A teacher's impact on the class

I am in my ninth week of teaching. Because I teach in three-week cycles, I am coming to the end of my third cycle and my third lesson with students. As I have surely mentioned in past postings, I meet with 39 different classes. Perhaps an outsider will say "duh" to this, but it is becoming more clear to me with each class I teach that who is teaching the class really makes a significant difference.

The students have only been in class for about three months so on the one hand, I think, how much difference can their teacher make when these students are coming from all different backgrounds, have different majors, varying past experiences with the English language but I can tell you that each of my 39 classes has its own personality and that more than anything I have to say that their teacher plays a really important role in shaping this class personality or classroom culture.

I teach the same lesson to the 39 classes over the three week period. I start with a week of level 3 students, then a week of level 2 students and finally a long week with the level 1 students. The last week is long because I have the most classes - about four per day - during my week with the level 1 students. It's exhausting (but still fun)! While in general the 3's are better than the 2's and the 2's are better than the 1's, there are plenty of overlap with the students and their individual abilities. I'm not completely sure how they end up in these levels, if it's through testing or simply by taking a year of each level. Anyway, this is not the point I'm trying to make. I bring it up because I've observed that despite the level of class I'm teaching, the differences in abilities, willingness to participate and performance in activities is subtle between the three levels.

What I notice more is kind of the overall attitude of the class, I called it "personality" before. For instance, yesterday I was with a class that got into their groups quickly and quietly and worked almost in silence for the 20 minutes they had for group work. The teacher has them work in groups often, she tells me, and she herself seems to be a quiet and diligent teacher. Another teacher is controlling and is the only one who really pushes me to adjust my lesson plans to conform to what she feels is appropriate. None of the other teachers do that. She's also the one that from the beginning asked me to "follow the book," meaning the text book the students use day to day. Basically that would just make me like a once-in-awhile substitute teacher for her. Lucky for me my faculty adviser does not support this and so I can teach my own lessons. I do make adjustments for this teacher because I want to cooperate and I want her to see me as an asset in the classroom. What I have noticed in this teacher's classroom is dramatically different from other classrooms. These students struggle the most with my lessons. In the last cycle, the students weren't able to answer a question asking the students opinion - even in Spanish! What?

There are teachers who support me in my lessons and encourage the students to participate. The best teachers, in my opinion, are working with groups on one side of the room as I work with groups on the other. These classes tend be noisy (in a good way!!) and active during group work. Their presentations are interesting, fun to listen to, and show a lot of thought. There are other teachers who are more hands-off during my lessons and they stay in the room, usually grading papers or doing other work while I teach. These students work pretty well. Maybe it's that they've been taught to be independent.

There's one teacher that I like, but she kind of barks out orders to her students when they seem shy. I ask for volunteers and she yells threats that if someone doesn't volunteer she's going to start calling out names. These students are like children whose parents say, "I'm going to count to five and if you don't..." and the child doesn't do what the parent wants until they reach number 4 in their count.

If I were to have the same classes everyday I would not be able to observe this. I am really grateful to have the chance to observe how much a teacher's style affects a class of students. It makes me think a lot about what I want from my classes. I want them to be active, independent thinkers who work well with others, who aren't afraid to give wrong answers and who, most of all, aren't hesitant to ask questions. So far that is my favorite thing as a teacher: answering questions! To me it shows a level of trust and interest on the part of the students and it's far too rare for my taste. There is one night class, I think it's in my level 3 group, that asks questions. The teacher for that class is one of my favorites. She's open, relaxed, approachable and happy. No wonder her class feels comfortable asking questions. There's one student who tries to ask provoking questions like after I talked about the origins of Thanksgiving he asked if it wasn't true that the Europeans later slaughtered the American Indians and stole their lands. Great question! Seriously, I get so few questions that I'll take what I can get, even the provoking one. And it really is a good question.

