One Semester down, One Lesson ongoing.

If I could sum up my first few months of moving abroad, starting my first adult job, traveling on the weekends, and putting down roots in a new community, it would be: adjust your expectations. Simple, yet surprisingly applicable to every corner you turn. Thinking you could live life without having to walk 10k steps daily? Adjust your expectations. Thinking about not sitting in your assigned bus seat? Adjust your expectations. (Spaniards are surprisingly stringent on this one) Feeling calm and then being left alone in a class of 25 sweaty 6th graders after their break? Crack open the window, and adjust your expectations.

I encountered a new challenge each day this year as I wear novel identities: twenty-two-year-old, American/foreigner, and teacher. From classroom management to grocery shopping, things never seem to be the way I expect (talking to YOU tortillas, why are you not in the bread corner!? and YOU Miguel, why are you not at your desk?!) The best advice I could give myself before and during this year abroad is to embrace radical flexibility. Both in and out of the classroom, letting your itineraries and/or lesson plans be nothing more than ideas will save you wasted stress.

After allowing the excitement of being a positive, inclusive, sustainably-minded, and young-cool teacher (obviously) to build over the summer...I felt the blow when my theoretical goals met the reality of the classroom. I love my students, but their mainly interested in pushing my buttons whereas I wanted to get through my presentation of the true history of Thanksgiving. This semester, I am most proud of learning to let go of my expectations in the classroom. Classroom management (behavior management) is easily the most challenging part of my job. For the first few months, I allowed myself to get overly frustrated and always felt exhausted from shush-ing students. Then, poco a poco (slowly), I learned to step away and defer to compassion. I began to remember how entertaining and loved the class clown was and simply how much fun it is to be in class with 25 of your best friends. After weeks on end of feeling stuck, I began surrendering my anxiety. Not all the time, but when frustration doesn't serve me or my students, I let go of keeping a perfect class. I've begun to learn more about the variables influencing students' day-to-day behavior and had to accept a win might be getting through one page of material or five minutes of silence, when you set out hoping to re-teach the politically correct history of Christopher Columbus.

Teachers are superheroes. But until further notice, they're also only human. Being a teacher (therapist, medic, friend, coach, translator, etc.) is demanding, so when the class is up in arms over going early to snack, it is perfectly okay to learn when to fall back and give some slack.