S Club 7 {Student Comments #7}

Here is the most recent compilation of Student Comments (Check out #  1-- 2-- 3-- 4-- 5-- 6)

My class of fourth graders are talking about daily routines. They are asking me questions:
Student 1: Cathy, when do you watch TV?
Me- Mmm Actually I don't really watch TV.
Class- *Gasp* Wow! Really?! Omg!
Student 2- What do you do then?
Me- I prefer to be on the computer.
Student 3- Ni tele en los bares?! (not even at the bars?)
Me: lol

Me- What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Student- Pencil.
Teacher- Just because it's in the shape of a pencil doesn't mean it tastes like a pencil. You mean you like chocolate chip.
Class bursts into laughter.

Grading exams for academy.
Question: Say what you and your partner are wearing.
Student. I am wearing a black hat, white socks, and red trainers. She is wearing a blue jacket and white trainers.
Me- And that's all you're wearing? -_-

Yep that's it. Hat and Shoes.

Student 1: "¿Cathy, tú entiendes lo que estamos diciendo? (Cathy, do you understand what we're saying?)
Student 2: Si ella habla mejor español que nosotros. (She speaks better Spanish than we do.)

Like a Boss!

Student- How old are you?
Me- *holds up fingers (2) (5)
Student- Quince! (15!)
Me- hahah I wish!

Pretty close to 15 yr old Cathy

In my adult class at the academy, the students were taking turns interviewing each other with a questionaire out of the book. Essentially answer the questions from the person to your left and ask questions to the person on your right.
Question- What is your favorite form of transportation?
Student 1- I prefer flying because I think it's faster..../cut off
Student 2- I disagree
Student 1- Yes, but this is MY moment.
Group bursts in laughter

As a teacher who runs will inevitably always run into students at the grocery story I have seen that they fall into different categories. The ones who hide behind their parents and shyly wave hello and those who come running down the aisle saying "HIIIII CATHYYY!!" Both groups will procede to remind you that they saw you the next day at school. lol

Well that's all folks thanks for reading, comments are always MUCH appreciated!! Until next time! Hasta Luego!

@CathyArely

Stories, Pictures, Rants, and Memories [100 Posts]

Hey Readers!!

 So today I'm writing my 100th blog post for Mi Nuevo Capitulo, and I while looking back today exactly three years since I wrote my first post: A New Start. It's amazing to see what a transformation my blog has gone through in these last three years just as I have also transformed and grown from that girl who clicked that "create blog" button.

Three years later I realize how relevant the title of this blog still is. We do live our life in stages and hope that we are moving on and progressing with each passing chapter in our own story.

I celebrated Milestones of reaching a thousand views, and here we are 3 years in at nearly 15,000!!

Mi Nuevo Capitlo, has seen new blogger friends, vlogs, funny stories, thoughtful pieces, lists, and many apologetic posts for not writing.

What's to come is unknown, but here I'll leave you with popular posts from my blog.

1. The Nightmare Before Halloween (Eviction from la casa de las brujas)
2. 7 Things I've Missed While Abroad
3. Student Comments 1-- 2-- 3-- 4-- 5-- 6
4. The Money Runaround 
5. Online Food Ordering
6. Your Bad Luck is Impressive 1--2--3
7. Oui What?
8. ExtranHero Abono Adventures
9. A Love Story Waiting to be Written
10. Pay It Forward


So a BIG thanks to everyone who has kept this blog going by reading and commenting. Keep a look out for more of Mi Nuevo Capitulo and CathyBean Poetry.  Here's to 100 More <3

Much Love!
@CathyArely

Student Comments [Six]... and other random musings

Grading a 6th grade exam.
The question: What causes earthquakes?
Answer: When scientits plates collide they can cause earthquakes.

Err scientits??? I'm assuming they wanted to stay scientist...oh tectonic my darling... it's TECTONIC plates.

