Comments on the School

      After being at RMSI for almost 2 weeks now, the students and I have started to develop stronger relationships.  It saddens me to think I will leave them in less than a week.  They definitely have a special place in my heart now and it will be strange to revert back to being called "Ms. Taylor" instead of "Ms. Julia" when I get back to the US.  One girl asked me if I would be there forever and looked heartbroken when I told her next Wednesday was my last day.
      As far as involvement goes, I have taught less here than I did in my first student teaching placement.  Most of what I do is assisting the teacher and answering questions the girls have while they are completing assignments.  Just like the US, I have to remind them to raise their hand instead of getting out of their desk and walking over to me.  I especially noticed how difficult it could be to manage the talking of the class when my teacher was not there on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  The substitutes were different for every class period because they were whomever the available teachers were in the building.  The substitutes were all very helpful and I am sure a lot of the talking was due to the fact that their regular teacher was not present.
      The off-task talking seems more difficult to manage than the US, maybe because it is a class of all girls, the culture of the school, and/or the more fluid discipline system.  In the US, when a student misbehaves, they typically get a specific consequence.  Here, there does not seem to be a write-up form or anything of that nature.  The most common punishment I have seen in the class is the girls having to separate their desks if they do not stop talking.  However, learning still occurs.  When the girls are engaged, they are eager to answer and ask questions.  When they ask questions, they typically say (with their adorable Spanish accent), "Ms. Julia, one thing...", which I will never get tired of hearing.  They are engaged most of the time and they seem very motivated to learn.  Whenever I correct them, they do not shut down or think badly of themselves.  They are happy to understand and want to improve.
       Every day, I am blown away by how intelligent these students are.  They speak, read, and write in three languages every day.  Apparently, when they get to sixth grade they get to choose between learning German or French.  They know words that I don't expect for their age. It is fun to teach them new words in English and they get so excited when they make the connection.  Most of them are involved in sports or other extracurricular activities.  The students and the city continue to surprise and impress me. 
       Since I did not take any pictures at school this week, I posted some pictures of food I have had here, in tribute to the delicious school lunches and surrounding restaurants/bakeries.