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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Finished!...kind of

That's right, as my dad put it: I'm back among the living. I had sort of electronically disappeared for a few days.

You're all wondering about my exams...okay. I will admit that I didn't do as well as I know I could have because I just didn't have time to study. However, the definitive answer as to how well I did will come next Wed. when the grades come out. I'm sure I passed them all, so that's the good news.

I did have a close call, however, on Saturday morning when I woke up at 8 o'clock for my 8:30 exam! Lucky for me Kristen lives very close to where I was taking the exams. I threw on my clothes and a headband and raced out the door to jump in front of a taxi. I made it with 15 minutes to spare. ;) Talk about nerve wracking... My other exams were less eventful, and the last one I felt really good about because I had just been reviewing the part that came up as an essay question before I went in to the test.

Madrid was lovely...even though I was thinking about things other than sightseeing. ;) I stayed with my friend Kristen and we got together Saturday and Sunday with Adam and his girlfriend, Maria. Sunday we were able to stroll around Madrid a bit before my train headed home. I think the last time I was in Madrid as a tourist (though I'm not really sure this visit can count) was when I was studying in Granada! Needless to say it was nice to walk around and revisit the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. We went out for afternoon drinks in La Latina, a barrio of Madrid that's known to be THE place to be on Sundays--things certainly were full. It was really nice to get out of La Roda for a few days and visit with friends.


A view of Plaza Mayor.


Adam, Maria and Me at BarBaridad.


This was the stirrer in my drink... Can you guess what souvenir I brought Angelines from Madrid?

So I took the AVE (speedy Spanish train) back home Sunday evening and slept all the way. Good thing I set my alarm, or I would have woken up in Malaga! ;) Monday morning Angelines and I packed quickly and set off for the beach. With all the extra time that I'd been putting in at school for the play, I asked for Tuesday and Wednesday off from school and so we were able to enjoy a little mini vacation just the two of us. :) What a treat.

We have a friend who graciously lent us her flat in the coastal town of Nerja. It was beautiful weather, and although I've become far too Spanish to wear a T-shirt or sandals in March, there were plenty of guiris (foreigners) who were sporting their summer best...even swimming! Angelines was appalled, of course: "When it gets hot, what will they wear???" ...Keep in mind that it was 77 degrees and sunny.

Tuesday we explored the nearby town of Frigiliana--beautiful! It's in the hills near the sea with beautiful views. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. I have pics on Angelines's cell phone, but I'm not sure how to load them on the computer. Anyway, it was lovely and we even went on a little hike along the river that runs through town--maybe the clearest water I've seen in Spain. :)

I've spent the first half of the week relaxing after my exams. I feel like I've been on vacation forever! It's great. Only thing is it's hard to get back into my routine... We have no break between semesters so my second term classes started on Monday and I really have NO desire to get back into reading.


S0 now I'm back in La Roda and this is what just went by my front door: the Banda de Jesus practicing for Semana Santa. I can't wait. It's just around the corner; I LOVE the music!!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Pancakes and Hot Chocolate...

That's right, Monday I got up and made pancakes for breakfast. How American, of me, right? ;) They were delicious! I was inspired by the sourdough started I have been struggling to make bread with...I decided that lowering my expectations a bit might lead to more success. I guess it worked because the pancakes were great, but they didn't taste much like sourdough and I had to add baking powder and baking soda to make them fluff up appropriately...


Still, here they are and I can tell you they tasted as good as they look!

My delicious breakfast was the perfect start to what should have been a perfect week... However, at about six in the evening I checked into my university webpage to check if my technology professor had uploaded an example of the final that is this Saturday (day after tomorrow). As I'm looking over the exam I come to the part that has essay questions except on this particular exam it asks: write the web address of your webquest in the space provided and answer the following questions about it.

...WHAT?!

My stomach began to churn as I realized that somehow I'd overlooked a term project that formed the practical part of my final exam. Without this project I would fail the exam and failing the exam means failing the class! So with the click of the mouse, my perfect week fell to bits.

Since Monday I haven't slept much. Luckily I opted to cancel the classes I have this afternoon to dedicate myself to studying in my other classes. Last night at 5am I finished my project...needless to say I haven't been able to open my notes for my other classes yet. GULP! All the same, I'm not TOO nervous because as long as I pass the test (5/10) I will pass the class because I have 100% on my work throughout the semester. Still, the idea of passing an exam with a 50% doesn't thrill the H.S. valedictorian in me. ;) We'll see what I'm able to pull together for Saturday...

And with that I leave you! Off to study.