While taking the students out in pairs and doing an activity where they had to order the events of the Contemporary age. I had one boy and one girl. Both of them are extremely smart, and were going through the activity fairly quickly. The boy was on a roll, not really being a team player, and the girl was jumping in and putting in her two cents. The boy frustrated wanting to figure things out just tells her "Be quiet, stop, let me think, I'm doing it, just shut up" And she replies with "Yo no me pienso callar" Which essentially means "I have no intention of being quiet" I was very proud of her at that moment, as I looked in awe for a second and then resumed teacherly tasks of getting them to work better as a team.

So to supplement my income I teach two private classes. On a Thursday afternoon I was playing a game with my 8 year old where I had a box full of random words. She had to pick a word, spell it correctly (not saying E for I...) tell me what it means in Spanish and use it in a sentence. At the end we would tally the points for everything she did correctly.

She pulls out the the word walrus, and she says I don't know...YOU! I look at her, and she says she really doesn't know what it means. So I explain to her why she shouldn't make jokes like that because it could come out very bad....Oh aren't children wonderful.

Here are a few example of where I leave behind my adulthood and have to fight giggling uncontrollably at what my students say.

-While my students were studying for their comprehensive exam we had to work with our solar system. And every single one of them pronounced Uranus as urine.

-As a language assistant you're used as a reference for pronunciation. One day I had been working all morning with second graders and clothing. So I would say to the class "scarf" and 20 of them would shout it back to me properly. "Shirt", "trousers" and so on. At the end of the day I had my sixth grade class who was working on the human reproductive system, and with the same pronunciation exercise I said "penis" to them and had 20 eager 6th graders all shout "Penis" in unison towards me... I couldn't stop the laughs.

-My student during a brainstorming activity trying to prove his point on what materials to choose "A poster without paper is like a pool with no water"

-When my first graders were taking an exam I had to take outside the ones that finished early and practice English with them. So since I had been practicing spelling their name with them I decided to see how they were doing with remembering it. The group of 6 kids finished spelling, and did it rather well, then this exchange happened.

Student 1- (excited) I could spell it right, because we worked on it all morning.
Student 2- I knew it, because I'm the smartest kid in the class... so that's all there is to it.
Oh what wonderful 6 year old lol

-Another activity language assistants do is take students out and ask them basic questions that they are going to be asked on their English qualifying exams. My fourth graders come in pairs and I facilitate a conversation with them. And here is how one went.

                         Me: Student A, why don't you ask Student B what he had for breakfast this morning?
                         Student A: What did you have for breastfuk this morning?
                         Me: No, no, no... breaKfaST.
                         Student A: Breastfuk
                         Me: (Trying with all my being to hold in my giggles). Ok, ask him again what he had
                         for breakfast.
                         Student A: What did you have for breastfuk?
                         Me: Okay, Student B, tell us what you ate...

Since language assistants are not allowed to speak Spanish under any circumstance, we were asked to tell the students we can't speak it. This makes it like a challenge for students to try to make you speak it. They are constantly telling us "come on, can you say 'Hola'" One day when I had a 6th grader asked me to speak Spanish, I replied I can't if I do the teacher will beat me and I could lose my job. To which she very passionately replied, "You are not a peasant this isn't the middle ages, you don't have to pay your dues to the king." I guess she really was paying attention in class

This whole not speaking Spanish isn't always convenient, especially when the school secretary doesn't speak English. One day after a stressful lunchtime activity class, I ran into the secretary because she's a spunky older lady who can put the kids in their place. So I needed tell her about a fight that went down with the kids. I had the whole class in front of me so I ended up looking like a dunce trying to use similar English words to Spanish so she would understand. After still getting a blank look I told one of the students to tell her what went down. After that went down a student came up to me with the most sincere having pity for my face and said "You need to practice your Spanish..." I just laughed it off and sent them to lunch.

The most horrifying conversation with a student on the metro ride home before my birthday weekend.

