Making a Difference

If my contribution to La Universidad Libre (where I’ve been teaching for the last 10 months) could be measured in chocolates and goodies, I’d say I contributed rather a lot.  So far this week my students have absolutely showered  me with everything from arroz con leche to hand-written cards to endless cakes and chocolate bars.  Just what I need right; my dress for the wedding in June is what size?   

Wednesday

Unfortunately, chocolate is not a legitimate currency for measuring impact, change, or knowledge exchange.  Helping someone can be a tricky business.  Good intentions are not sufficient.  Sometimes we make a huge effort, we feel that we´ve done well, but actual notable change either in performance, behavior, or some economic statistic goes unachieved, falls short.  It`s like the old cliché of teaching someone to fish rather than fishing for them.  But even a detailed instruction manual, a face-to-face demonstration, or 2 semesters teaching still may not be enough. 

This is one thing that has always frustrated me about volunteerism and non-profit work.  Sometimes, despite everything, it can be a lot of “feel good” and technically not so much “do good.” 

So has my being here for a year made a difference?  Any difference?  That´s what Fulbright gave me the grant for right? 

Well I haven´t been sitting around on my ass that´s for sure.  I`ve poured hours, days, weeks, months of my time into “doing good,” but is there change? 

I honestly don`t know.  I haven`t published anything official (yet), didn`t affect any large-scale organizational change within my university, didn`t change any student`s life, didn’t come close to alleviating poverty, didn`t didn’t didn’t!  

 But I did something.  The following thought sounds annoying to me as it toggles in my brain, as I think it, as I type it.  But it rings true.  Perhaps my greatest contribution this year has been character.  I’ve tried to lead by example in showing my students to have a positive attitude about knowledge and learning, about English and opportunity, about critical thought and challenge.  I’m not a trained teacher, but I have a genuine love for school, the acquisition of knowledge, and the conscientiousness of being a student.  How I transferred the importance of that through grammar, vocabulary, and oral exams, I can’t be sure.  But I think I did. 

  

I “feel good” about my efforts, now let’s just hope I’ve “done good” to boot.

TEACHER MOMENT!

I had a teacher moment today, and I feel impelled to share.  I hate hearing over and over that you really know you love being a teacher when you see the look in a student’s eyes that they understood something - finally got it.  It’s cliché.  But something similar happened to me today and now I guess I have to join the force of the cliché.

 

My students have class from 4-6pm, but they were required to attend some presentations today in the auditorium until 5pm at which point they could leave, go home, chau, hasta la vista baby.  But a group of about 15 of them found me (wandering around looking for a teacher) and asked if we could still have class from five to six.  My reaction… what???  I couldn’t believe it!  My students were given the option to take the afternoon off and they wanted class with me.   And they actively sought me out to ask for it!  Again, what?   Yayyyyyy!  I was so pleased.  We had a little debate and I had them ask questions about modern expressions etc, nothing crazy, but how cool?  I’m the biggest school-loving, teacher’s pet ever and I don’t think even I would have done that.  

I love being a teacher today.

April Fools' Day

It’s April Fools come early here in Colombia.  I just couldn’t resist…

Good morning class.  

Good moooooooorniiiiiiiiiing

How is everyone today?

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.

Ok, I need you to please clear off your desks, face front, and separate yourself from your neighbor.  (Initial looks of terror; they know what that means.)  Quickly, we haven’t got all day.  Now don’t worry, this is just a little pop quiz to check how well you’ve been paying attention in class the last few weeks.

Does it count for a grade?????  (slighty frantic)

Yes.  (All eyes immediately shoot to the real professor as if to ask, Are you really letting her do this to us?  The teacher nods in approval).

Please do not flip over your paper until everyone has one.  Everyone ready?  Okay, now turn over your paper, read the directions carefully, and begin.

The directions on the test read:  Read over all the questions and then begin.  You have 10 minutes to complete this quiz.  The last question on the test reads: Flip over your paper.  Do not take the quiz.  It is a joke.  Happy April Fools’ Day.

