Is that you?

+ Hello there! It's been a while. 

+ It's really good to see you!

+ Come come! Have a seat with me. 

+ Tea? A piece of cake?

- This cake nice, don't you have mo...

+ STOP TALKING WHILE YOU'RE EATING!!!!!!!!!! >:(

- What why are you ta...

+ I hate people like you

- ...

Have you ever seen your teacher ... well ... when he's not teaching you? I mean, have you ever seen him/her outside the classroom?

Well, I sometimes do, and every time that happens I get surprised at what I see.

You know, teachers are people too. They have a living, they like things, they have concerns, they fear things too. 
One of the things they fear the most is the first impression they'll leave to those they teach for the first time. Of course, that feeling vanishes in time but it doesn't really disappear completely. 

So, the next time you see your favorite teacher outside the classroom, remember that they change their attitude depending on the classroom they go into ;)

When do we become teachers?

Blog entry #7 

Long have I thought about our jobs as teachers. 

I used to believe that we didn't really become teachers until we finished our majors and received the document that endorses us as such. That makes sense when you think about that Mexican phrase that says "papel habla". 

On Friday 3rd, I gave a Third Conditional class as part of my professional practices and received feedback after. My tutor liked the way I presented the topic and her students seemed to have a good impression after my presentation performance. On Saturday, March, 28th, I finished my course at my job and my student told me that I do a good job and he likes the classes I give. That makes me feel joy because of the fact that others reckoning your work is hardly comparable to other feelings. 

So...

Now I believe the opposite. I'm sure that one becomes a teacher, regardless of the subject, at the moment he/she starts to plan classes and give them ;)

Welcome to Richie's horror show!!!

Blog Entry #6:  Master Richie's Show!

Come on, come in!!! Welcome! Welcome!

Take a seat, make yourselves comfortable!

...

*silence*

...

*the curtain opens*

...

and here we Go!!!!!

                               

Act 1: Create a plan.

Monday ... So there he was. Trying his best to adapt his routines to his days in "quarantine", doing his best not to send school to Hell ... and there he is! HE MADE IT!!!!!

And now he was free to turn his attention on his work stuff. He received a message and was told to get ready because the end of his student course was upon us and I still had one entire unit to teach. But another thing was missing: The final exam ... No problem, teacher Richie said, 'cause he had agreed to apply the exam only after covering all the topics in the course.
...
Still ... Teacher Richie's spidey-sense was tingling! But why? ... Hmmm ...

Everything was ok, teacher Richie made his lesson plan and everything was ready to face HIS 3 HOUR FIRST ONLINE CLASS EVER.

And so the week went by and finally, Saturday 28th  arrived. The end of the course was upon us.

Act 2: Stick to the plan

Saturday, 9:00 am.
So, teacher Richie woke up and immediately went to check the final details about the class when he received another text asking him how he was going to apply the exam, so I reminded my coordinator that we already agreed on finishing my classes but he answered that the last day of the course was on Saturday
WHAT!!!??? NO!!! That was not the agreement!!!! Still ... In all his time working (Richie used to work in other things before becoming a teacher) he knew he couldn't ignore a direct command but he also understood the importance of the situation at hand and decided to follow his lesson plan so carefully planned.
Saturday, 12:00 pm
And so there he was! Teacher Richie made his incursion to the world of Online Teaching by means of Zoom. Everything was ok but then  Lord Trouble made his appearance.

Act 3: Get rid of the plan

Teacher Richie's coordinator insisted on applying the final exam and Richie had no other choice. An hour and a half of the class time were left and, luckily, all the topics were covered by that moment. 

Richie threw the rest of his lesson plan away and applied the exam by following his spidey-sense: the day before, teacher Richie has scanned the final exam in case that something happened

Richie applied the exam by sharing his screen an asking his student to keep the audio and the camera on at all times. 

The exam consisted of me zooming every section of the exam and my student writing notes on it. Then, I made a screenshot on every section and saved it for later evaluation.

...

I don't know what happened. I can only say that my student never cheated because I had been looking at his facial reactions and his eyes to make sure that he was focused on the exam. Besides, I know him to be an honored man. Against all odds (because of the general situation) he approved the Intermediate course with an 8 as a final grade. 

Moral: I think this was possible because of my alternate plan and I encourage every single person reading this to have a backup plan at all times in the classroom and in life.

                               

Blog Entry #5 On Quarantine

Hello there! Yes, it has been a while. 

I am teacher Richie. I regret to say that these are tough times in many ways and our regular routines have suddenly been modified to become some housework classes and activities with almost zero chance to go outside. Its been like that during the last week. 