Student- How old are you?
Me- 24 almost 25
Student- (super surprised) Really?! I thought you were 40!
Me- What?!
Student's father- How could you think she's 40 if I'm almost 50?
Student (still genuinely stunned)- I don't know. I just thought you were a lot older.
Me- Well darling, you've just failed English class...that's for sure lol. (she's lucky she's one of my favorites)

The language assistants got their schedules changed in order to accommodate upcoming standardized tests to give practice to those who need help first. I got to the first grade classroom, and took them out in pairs to ask basic questions like "What's your name?' "Do you have any brothers or sister?" or "What is the weather like today. There was one boy who didn't want to come because he didn't know me, but the teacher forced him to come along. So we had our conversation and I sent him on his way back to get the next pair from the class. Later I heard him cross path with a classmate and he asked "Did you have her, isn't she cool?" My heart melted...

Student Comments {5} and Other Random Musings

Hey hey all,

Nothing like laying in bed with a cold to catch up on blogging lol. Here are some more random musings.

1.

 I was helping one of the teachers grade some history science exams and this is what I read:
Question: What is was the Industrial Revolution?

Answer: It was a rebolution. It was violent.


2. During lunch time at school the auxiliares and I give an English Workshop called Lunch Bunch, where we essentially play games and try to get the kids practicing english... not always an easy task when they have to do that instead of be outside playing whatever they want.

My coworker Makhala and I started the session off with a name game icebreaker. We were all in a circle and you had to say your name and an adjective that describes you as well as remember everyone's name and adjective that came before you. "Cathy is Cool, Makhala is Funny, Sara is happy... etc.

About half way though the circle one of the kids goes "Cathy is Cool, Makhala is..." So trying to give the kid a clue I make the f sound.. (F)... (F).. Makhala is (F)....at, Fat! Horrified, I said, "You mean funny, Makhala is Funny!? Quickly changing the topic and moving on the next person in the circle >.< Makhala was really great and nonchalant about it... unlike me...

2a. Along with doing the Lunch Bunch activities the auxilares also help in the Cafeteria with a mock restaurant where the kids get to eat with us once a week and speak English, as we serve them and show them table manners and the like. At the end of one of the sessions one of the first graders innocently comes up to me and asks..."Teacher are you..em-bara-said?" |Again horrified, I said, "Pregnant? No, I'm not pregnant... it's not embarasaid... that's a false friend" as I hurried her off to get back into the line.

Pregnant? No. Embarrassed? Yes.

3. With my fifth graders in English we are doing group skits. One of my groups are doing a skit about being circus people and the lion tamer brings in her sick lion. They wanted the girl who was playing the lion tamer to also act out the part of the lion, and as I gave an example (during the week that I was pretty much without a voice it came out more like this:

4. This year conversation in the staff room is pretty segregated among teachers and the language assistants... the end of one we did catch was bits and pieces of remote control vibrators at parties and other creams that give sensations... comical and awkward at the same time

5. Reviewing things a previous topics with students:
Me: Can you tell me what marks the beginning and end of the Prehistory period?
Student: P and Y... with a big grin on his face.


6. Any auxiliar can attest to this, if you ask a student "how are you?" 99.9% of the time they are going to say,
"I'm fine thank you, and you?" I've had several classes say this all in unison. Now I tell my students that there are many different ways they can answer this question (i.e... I'm fantastic, I'm sleepy, I'm okay...etc) and there is where it went terribly wrong with my 3rd graders..

Me:  I'm tired, how are you?
Student 1: I'm angry.
Me: Why?
Student 2: He's angry because he (makes heart shapes with hands) a girl.
Student 1: And she (makes heart shapes with hands) another boy.
Student 2: What? No.
Student 1: Yes, she told me at lunch to my face.
Me: Oh no, I'm sorry
Student 1: I just want to punch and kill them both, then revive the girl and (makes kissy face then quickly does a thrusting action)
Me: Stop that!
Student 2: What?
Student 1: You don't know what (thrust thrust) is?
Me: Ok, there are three uses for the word can Permission, Request, and Ability...

Until next time!
@CathyArely

Kids Say the Darndest Things- Student Comments #4

Last year I was cursed, blessed, given  the opportunity to take a look into adolescent mind and got out some interesting insight. Example- A, B, and C.

It's a whole new ball game now that I have the little ones (for better or for worse). Here are a few snippets of month one at a primary school.

1. Background- Between the schedule being a bit off the two weeks and long holidays, there are certain classes that haven't had as much time with me as others.

