Finally Teaching!!

I’ve been trying to pack as much as possible into my last week here so I’ve been really busy!!

The students started classes again on Wednesday and I jumped right into teaching them.  Normally on Wednesdays they are taught lifeskills all day but the teacher for that couldn’t make it.  So, a few minutes before classes started, they informed me that I would be teaching Spanish(yes you read that right).  I’m finding that this sort of thing happens a lot.  There is a schedule, but it doesn’t mean much.  Since most of the students will be working in the tourist business and will meet people from all over the world, it is adventageous to learn a little of many languages.  Therefore, I am sharing my small knowledge of Spanish with them, in addition to working on their English skills.

I realized right away that teaching Spanish would be much easier than teaching English.  This sounds strange at first, because English is my first language.  The students have almost no knowledge of Spanish though, so I can just cover the basics.  Also, because I don’t have much time with them, I am just teaching them phrases and words, not grammar.  English, on the other hand, is a whole other story.  I’m starting to appreciate how competely obnoxious and complex the English language is.  I know there are grammar rules, but sometimes I seriously doubt their existance…

Anyone who knows me, knows I love grammar, but I had a very difficult time explaining why we use certain words, forms, etc.  My limited knowledge of Swahili isn’t helping either.  Needless to say, I am very confident in my decision to switch from an education major to a social work.