Model Students

Today at IES P my "chatty boys' class" was held in the computer lab instead of our regular classroom so that I could use the projector to give my powerpoint presentation about Thanksgiving.  (Happy Thanksgiving, by the way!)

In all of my classes, I think the students get a lot more out of the visuals, rather than just listening to me speak.  Seeing pictures of gourds, cornucopias, and Indian corn was especially helpful, as most of my students had never seen these before.

In fact, in a class yesterday at IES M, when I got to the symbols slide of Indian corn, some students asked me, "But it's not real, right?  Is it painted?"

They were shocked to learn that it's natural.

But back to this morning: I'm setting up in the lab, and another teacher comes in and talks to the English teacher Paloma.  He mentions that someone will be here to take pictures around the school from 9am-11am today, including pictures in the computer lab.  Our class goes from 8:30 - 10:15.  We didn't know any more details, but Paloma had me start with the powerpoint just in case we had to move from the room later.

The presentation was fine, just like all the other times I had given it in my other classes.  This time I got to say "It's today" when I told them it takes place on the fourth Thursday in November.  Then I taught them how to tell time in English. (No worries, I taught them they can say "twenty AFTER five" instead of only teaching the book's "twenty PAST five"-- which you must read with a British accent in your head).

Then around 9:30, the same teacher that had come in earlier said they wanted to take pictures of the computer lab now.  Paloma and I got rid of our stuff from the front of the room, and the teacher began to instruct the boys on what program to open on the computers in front of them.

Paloma left the room and I followed, then headed to the library where I normally go after class to do two hours of prep work.  There was one other woman also working in the library.

The computer I use in the biblioteca

Then one of the jefes de estudios came in to look at the library, as the photographer was coming in here next.  The man mentioned that it looked a little empty.  I think the other woman was thinking of leaving (or fixing her hair), but the man told her that no faces would appear in the pictures. Bueno, mejor así.

The man left.  I continued to work.  Then five minutes later, the library doors burst open and in walks my English class of chatty boys.  Apparently the library looked too empty with just the woman and I, so after taking pictures in the computer lab, the same boys were asked to come fill up the library.

I got lots of "Hi teacher"s from the boys as they walked past me to fill in the seats.  Some sat at the computers, and the others grabbed books and pretended to read at the table on the right.  

Some of those boys were so good at keeping straight faces when the camera man was up in their grill!  Such serious looks.  I would have laughed for sure.  I just kept working on my stuff while the camera man took pictures, so my computer screen was filled with English -- not tech-school picture worthy!

I think the pictures are going to be used in advertisements for the school, but I'm not sure where or in what format.  It was just funny to see these boys posing in the library as model students.

And when the camera man was all done with the library shots, all of the boys got up and filled out of the room, following the camera man to their next location.  And silence refilled the library.