Back to School

So, as you in the Northern hemisphere are heading back-to-school, we are also loading our backpacks and hitting the books, although for most of us the break was only 2-3 weeks instead of 3 months, since it was just our "winter" vacation.At the university, classes have actually been back in session for a month, but I've just had too many extra-curriculars to tell you about recently to update you on teaching details.

The semester's been great! Well, it hasn't been completely without its own struggles. I've been bumped from classroom to classroom as a bit of vagabond teacher, with students spending half the hour trying to find where we've been stationed that day. I started in a windowless classroom surrounded by men working with power tools. Which means I had to yell over the noise of the sledge hammers as I was holding my skirt down from the wind and trying to keep my hair out of my mouth.

But the students have put up well with the weekly adventure of seeking out their English teacher, as could have been foreseen by their original intentionality in finding me to request more classes. Yes, you heard right! Whereas, last semester my numbers dwindled as the weeks passed, this term I seem to have new students every week. I don't know if they've been won over by the charm of my adorably bad Spanish, have come to see the light that English really will help them in life, or have just heard how fantastic the class is. Whatever the reason, it's a good thing I kind of like the mindless work of grading papers, since I have over 150 students on my combined rosters, and I've not only added an intermediate level course, I've also added homework and quizzes every week to try to encourage them to study, or at least think about English outside of class.

Now, the challenge, as I've mentioned before, is to be the professor everybody likes while trying to instill some, possibly unprecedented, classroom integrity. Honesty and work ethic don't seem to be bubbling up out of my pupils, whereas copying and cheating are commonplace. Fortunately, as interest in English is up, so also has been new interest in our campus ministry. We've had a number of new students and just last week started our third Bible study at the university. Outside of studying English and the Bible we're also getting some good quality time with our students recently serving in the rural community I've told you about, Pueblo Nuevo. The photos you see here are a chicken workshop we put on last weekend. Too bad the chicken costume was just a rental, or I'd totally let you borrow it...