Pencils scratch feverishly.  The first question is easy.  The second one as well.  The third question not so much.  Students start looking up at me like, I thought you were nice!  And others, I really hate you right now!  Students look back and forth between each other for confirmation of the difficulty and unfairness of the quiz.  Number four is even harder.  Some look ready to cry.  Others giggle in discomfort.   Write a brief paragraph about the current conflict in Libya.  Include 4 phrasal verbs that we studied last week.  OUR ASSISTANT IS THE DEVIL!!!!!!!!

Students start coming to my desk with questions of desperation.  Wait, I have a question.  When did we talk about Libya?  Does it matter what tense the phrasal verbs are in?  I don’t understand number 3.  I don’t think we discussed number 4.  How do you spell Gaddafi? 

Just do your best.  You only have a few more minutes.

I let them struggle for 10 minutes.  It's a long ten minutes.  Pencils down please.  Immediate outbreak of Spanish speaking.  

So how do you think you did? 

Bety bety bad.  (Spanish pronunciation)  They are straight up mad at this point.  Why?  What happened?  No answer.  Common, what was hard about it?  Overflow response: not enough time, crazy questions, we didn’t study that, bla bla bla!

Ok, Diana, would you please read the instructions aloud?  Ok, Santiago, would you please read the last question aloud?

Small screams, sighs of relief, outbreak of Spanish speaking.  Most importantly, smiles, big smiles.  Relief.  I then capture the moment to explain to them what April Fools’ Day is and how we “celebrate” in the U.S.  The next few moments are spent laughing and showing each other what they wrote out of desperation on the quiz.  Everyone fell for it.  I played this same trick on four classes today, and the dialogue above was the same in all four.  Each quiz was tailored to the recent subject matter of that particular class.  Except for the Gaddafi question; that was universal.  Had to make it believable.

I love April Fools’ Day.  The best part is, I get to do this again to all the fresh blood in my classes tomorrow.  I don’t think they’ll forget what April Fools’ Day is.  At least not any time soon.

Stereotype This

It’s Black History Month in case you forgot.   So naturally I have been hosting discussions in my classes about words like prejudice, discrimination, stereotype etc.  In basic levels we just discuss what they mean, advanced levels how they apply to history in the U.S. and Colombia.  The word that urks me the most is stereotype.  It’s a hard word to explain.  It’s also hard to convince people that even though we may say we aren’t racist or exclusive (and we very well may not be), that doesn’t mean that stereotypes don’t still help dictate our daily behavior, thoughts, and judgments.

 

We’re human; we use heuristics and stereotypes to help us make decisions, perceive new circumstances, fill in the gaps.  I don’t see anything per say wrong in that.  The problem is when we demonstrate fixedness in that our early use of a heuristic or stereotype primes the way we see, understand, and predict future circumstances or behavior.  We have a natural tendency to want to be right, and for that reason we notice and remember behavior typical of a stereotype far more frequently and powerfully than anything contradictory.  It happens subconsciously. 

I’ll be the first to admit that stereotypes exist for a reason; they aren’t arbitrary.  The problem is that they are usually extreme, exaggerated.  So I had my Advanced 2 students stereotype themselves.  Make a list of some of their personal information that categorizes them: city of origin, neighborhood, age, activities in which they participate etc.  What stereotypes correspond?  Does that perception match their true self or even their desired self?  In over 90% of students, neither was the case (this was a crap study btws, seeing as n=20).  I stereotyped myself.

From a wealthy suburb à stuck up; naïve about the real world, fixated on money and success

Traveler to “dangerous” places à risk-taker

Like watching and playing sports à butch (excuse the non PC term, just trying to make a point)

Proud member of a sorority à elitist, follower, superficial, girly girl

Likes to study and probably (definitely) cared too much about grades à dork!

Non-religious à no faith, uncaring

Dance team member à sold out ballerina

Domestic fool à poor future husband

The list goes on.  Now obviously there are positive stereotypes that correspond to each of these, and we use those on a daily basis as well.  But looking at that list, is it even possible that I be all those things at once?  I’m far from fixated on money.  Risk-taker?  I can hardly handle betting valueless clay chips in a friendly round of poker.  You get my point.  I guess I just wanted to show my students that even though stereotypes are natural and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for subconsciously using them every once in awhile, they can still do a lot of damage.  The best thing we can do is be ourselves and overcome our stereotypes, maybe then we’ll learn how not to use them against others.