Oh! Have a look at my project: www.examenarte.wikispaces.com I'm pleased with how it came out. I'll explain more about it in a future post...when I've got more time.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

scene 1

So here you have it. I have written the Narrators' lines since my camera woman cut them off in every single scene!

Welcome to our performance: Friends of the Forest. This is the story of how a group of school children saved a forest.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Ms. Guerrero's class is on a field trip to visit the nearby forest and learn about a healthy ecosystem.

scene 2

Ms. Guerrero's class had a meeting with the mayor of the town. Together they came up with a plan to help the forest. The whole town has gathered to help out.

scene 3

Five years later another group of children is on a field trip...


The End!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

...Break a Leg!!!

Remember the play we were preparing in third grade? Monday was the performance... and this week has been crazy-busy because we had visitors from Ireland, France and Poland at school until Wednesday (thus this belated post).

The show was a hit! We brought down the house and our visitors were duly impressed. The Irish woman commented that they had very good pronunciation. :) I was pleased. Of course, we worked and worked and worked on this... but it really paid off in the end.

The kids were SOOOOO excited because we performed in the municipal theatre--very professional feeling. Their nerves got the better of them in a few parts when they either spoke too quickly or too softly; but these were just minor things. No one forgot lines and our scene transitions went smoothly...if a little loudly. ;)

On Wednesday we performed for the rest of the school, and I got nothing but compliments from the other teachers: it was so well choreographed, the kids knew their lines so well, they did a great job acting, the different backdrops and the music were right on...etc. :) I was quite a happy camper. The truth is that Sarah and I had been working ourselves overtime these past few weeks making props and painting the backdrops...not to mention rehearsing sometimes three times a day! It's always nice to feel appreciated for your work.

Enough chat! Here is the full cast of Friends of the Forest. The blond on the left is Sarah and the woman on the right is the English teacher, Araceli.


This is the dead forest the children find when they go on their field trip. These are our dead trees and the owl who explain to the children how the forest was destroyed: people threw litter and weren't careful with matches. ;)

(Can you tell I grew up with posters of Woodsy the Owl and Smokey the Bear on my bedroom walls??)


I'm in the process of uploading the video of the play to YouTube... I'll post that as soon as it's finished. Angelines came to watch and she recorded the play with our little digital camera. It's not the best quality and it turns out that where she was sitting there was a spotlight RIGHT in the way so it's kind of hard to see the stage... She also cut off the narrators in every scene change! (Guess she shouldn't quit her day job!) Still, you can get the gist of how it all went and you can hear the kids pretty well.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

First Signs of Spring

The first cherry blossoms of the season. :)

Monday, March 14, 2011

English Nerds Only:

Indulge me in this blatant show of nerdiness. ;)
Sarah (my co-auxiliar) told me this joke, and I couldn't help passing it along. For all you English nerds out there, here goes:

What's the difference between a cat and a comma?

-A cat has claws at the end of its paws, and a comma is a pause at the end of a clause!

Hahahahahaha...

(Just another reason why English is a confusing second language.)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Great ESL Instruction Videos

I stumbled upon this video on youtube. Any of you who might be teaching ESL, this webpage has got some great videos explaining different grammar points, writing techniques, pronunciation, etc. Check it out: www.engvid.com


Even though this is geared toward ESL students, it's a pretty good explanation for anyone interested in how to write an effective essay.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Spitting Sidewalks

I've hated them since I was a study abroad student--spitting sidewalks.

What? What is she talking about??

Since the sidewalks here are "tiled" so to speak, sometimes the individual losas become loose with time and they move when you step on them. No problem...until it rains!

This is how it goes: You're walking calmly down the street with your umbrella and doing your best not to flip too much water up onto the toe of your shoes when suddenly--SQUIRT--a blast of rain water shoots up your pant leg as you take a step. The water that pools beneath the loose tile has just wet the bottom third of your jeans...and so you spend the rest of the day (until you can change your pants) with wet pants, looking as if you've jumped in a puddle.

Damn it!

Today I was attacked by the sidewalk on my way to my afternoon class... They say the rain will stay all week.

Note to self: walk on the other side of the street!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Movie Night (or Ode to Education)

It's gotten cold again and so this evening I've spent at home in my pj's with a fire going.

I haven't been entirely unproductive, as my blog title may suggest. I have nearly finished (just another proof-read to be done) the unidad didactica I had to plan for one of my classes.

I have also experimented with the sour dough started that Kristen gave me for a house-warming gift...though it seems my baking skills will require some honing--the bread didn't rise.

