Sorry I've been lacking in the updates about school, its just been such a crazy week!
Well Monday and Tuesday were extremely rainy...not good weather for 5 year olds. Everyone was getting so pent up (including myself) and the energy levels were so difficult to deal with. They had indoor recess but not being able to run around starting driving everyone coocoo.
I'm really starting to get into the swing of things at school; we know which bus stops to get on and off on, I know how to get to my classroom, I know how to get to both of the playgrounds, I know how to get to the nurses office, PE Art Music and Computer, and the woman working at the cafe knows my order. Pretty successful week and a half I'd say.
I've started to eat from the cafe because its so much cheaper than the 8 euro gourmet meal. They have a variety of sandwiches and what all us girls call, "the special chips", I don't actually know what flavor they are but there's a picture of a red pepper on the bag but they taste like bbq chips almost...either way, she knows what I like. And during my break each day I'll run down to the cafe to grab a cornetto, a sugar glazed croissant yumm.
I know I look forward to the hilarious things the kids say everyday, so I thought I'd share a few more tidbits.
On Monday I was talking to Francesca T. (she's half australian half italian). She was telling me all about her trip to the beaches in Germany coming up this summer. She was talking about the ocean, and going to her grandma's, and the halter dress she gets to wear. She said, "but I don't like wearing that because it shows my armpits." I asked her, "Why don't you like showing your armpits?" "Because armpits are hairy! My sister has hairy armpits. She has one hair under each, so I'll tickle her to make her raise her arms and pluck the hairs from each armpit so then she has no hairs like me!"....I then asked, "So how old is your sister?" "Nine." I don't know if I just can't recollect, but I don't believe I had armpit hair at the age of nine and I never knew this was a concern for a five year old. At least she appreciates good hygiene.
Now onto 5 year old boys. Maybe because I never was a 5 year old boy I don't fully understand their obsession with bodily functions. I've already mentioned my run in with the pee in the bathroom and in the pants. In class during quiet time the kids are allowed to draw or read a book. I sat to draw with a few of the boys in the class and I asked them what I should do and they said a tiger. I started drawing what I thought to be a fantastic tiger then Lao told me I forgot his piscillo. I said, "His what?". "His piscillo. Pee pee!" He then grabbed the tiger and drew a penis on him. From the penis he drew dots leading to a puddle below him. Then Lao started screaming, "Ca ca!!!" (which is actually poop in Italian...who would've thunk it) as he drew dots coming out of the tiger's rear. That got all the boys riled up and they all started giggling and saying piscillo and caca. Now every time I draw an animal they try to add his private parts...even the puppets I made for a class project.
And the love story of the century, the love escapades of Francesca L. and Alexander. Well last week they were married and planning their honeymoon. They were in gym class and I looked over to see Alex bawling his eyes out in the corner. I went over and pulled him over to where I was sitting to find out what was wrong. He wouldn't say and just sat there with his arms crossed tears running down his face. I look up to see Francesca dramatically reaching her arms out to him calling his name...however Ucheoma was holding her hand. She and Ucheoma had decided to get married instead. Poor little Alex's heart was broken. He was married and divorced within a day! Imagine the torment! He finally caught his breath and I had to keep shooing away Francesca and Ucheoma as they kept trying to come over to apologize and convince him nothing was going on. Alex was ready to join the class again and next thing I know I see Francesca telling Alex she loves him and wants to marry him. Young love. It could kill ya.
Maria Cecelia and Francesca L (she gets around) both pronounced their love for Leo today in class. Poor Alex. They drew his name and a bunch of hearts on an assignment we needed to hang up on the wall so they had to redo it all. These boy crazy little girls have the pick of the litter in the class since there's 3 of them and 10 boys...if only JMU students were so lucky.
The kids have been singing more songs recently, I think it's my teachers attempt to calm them down and give them something fun to do. We sing songs before we eat, as we walk to and from places, and in between subjects. On Tuesday we sang my new favorite song. It's the Three Little Pigs rock. The kids literally jumped out of the chairs playing their air guitars rocking out, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Ucheoma, who is known to not be able to control his body, seemed to have spasms just shaking this way and that. Another song we started singing more is the Aerobic Alphabet. It goes a little something like this, "A Arch, B Bend, C Clap, D Droop, E expand, F flop, G grow, H hop." With such a catchy tune I find it stuck in my head throughout the day (although the world is a rainbow song sticks with me for the whole week ughh). The song has the kids act out each letter and use their fingers to write letters on each others back.
The biggest thing I've noticed throughout my time at Marymount is how extremely wealthy these kids are. I've mentioned their parents which just seems cool, but these kids literally are given everything they could imagine. I was talking to my teacher about Francesco who seems to act out a lot more than the other children. About a month ago the teacher would have to literally pick him up and carry him out of the room because he would just lose it, he would bang his head on the walk, bite himself, lick the floor, all sorts of odd things. My teacher believes this is because he's an only child and everything has just been handed to him. At school there's structure and it's impossible to get everything you want. This has been such a stark comparison to my experience in Waynesboro at a priority school where the majority of the children lived in poverty. Although both groups seem to be extremely needy just in different ways.
I feel like the kids don't fully respect me as a teacher yet, it's really hard to get them to listen to me since I haven't been with them all year long. I think they just kind of see me as the girl that hangs out there and makes playdo pizza's with them. But I actually get to teach a lesson over the next two weeks which is really exciting! It's a lot easier than what I had to do this past semester, but I read 3 stories, one with each reading group, including the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, and the Red Hen. After reading these I had them practice acting it out. Wednesday I had them color in little drawings I made of all the characters to make puppets...and if I do say so myself my drawings were impeccable. While they were coloring I worked on using an old box to make a puppet stage. I think I'm going to have the kids act out the stories then write their own versions and draw a picture to go along with it. This won't be finished till maybe midway next week so it finally gives me something productive to do! Don't call me a nerd but I missed having work at practicum.
I'll keep you all updated on the going ons in the classroom, and keep my ear out for the funny stories these kids will surely provide. Ciao!
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