This is not meant to be a criticism of the teachers I work with at the University. I admit that my experience is limited since I've only been with the classes of each teacher a handful of times. I am only aware on the surface of the conditions under which the teachers work. I only write about my impressions and I know in general teaching is a really hard job. We do what we know to do and how we teach is based on our past experiences. I truly think that the teachers are doing what they think is best for their students. My observations are leading me to look more closely at who I am as a teacher and think more deeply about who I want to become as a teacher to do the best job I possibly can to teach my students.

I have only two classes today, both of these teachers are more of the "hands off" variety. It should be a relatively easy afternoon. Chao for now!

Riding the bus

I took the bus alone for the first time today. I rode it twice and I took a taxi by myself. Taxis in Cuenca are a piece of cake compared to buses and I've ridden in them alone before since I've been here.

My first solo bus ride. Is this a sign I'm growing up?

I am a big proponent of public transportation in the developed world. Subway and Metro systems are great and I ride them anytime I'm in a city that's lucky enough to have one. Back at home I am a regular on the bus and I would almost move back to south Minneapolis just to be able to ride the light rail around again. Buses and subways make sense to me in the United States. They run on schedules, their routes are easily viewed in schedules available on the bus, online and in conveniently located transit stores where you can buy bus passes. You know all this, right?

Like everything in Ecuador, the buses here follow unwritten rules that seem subject to change. After two months of observing buses and going on a few rides accompanied with my friends in Ecuador I have come up with a few points that help me make some sense of the bus system in Cuenca. We'll start with the easy ones first:

• The bus costs $0.25. Correct change required. You can pay more and have subsequent riders give you their fare to make change but personally I'd rather just make sure I always have a couple quarters on me.
• Bus drivers want to crush and kill you. Period. That's all. Watch out for buses when crossing on the street, even when standing on a corner fully on the sidewalk at times. They don't slow down, they don't wait for you. They probably get some kind of bonus for hitting foreigners by the way some of them drive. 
• Bus schedules are practically nonexistant. If you ask anyone they will tell you the information center on the Plaza Calderon has copies of the little booklet that has maps for the 20-some bus routes in the city. The truth is the information center has been out of schedules forever. They have one but they don't let it leave the premises. I personally know of only two bus schedule books other than the one at the information center. I have one. I am the third Fulbright grantee to possess this rare booklet and I intend on passing it down to my successor. Buses do not have schedules and there is no transit store as far as I know. 
• Even if you manage to get your hands on a bus schedule booklet, good luck to you. The maps in the book are tiny and streets aren't labeled. Like most things in Ecuador, it is meant for someone who is already familiar with the city. Hand the book to someone who's never been to Cuenca and it'll be useless. I guess now that I've been here for two months I might know my way around enough to get a some use out of it. 
• To Cuenca's credit they do have a transit website that has been the most useful tool for me. The maps are decent. They show the routes if not the stops. Yes, the bus stops only at certain places but you have to either look for the blue bus sign on the street or just look to see where people are standing around flagging down buses. Good luck. 
• I have found that the bus route maps don't fully capture the subtleties of the actual routes the buses follow. Sometimes the line on the map goes straight but the bus makes several turns. Also, I find a map for route 1 online and in my booklet but today the bus I caught was a "1B". What does the B mean? Where does the "A" go? Is there a "1A"? Are there more iterations of the 1 route? So many questions and so few answers. 
• Buses don't run all that late - only until about 7:00 on weekends and not much later during the week. The bus route booklet has the start and end times but I don't believe the website does. How do people know this? There is no schedule, so you can't go down to the corner and pick up the 4:13 bus that'll take you to where you need to go. However, most buses run every 5 - 10 minutes. That information is also in the bus booklet but not on the website. Again, good luck.
• During peak hours buses are packed and the drivers drive more like maniacs than they usually do. Hold on tight and be prepared to get tossed around with the rest of the riders. 
• Getting off the bus takes determination and skill. If the bus is busy, start squeezing yourself towards the back of the bus early. Stand close to the back door, you always enter at the front and exit through the rear door. When the bus is nearing a stop the driver will open the door. He doesn't slow down, mind you, and he doesn't take any more care when careening around corners so keep holding on tight. When the bus does finally come to a stop you have about half a second to alight before it takes off again.