                    

For what I've seen and heard in the news, we, I mean students and teachers, won't be able to go back to school. 
For now, that's impossible and our near future is uncertain. 


We will all be challenged in different ways and levels: Our performance at school, at our jobs, our friends ... Our families.


But I ask you to be patient. Make a conscious effort and try to find your way, especially if you, like me, are having a hard time when working online and everything that that implies: feeling disorganized, being interrupted at all times, feeling in some sort of prison, etc. 
I'll keep trying to do the same because I believe that the only one able to figure out how to get out of trouble is yourself. 

In time, our lifestyles will go back to normal. Protect your loved ones by staying safe!

May the Force be with you.

Richie's Taxonomy

Journal entry #4: a taxonomy drawing

As funny as this can be, I can say that back in the day, planning lessons for my very first classes and job applications was a challenge because of the fact that I literally didn't know what to do. So, I have seen Bloom's Taxonomy as a beacon for my planning skill since the moment I discovered its existence. 
It doesn't really matter if my activities have gone well or wrong in my short teaching story as the taxonomy has given organization and marked limits to every single plan I have made: they no longer look like one big stage.

Allow me to explain the image above: it is my version of Bloom's Taxonomy. 

It is a graphic taxonomy that starts from zero and, as Cartesian planes develop single equations to complex ones, it evolves in cognitive environments marked by verbs from the lightest (near zero) to the deepest level. 

I hope you can see the analogy I made here as both students and teachers try to grow and develop knowledge all the way from simple things to remember to big creations. 

The 10 Commandments

Journal entry #3. Giving feedback in class: The 10 Commandments

Being a teacher is not just about planning lessons, "backup plans" and hoping not to use them. I mean, have you ever wondered what to do when correcting your students while giving a class? 

  

Well, next to most of my classmates and friends, my teaching experience is almost zero but, still, it is slowly growing and so is my opinion on what to do when the time comes to stop a student from doing something incorrect or wrong. 

 So, if you wish to keep a good rapport with your students, here are the things that have helped me throughout my short experience as an English teacher:

1.- Keep it simple: Do not overcorrect.

2.- Let other classmates give feedback: teachers may rest for a few seconds.

3.- Don't expose anyone: this will probably destroy a hardly built rapport. 

4.- Balance your feedback: look for this thing called "sandwich feedback", you'll thank me later.

5.- Do not interrupt: give your students the chance to finish their idea because they may find the mistake and correct themselves. 

6.- Adapt your feedback: every student is different, and so your feedback should be.

7.- Go to the point: Students prefer to know their mistakes at once.

8.- Be patient: YOU ONCE WERE A STUDENT TOO.

9.- Allow students to make some reflection by themselves: teachers may rest for a few seconds.

10.- Find balance: there is a thin line between constructive feedback and being disrespectful.

Most of the time, teachers are models that are followed by students who learn from them. It would be wise if we mind what we say when giving feedback. If we do this, I assure you that you won't fail your students.

Tough situations

Somewhere in their careers, all teachers must deal with situations that force us to make important choices. At the same time, we are supposed to be loyal to our values. This incidents happen even when you, teacher, don't have that much experience in teaching.

I was once giving particular English lessons to a pair of brothers: boy, and girl. They were really talented and also willing to participate in all the activities I prepared for them. As time went by, they were aware that their English mastery was noticeably rising resulting in a rise of their confidence as well. This triggered a wave of incidents that included the fact that they started not to do the homework I assigned for them, which was bad because their midterm exams at their school were upon them. Eventually, the exam results came out and the children's parents asked me to talk with them: they told me to change my teaching technique, which included videos, readings and games to practice speaking and listening, and practice grammar and working in a useless book instead. 

Kids are full of energy. They need to do meaningful and moving things to keep their interest, so, I assume you can imagine my dilemma. 

I decided to stick to my plan. I kept my teaching technique but I used the last minutes of the sessions to remind them of the importance of the lessons and their grades at school.

Some weeks later, their parents spoke to me again to ask why I hadn't listened to them but I just told them to be faithful to their children as they had been doing their homework and, actually, corrected some grammar and pronunciation particular mistakes they had been doing. Eventually, the course at their school came to an end bringing the results of their final exams. Both kids approved their English subject but, despite I was supposed to continue my process with them for their next course, I was never called for again. 

Every working person at their jobs should stick to their plans and values. No one should change them only because others tell you to do it, especially when you know you're right about a situation. 

Despite I lost my job, I know I chose well.