On a Friday, I'm helping the 6th graders correct their History Science homework from the book and then this exchange occurs-\

Student 1- "What's your name?"

Me -(acting all dramatic to keep the kids entertained)- *gasp* you don't know my name? I can't believe this... Who knows my name?

Student 2- Makhala (the other auxiliar in the school that works with them more often)

Me- What is this?? No, that's not my name... I can't believe this... who knows my name?

Student 3- Cathy!

Me- Yes! Thank you! My name is Cathy!

Student 4- (Quietly in the back) Makhala mola mas.... (Makhala sounds cooler)

*Demotivational times 100* LOL

2. While taking a few students out at a time to get to know them in the first few days of class I was with a group of fifth graders asking them what they did that weekend. One of my students who is a bit behind her classmates in English answered me very confidently-

Student- "I went to the house of my grandfather, and went to the cinema."
Me- "What movie did you watch?"
Student 1- *thinks* Tomatoes, peppers, milk
(everyone looks confused)
Me- What film did you go see?
Student 2- quickly translates under his breath
Student 1- Oh! No Cinema! The supermarket!

A few giggles and we continue on with the class. Bless that child.

3. While grading some exams for some of my fifth grade history science classes, there were some funny responses as follows:

     -Pre-history started when the firs human apparance (3 or 4 year ago) until the invention of writing.
     -Pre-history started when the first human appearance and finished when discovered the fire.

4. In order to get free lunch at school the auxiliares have  to work in the cafeteria doing "Mesa Restaurante" essentially 10 kids get to have a week where we try to teach them table manners and vocabulary in English while trying to converse with them.

Last weeks top comment (4th grade)-
   Student-Do you know what my favorite sport is?
   Me- No, what?
   Student-Porno
   Me- Finish your food.

This week's top comment (4th grade)
  Students- Let's speak Spanish, it's Friday.
  Me and other Auxi- No we're in an English Restaurant!
  Student under his breath- Estamos en España, que se jodan los ingleses. (We're in Spain, the English can   go fuck themselves)

Oh the joy of actually having to pretend I don't understand.

5. Not all the moments are awkward these days my time is also filled with random hugs, excited to see me faces and waving hands, and I've already had 2 students draw things for me. All is right in my world.

Until next time!!

@CathyArely

Wrap up- A Year in Photos

Hey all,

  So year two has officially rolled in, but before I get into that in my next post I wanted to sort of do a summary of my year in Spain in photos... enjoy :)

My room at my coordinator's house when I first arrived

Rally for Public Education

My first meal in Spain!
(After the ramen noodles I had brought from home)

PR BFFs meandering Madrid!

Trying to not get my food eaten at La Casa de las Brujas

First Trip out of Madrid!

Notes from Students

An American Thanksgiving in Spain

White Elephant Exchange!

Reyes gift from roomies <3

10 sessions going on 35... it was a rough journey

In the Circle of Life!

First Trip post injury... LAS FALLAS!

Paris!

Sister Spring Break- Malaga, Spain

Madrid Players Debut

Italia! Leaning tower of Pisa

Primo Reunion in Rome!

A view of Granada from La Alhambra

Last Stack of Journals to grade

Interway Summer Camp July 2012

HaU in Madrid!

I'm an Au Pair

Madrid Players- September Serenade!

Now time for round two and a whole new set of photos... probably with a new camera too... once I have the money :-/

@Cathy Arely

So you had a bad day...

    I hesitate to write this post because even though I get personal on my blog, I've veered from getting too personal, other than my thoughts/fears for the future, and missing people back home. Today was different, it was just one of those days. 

    I get into class with my 7th graders and I'm finishing up preparing their activity for the class about personal attributes and relationships. While I'm simultaneously cutting the cards and making conversation with the kids about what kind of exams they have coming up, and what kind of fun things they have going on during the weekend, one kid asks me, "Miss Cathy, how old are you?" I hesitantly reply, "24." He smiles and says "Really? You look like you're 18!" I smile and continue to make conversation with the entire class.  Then the little darling asks, "Miss Cathy, do you like spaghetti, pizza, and hamburgers?" I slightly brush off the the question, and continue explaining what the activity we are going to do that day in class. Then he says "Because it sure looks like you do. My heart stopped. Did he really just say that. I ignored his comment, and kept on with the class and allowed them to do their activity. 