If you have survived the bus ride, congratulations. It's not easy.

Rosita's house (AKA home) is located about 10 minutes from downtown and an easy 25 minute walk to the University. I haven't had to take the bus. Walking is much more pleasant, I get a little exercise and as long as I make time for it, I prefer walking. From now until the end of the month I am house sitting for a family that is visiting relatives in the States. Their house is located too far away for me to walk - at least on a regular basis. I think it would probably take me an hour or so, maybe more to even reach Rosita's house from here. There are two buses whose routes more or less make sense to me and pass by the places I need to go: the university, Rosita's house, and the coffee shop where the knitters meet on Fridays that has the really good chocolate cake. There are many other buses close to this neighborhood but for now I don't care to explore them. I know people who are brave and just jump on any bus to see where it goes. That's direct but not my style. I like to know where I'm going before I embark on my journey. That's why my brother and I have so many problems travelling together. He's more of the "hop on any bus" type. I'm the older one, it makes sense, doesn't it?

I feel I have wasted enough of your time writing about buses. If you come to Cuenca, ride the bus but be on your toes.

Afloat

How long have I sat in front of this screen trying to decide how to start?

We have reached the end of a week that has had periods of fun, sleeplessness, happiness, exhaustion, surprise, sadness, worry, regret, searching, restlessness and finally a little peace.

It was all a bit too much for me to take and while I'm happy to be over it, life goes on and I can only imagine what the future holds.

Last weekend was the Fiestas de Cuenca celebrating Cuenca's independence. I'm unclear on the history and what exactly Cuenca gained its independence from. What I do know is that Cuencanos party like it's 1999 for a good four days straight. Four friends visited me for the celebration. I should say that three are other Fulbright ETAs whom I met when we arrived and the fourth is a new friend that they brought along for the festivities. We spent out days walking from one end of town to the other visiting cathedrals, listening to music and shopping in extensive international markets featuring artisans throughout South America. At night the others went out and danced and I declined invitations to join. I still stayed up far past my normal bedtime although I was waking up at my normal time each morning. On Saturday night the city partied with loud music within a half block of my house until 2:15 in the morning. In my top floor bedroom it sounded like the band was performing on the roof.

My friends returned to their home cities and life began returning to normal. My body revolted against the weekend's change in schedule and I got sick again for a few days. It was miserable. I'm feeling better now that I'm back on a regular schedule. I taught classes to my level one students. They did pretty well and I finally wrapped up the lessons on elections in the United States and Ecuador. I have explained the electoral college system more than a dozen times and know it better than I ever have.

Two days ago without anything tangible changing, I was overcome by an unexpected change. I hope to spare this poor blog and its readers drama and proceed with dignity. I have been released from what has helped ground me for the last four years. The funny thing is that wandering down here around the equator for the past two months, my relationship was held together by infrequent video chats and phone calls. Everyday I thought about the connection I had to the one I love only to be made aware that while I wasn't looking the connection has been severed. It feels like I'm in a little lifeboat tethered to shore on a long rope. I'm bobbing along, looking at the waves, the sun, the clouds, drifting off to nap and then all of a sudden I find the frayed end of the rope floating alongside the boat and I'm in the middle of the sea, no shore in sight.

Oops, too much drama. Sorry about that.

I went for a swim for the first time this week. Between having guests, getting sick and recovering my strength, I haven't been able to go to the pool since last Thursday. In the pool I found my peace and I realize that nothing has changed in the moment and I have no control. All I can do is teach, eat, sleep, talk to friends, write, walk, swim, accept or reject invitations as I see fit, read and live my life here in Ecuador. Time continues to pass and in December I'll see my family and all the people I miss so much. That's only six weeks away and the time will pass quickly, I have no doubt.

For the next three weeks I'll be teaching a lesson on holidays and traditions in Ecuador. Or I should say, I'll be leading a lesson in which my Ecuadorian students will be teaching me about holidays and traditions in this country. I'm looking forward to learning a lot - I learned a lot about elections in Ecuador during the past three weeks.