Gotta love the kids

I feel like the past seventh months I've constantly been learning to be more flexible. Or maybe it's that I've already learned the lessons, I just feel that I am having to put it into practice all the time. Especially as a teacher, as I'm sure anyone who teaches anything would agree. You never know how a lesson might go, and it's always different depending on the specific group of children. It's good to always have a back-up plan. Usually I have some sort of back-up plan, but today, when I really needed one, I found myself floundering.

The lesson I'm doing with eighth graders this week involves playing music and having them identify in English what kind of music and what different instruments they hear. Then I have a worksheet with activities accompanying John Lennon's song "Imagine" (an ESL classic). Well yesterday when I did the lesson, the songs would play up until "Imagine", which was a bit of a problem, but I ended up singing the song, which the kids loved. Never have they been so quiet and attentive. So today when the electricity went out not long before I had to teach that lesson again, I didn't really panic, I came up with a sketch of a back-up plan. Then the electricity came back on just in time and I rejoiced. Until I got into my classroom and the CD wouldn't play at all. Alright, back-up plan straight into action. Except that this group was one of my toughest, and the back-up plan just flopped. I think they would have enjoyed the music too so it's really a shame it didn't work just because the only CD player I have access to is really old and kind of crappy. Not really sure what to do when even games wouldn't capture their attention, I just sort of gave up for the last fifteen mintues and just chatted with them. I tried my best to respond to them in English, so at least time wouldn't totally be wasted. A bunch of the girls asked me about my brother and if he has Facebook. I think they have already decided they have a crush on him because he shares a name with Justin Beiber. I had to dissapoint them letting them know that not only does he not have Facebook, he is unavailable, ten years older than them, and lives in the United States. And even into my third week I still get questions about whether I know any famous people.

Even when I am facing a failing lesson (which does get me a bit down), at the end of the day, I can pick myself back up because I really love these kids. They always manage to make me laugh, and they really are quite sweet. Yesterday a girl I didn't even recognize (I do have about 250 students so sometimes I forget faces and I always forget names) handed me some earrings in a little plastic bag, and then walked away with no explanation. I also often get drawings or little oragami creations which I wasn't expecting from kids this age. It feels like each day I am constantly reminded that kids are the reason why I find myself attracted to teaching. They are also the most challenging part of this profession.