I work with four other lovely English professors teaching Science and English classes, three of whom are also new to our school this year. Each English teacher leads either infantil (3-5 years old), 1st-2nd grade, 3rd-4th grade, or 5th-6th grade. Two of the teachers are most established and the other two are just a few years older than myself. I've learned a bit about the educator employment system here and have learned that most young/new teachers are placed on temporary assignments because there are only four permanent positions available (at least this year)! Outside of these limited slots, the rest of the state's teachers are ranked and called in to fill various openings (e.g. for a teacher on maternity leave.) Unfortunately, there are plenty of eligible credentialed teachers who do not receive assignments until later in the year or have only been assigned a school for just a few months, creating a lot of instability. While this is clearly a stressful part of being a new teacher, one benefit is that the multiple assignments expose them to a diversity of students, systems, and schools in their state.

Another observation I've made from my school in the first two weeks is of the diversity reflected in the student demographics. Roughly 15 years ago, 10-15% of students were immigrants. Today, the school is 90% immigrants. My fifth-grade class, for example, has fifth-grade students from Russia, Mali, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Pakistan, Romania, Bulgaria, Morocco, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and Spain. What happened? Where did all the native Spaniards go and what are the consequences for our students? Sadly, the reality is that as the city grew, native families moved into newer neighborhoods and prioritized private education. Essentially, economic segregation stratified the school system. Wealthier established Spanish families are more likely to send their children to private schools, pay for private English lessons, have parents who work in English-speaking jobs, speak English at home more often, and therefore perform better in English and school in general. On the other hand, less fortunate families are learning Spanish as their second language, do not have the money for private lessons (let alone all the needed school supplies/books), and are less likely to emphasize (early) education and studying English the same. The frustration doesn't stop there because our students have lost access to friendships/exposure/collaboration with students performing at a higher caliber, thus lowering the average performance. I know this situation rings true for education systems around the world, including my own in California, but I only really understood this phenomenon when I began working with a majority of students facing compounding stressors such as being new immigrants, being unable to afford certain supplies, struggling with behavior from lack of healthy sleep/nutrition, and those who repeated grades. The challenges each student faces make a teacher's job even more important.

After having two weeks to settle into the job, I feel eager for the challenge of this year. I know there will be many difficult days ahead where the classroom won't settle down, or there's a dispute and all the kids are yelling in Spanish and I can't figure out what happened fast enough, but equally, these moments are met by softer ones like being hugged by students or having the five-year-olds blow me kisses as I leave their class shouting, "Annieeeee, I love you!" I have already begun learning so much about my own capabilities in leading classes and I've equally become aware of the skills which I will need to continue improving. With just my toes dipped in, I have begun absorbing so much about classroom management, my student's strengths and weaknesses, and the school system here in La Rioja. Even though my 1-3rd graders still don't think I understand their side conversations, my 4th graders intimidate me, and my 5th graders think my sister is dating Steph Curry - I can confidently report that despite it alllllllllll...

there is no shortage of love here.

Besos,

Annie