    I probably should have sent him back to class or to the principal for a comment like that, but part of me was thinking if I do that, then I am giving that comment power. Not to say it didn't hurt my already fragile ego/self image. I've always been a big girl, and I've struggled my whole life with banter about it. Recently though, I've lost some weight. I can't give numbers because I haven't been on a scale in a long time so I don't really have something to compare to, but I've definitely noticed in the way my clothes fit, and all that jazz. Not that I really care what some 12 year old boy thinks, but it really does kinda suck. 

As class went on I also gave a talk about respect, as some of them used foul language and definitely inappropriate occupations their little adolescent male minds came up with. The last few minutes of class I allowed them to chill since our activity was pretty much done and there wasn't that much time left in class. As I was getting my paper and things ready to go, said class clown decides to open our huge window and put his head out and start flailing around from the 2nd floor! I told him to get to his seat before anything happened. One of the few moments you really think... Saved by the Bell.

Here's to a better Thursday!

Much Love,

Cathy

Student Comments of the Week 2.0

Hey Hey all,

  I have a few ideas going for a good update, just working out the kinks, but I wanted to share some student moments I had this week before they drift away into the sunset lol.


#1-
Background- As an assignment I have all of my students bring me a word that they looked up in the dictionary/google translate every time they come to my class, and then we'll talk about it. Well this was the first week I was enforcing it, and I guess some of the students misunderstood and hadn't looked up the word. So as my students were writing, one girl comes up and writes on the board two words.

Hoe

Hoeing

So super teacher Cathy (lol) goes into the in depth explanation that a hoe is a garden tool (since I didn't know the exact word for it) and drew a picture of it on the board, and proceeded with hoeing was the verb of using the hoe in your garden, and just as we wrapped up I quickly added-

"Oh if you hear this in a song it probably doesn't mean the garden tool, they are probably saying that someone is (being) a puta"

And smoothly transitioned to crutches :)

#2-
Background- My 1st Year Bachillerato students (equivalent to Juniors in High School) were on the unit of music in their English books, so my activity for the week was a mixed CD with 21 songs. I told them there would be songs they liked, songs they didn't, songs they didn't know, and after each song they would tell me what they got out of the song. I put 1-21 on the board and the students were blindly choosing the next piece. Well No Scrubs by TLC came out as one of the songs.

Me- Has anyone heard this song before?
Class- No
Student- When did this song come out?
Me- 1998, 1999 ish
Student- We were born in 1997
(Dagger to my heart...I'm not that old! lol)

Anyway hope you all enjoyed it, new blog entry to come including Thanksgiving activities and my first trip to the doctor.

Hasta Luego!

~Cathy
 

Student Comments of the Week

Not sure if this is going to be a regular thing on my blog but Student Comments will definitely be showing up from time to time. Here are the highlights of the week :)

-Monday (during the interview activity where everyone had to ask me at least one question in class)
Q- "Do you prefer American boys or Spanish boys?"
A- Umm... I'll get back to you...lol

-Tuesday, after I asked why so many of them were on Tuenti (Spanish social networking site) vs. Facebook.
"Tuenti is cool because it is for young people like us, and facebook is not because it is for old people."
Oh I'm too young to be  having moments like this... lol

-Thursday (again during the interview portion of class)
"Why aren't you a regular teacher here? You've taught us better in a half an hour than all of the other teachers..."

Aww... <3

In other news... we finally have our READER SPOTLIGHT for October up. Thanks to my primita Jackie for stepping up to the plate. I didn't ask her to do it, I swear, lol. Remember first comment of the month gets featured on the Reader Spotlight tab.

Well thats all for now, I'll probably write another blog soon about a few mini adventures during this week, but for now I am to go tackle the big bad post office to try to send back my defective kindle (possibly to be mentioned in my next post)

Thanks for reading. Much love.

~Cathy