no soy psicóloga

I made it to school the past two days in a row, and I´m feeling more comfortable there and starting to figure out what I´m supposed to be doing. Yesterday was an especially cool day. I was with Isabel (the sub) for a couple classes in the morning, then at 11:00 I was scheduled to go to Inmaculada´s classroom to help with the 3 year olds, but apparently they´re not going to start learning English until November, so I had a free hour. Isabel did too, so we stood in the narrow walkway between the side of the school and the fence and talked for a while. I sort of felt like I was sneaking around, or getting away with something, because everyone else was working, and because Isabel was smoking. Then Raquel, the principal, came and stood with us and smoked and I didn´t feel like that anymore.

After school I met with Raquel and several mothers who are leaders of an association called AMPA -- Associación de Madres y Padres de Alumnos. None of them had names, they were all just introduced to me as ´´la madre de ___´´. They are going to pay me 240 euro a month to teach three classes every Tuesday, from 3:30 to 6:30. One group will be 1st and 2nd graders, one will be 6th graders and one will be parents who want to learn English. There are 12 kids in all, and 8 parents, so the classes will be small. I start this Tuesday. I´m very excited about it, but also nervous because I´ve never actually formally ´taught´before, and because they are paying me so much they are probably expecting great things from me. If you have any ideas, tips or websites that you think would help, either for teaching kids or adults, please let me know. I started planning stuff today, but it´s difficult because I´m still not quite sure what level the kids will be at.

I feel like I´ve been privy to some interesting gossip lately, both in the car on the way to and from work, and in the teacher´s lounge. Unfortunately I don´t understand most of it, though I am sensing a bit of jealously towards Isabel and Elena, who are teaching in Ireland this month, and who are also taking 8 students to Poland in mid-November for a week. I´d be jealous too.

My roommates, the other teachers and the principal have been referring to me as a psychologist ever since I got here. At first I sort of let it slide, because I wasn´t 100% sure that´s what they were saying. But now I am sure, so, when Raquel told the moms yesterday not to worry about the kids having behavior problems because I am a psychologist, I decided it was time to set the record straight. Don´t want to set their expectations too high...