And finally, I've watched two movies: "Dangerous Minds" starring Michelle Pfeifer, and "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin Williams. These were both recommended viewing for my General Didactics class. I think I've seen them both before, but I didn't remember either one beyond a vague notion that they were "good."

I have tears running down my cheeks (just finished "Dead Poets Society").

I think I always have been a sucker for inspirational teaching movies. Even if they weren't directly related to schools, the films where a mentor figure reaches out to a troubled student, kid, patient have always been among my favorites. There's "Antwone Fisher" with Denzel Washington and another winner with Robin Williams is "Good Will Hunting." And even though I probably wouldn't have admitted it in high school, "Stand and Deliver" is another one that moved me.

Is this why I want to be a teacher? To have the opportunity to be that mentor to someone?

Yes.

When I watch these movies I can't help but think back on all the great teachers I've had in my life. Some were school teachers, some college professors and others coaches or just friends, and of course, my parents.

Education is so much more than the three R's (reading, (w)riting, (a)rithmetic). Education is about learning to be. It's about investing in the creation and perpetuation of society, culture and humanity. By the same token, teaching is more than explaining grammar rules or multiplication tables. Kids learn a lot more from their teachers than that. They learn how to act, how to think; they learn respect, honesty, loyalty and friendship. True teaching is walking the talk; it's about exemplifying the values you preach. Being a real teacher is inspiring your students to be better people, to search, to question, to learn, to be amazed, to live.

If education is so important, how have we conceived it according to our laws? How are we preparing our teachers for the jobs they face? If education is the institution by which we perpetuate our own existence doesn't it deserve the utmost care and attention from politicians, parents, teachers, and society in general? What message are we sending when all that's ever on the news is the poor state of education? Law after law is passed to raise standards, to ensure a "good" education, to assure funding for schools, etc. But it seems that each new law, mandate, measure, proposition is just a quick fix (if that!) for a much deeper problem--we live in a society of blame.

Low test scores, teen pregnancy, high drop-out rates, drug abuse, crime among juveniles...why? No one wants the responsibility. Some like to blame the media--gratuitous sex and violence on TV and a total lack of morals. Others will say it's the politicians who let us down with lenient sentences and weak laws. Some point to teachers as if they were miracle workers. Teachers are in a bind because they're blamed for poor student performance, when many times the numerous state and federal requirements, leave little room for creative inspirational teaching that actually stands a chance of reaching the most "at risk" kids. Then there are people who blame the parents. Doesn't education start at home? Permissive parenting, and pampering at home just lead to students who believe they deserve good grades without having to work for them.

But if instead of looking for a scapegoat to blame, each of us took responsibility for ourselves and our own potential role as teacher mentor as members of society, things might be different.

Every interaction with another person is a teaching moment. Our actions and reactions to people and situations are opportunities to be the better people we hope our children will be.

Maybe this romantic tirade has evidenced a deeper truth about my desire to teach--I'm an idealist; I believe in humanity.

That's all.

(and if you haven't seen these films...you know what to do this weekend)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

A Taste of Summer

So it all began with a BBQ on Friday. Kristen was in town for a brief visit, and it was such nice weather we made a last minute decision to grill up some hamburgers, chorrizo and veggies for lunch. It was in the high seventies maybe even low eighties and sitting out in the patio with the smell of BBQ, eating homemade burgers, it could have been June. I think I even got a little bit of a tan on my face! ;)

Then yesterday we held our official house-warming party. We moved into the house just before Christmas, if you remember, so there wasn't really a good time to have the house-warming bash we had in mind. Yesterday was a day off for everyone; the 28th of February is the Día de Andalucía. Angelines opted to close and we had 23 people over for paella in the patio!

The weather's cooled down since Friday so despite beautiful blue skies and bright Andalusian sun, we were pretty bundled up. The paella was as good as ever--I think it gets better every time we make it. We made three kilos of rice and only about two plates worth are leftover! ...Then there was coffee, chocolate flan, and more drinking and singing around a campfire we made in an oil barrel--the usual.




...But it doesn't stop there.

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday and we surprised her with a big lunch (paella again) here in the patio with all of her children, grandchildren, brother and his family. She was very surprised and very happy--tears in her eyes when we sang Cumpleaños Feliz. Once again we were about 19 people for lunch. All of us gathered around the oil barrel with a fire going while the kids kicked around a soccer ball and we let the rice "reposar" before digging in.





We've cleaned up the patio and we're going to be taking it easy for a while. And rice won't be on the menu for at least another week. ;)